FAQs
Q: Where and when are rehearsals?
A. We rehearse in the Friends and Family Hall at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
Fall and Spring seasons: Voices rehearsals take place on Tuesday nights from 7:00 – 8:20pm.
Cantari rehearsals will take place after a short 10 minute break from 8:30 – 9:30pm.
Summer seasons: The entirety of Voices rehearses on Tuesday nights from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
There is no separate Cantari choir in the summer.
Q: Are rehearsal spaces accessible?
A. The spaces we use are fully accessible. Our main rehearsal space St. Thomas More is accessible with designated parking spots and power doors. On occasion we will have rehearsals at United Methodist Church, and they have a small parking lot in the back with several parking spaces for persons with disabilities. They also have power doors in the back.
Q: Where should I sit at rehearsal?
A. Please see the following seating chart we use for our choir:
Q: How do I sign up?
A: Voices often offers a summer chorus open to anyone who’s interested, no audition required.
Our fall and spring chorus semesters do require a one-time audition.
You can decide to audition only for Voices, or for Cantari (our smaller ensemble).
Once a member, always a member! Even if you sit out for some seasons, you only need to audition one time.
To start the audition process, please fill out our audition submission form and our Membership director will reach out.
Q: What should I expect for the audition process?
A: Auditions generally take place in the Friends and Family Hall at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
The audition consists of:
- being greeted at the door by the Membership Director on our board and often the President of our board
- being introduced to our conductor, Dr. Stephen Futrell
- singing some accompanied vocal warm-ups with Stephen
- singing a prepared song for Stephen of your choosing
Bring a piece that is in a good range for your voice and in a legato style. Songs can range from folk songs, to selections from musicals or operas, art songs, and hymns. If you do not have a song for the audition, Dr. Futrell has many familiar selections on hand. He will be listening for range, resonant vocal quality, and your ability to sing in tune and to project your voice. If you’re auditioning for Cantari, there will also be a tune for you to sight read.
Audition results will be emailed to you by the following day. The audition only takes about 10 minutes and we try to make this process very friendly and not intimidating, so please don’t hesitate to come try out!
Who is conducting for Voices and Cantari?
A: Our wonderful current conductor Dr. Stephen Futrell leads our choruses! You can read more about him here: https://www.voiceschapelhill.org/about/staff-and-board/
Q: I’m going to have to miss a couple rehearsals; should I still join?
A: We ask that members make every effort to be at rehearsals so that we can all practice together and stay in sync. But we know that life happens! If you have to miss a rehearsal, you can practice the music on your own time and follow up with someone in your section to get any updates. If you know you’ll miss at least 3 rehearsals, we ask that you go ahead & reach out to Stephen or membership@voicechapelhill.org to give us a heads up.
Q: How much does it cost to participate in the chorus?
A: Fall and Spring season dues:
- $120 for Voices only
- $150 for Voices and Cantari
- $75 for students, regardless of just Voices or Voices and Cantari
Summer chorus dues:
- $50 for Voices (no Cantari in the summer)
- $25 for students.
This includes the cost for your music packet. Please don’t ever let cost be the reason you don’t participate! There is an option on the sign-up form to request financial aid as well as sponsor-a-singer. We never turn away a singer for lack of funds. You’re welcome to reach out to membership@voicechapelhill.org with any questions or concerns at any time about this topic.
Q: Will music be provided?
A: Yes! You’ll get your music at our first rehearsal.
Q: Is this intended to be a religious choir?
A: No. We practice at a church because it is an inexpensive space for our rehearsals. And as you can see from our diverse repertoire at our concerts, we try to be inclusive in the kinds of music we sing. We seek to make everyone feel welcome and we certainly don’t require any particular faith affiliation for you to be part of our choir.
Q: I’m not sure what voice part I am. Does my gender matter? Are there particular parts you need more / less of? Does Stephen help with this?
A: We welcome all parts, but we can always use more tenors and basses! And your gender doesn’t matter at all – your vocal part in our choir is based on your voice and your preference. Stephen absolutely can help with assessing what part might be a good fit for you. So if you’re a new member, talk to him at your audition with any questions. And if you’re an existing member that might like to switch parts, you’re also more than welcome to reach out to Stephen.
Q: What will choir members wear for the concert?
A: No need to purchase anything extra unless you want to, we just ask that choir members wear all black. That can look like: black dresses, a black top with black pants, black tuxedos or suits with a white shirt underneath with black pants / jacket / tie or bow tie, etc. We’ll communicate more about this and other concert details as we get closer to the concert. For summer chorus, we often have a more casual uniform of jeans and a t-shirt.
Q: What is the status of the NYC Voices trip in 2024?
A: This trip will likely be postponed. Please reach out to membership@voicechapelhill.org with questions.
Q: What are the mask and vaccination policies for this chorus?
A: Please see our updated Covid-19 policy below:
VOICES Public Health Policy
Drafted by: Emily Shuman, President of the Board
Last Updated: August 12th, 2023
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with our mission and values, VOICES
strives to promote the safety and comfort of our singers, audience members, and paid artistic
staff. We rely on the guidance of the CDC and local officials to determine the best course of
action toward this end.
In light of the new endemic phase of COVID-19 and the CDC’s decision to end the public health
emergency declaration, the VOICES Board of Directors reevaluated our previous COVID-19
policy. We will no longer require proof of COVID-19 vaccination at member registration at this
time. We will also no longer require face masks to be worn at rehearsals or concerts at this time.
However, we recognize that many VOICES singers and audience members are themselves or
may have loved ones that are at a higher risk for severe illness due to COVID-19 and other
viruses. We kindly ask that our singers, audience members, and paid artistic staff consider the
safety and comfort of these individuals and the entire VOICES community when making
personal decisions about vaccines, masking, and other public health precautions. We also
strongly suggest that anyone who is feeling sick should refrain from attending rehearsals or
concerts.
Lastly, we recognize that the public health landscape is ever-changing, and the VOICES Board of
Directors is committed to monitoring CDC and local guidelines for changing recommendations.
Should public health conditions warrant a change in this policy, we will communicate the new
policy as soon as possible.