Children’s choir to hold auditions this month

Summer has all but disappeared and the new school year is upon us. Bangor Area Children’s Choir hopes you had an enjoyable and restful summer vacation. Like you, BACC is busily preparing for its upcoming season.

What is Bangor Area Children’s Choir? BACC is a nonprofit, nonsectarian community organization, organized as a single treble choir in 1992, and is not affiliated with any church or public school.

Last year its members represented 13 towns and 18 schools from the Bangor area and Downeast. In Spring 2000, BACC reorganized into a two-choir program, the choir and youth chorale.

Goals of BACC include providing enriching choral experiences and a commitment to challenging choral repertoire for those specially talented young people who meet audition requirements.

BACC accepts into its membership qualified candidates regardless of race, creed, national origin or religious persuasion. Its repertoire often reflects that cultural diversity.

The bottom line? If you are a child who loves to sing and can carry a relatively good pitch, then BACC can offer you a place to help your voice grow, to meet new friends and to perform in places you might never have imagined. And auditions for the BACC Choir are just around the corner.

The BACC Choir comprises all treble voices – unchanged voices. It follows the organizational guidelines of most established children’s choirs: A singer will be no younger than 9 years old as of Dec. 1, and no older than 16 as of Oct. 1. She or he will sing in the treble voice range to audition for the choir.

Auditions for new members are a two-day process: Singers who pass an initial individual audition must return the next day for a group choral audition.

Please do not prepare any music. Each singer does the same audition to evaluate listening skills, rhythmic ability, pitch, and voice quality.

. Individual auditions will be held 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 540 Essex St., Bangor. Those called back will be contacted between 7:30 and 9 p.m. that evening.

. All singers contacted for the call back will attend a group audition 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, at Redeemer Lutheran Church. The group audition will evaluate each singer’s ability to sing in a group, blend, hold a pitch and focus on the conductor.

Each singer will be called by 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 21, with the results of the final audition. The children who successfully complete the call back audition will join the returning singers for the 2007-2008 Season.

The choir has an exciting 2007-2008 season scheduled.

On Dec. 1 and 2, all members of BACC, including the older, advanced Youth Chorale, will participate in The Spirit of Bangor. This event, at Bangor Auditorium, also will involve the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Robinson Ballet Company, the Jubilation Ringers Handbell Choir, University of Maine Singers, Collegiate Chorus, Oratorio Society, the Bangor High School Chorus and Chamber Choirs, the Bangor Symphony Youth Symphonic Band and Orchestra and Planet Pan Steel Band.

Additional events include a Feb. 10 Choirs in Community concert involving BACC, the Maine Women’s Balkan Choir and the Hampden Methodist Church Jubilation Ringers Handbell Choir.

On Saturday, March 15, the BACC will travel to the Augusta area to participate in the Maine American Choral Director Association annual children’s choir festival directed by Henry Leck.

Leck is the founder and artistic director of the world-renowned Indianapolis Children’s Choir. Maine singers are most fortunate to have the opportunity to sing under his leadership.

If you are an older singer, age 12-18, have had experience singing in choirs, and would be interested in trying out for the advanced treble ensemble, the Youth Chorale, contact Michele Bremner Hall, BACC artistic director, for a private audition.

For information about the BACC Choir and Youth Chorale, contact Michele Bremner Hall at 947-2023 or michelehall@bangorareachildrenschoir.com.

For a broader picture of BACC, visit www.bangorareachildrenschoir.com.