ORONO — The University of Maine’s Oratorio Society, directed by Kevin Birch, held its first rehersal this week for the 1998-99 season. The Oratorio Society is composed of singers from the community, and students and faculty from the university. Each year several major choral works are performed.

No auditions are required to join the Oratorio Society, but regular attendance at rehearsals is required. The society’s first performance will be held Dec. 7; the second performance of the season is scheduled for the University of Maine’s Yuletide Concert Dec. 13. This season’s repertoire includes Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols,” Handel’s “Coronation Anthem Number Two” and “Hallelujah Chorus,” and Conrad Susa’s “Carols and Lullabies.”

For more information, call Kevin Birch, University of Maine School of Performing Arts, at 581-4704.