Become a Rennie!
The Renaissance Singers is always pleased to hear from singers who wish to join the choir. Read on to find out more about us and the kind of singers we are looking for.
About us
The Renaissance Singers is a chamber choir with a rich history, specialising in performing music from the 15th to the mid-17th century to a very high standard. We currently number around 22 singers, whose ages range from 20-something to 60-plus, and are looking to expand membership slightly.
While not a “project” choir, our rehearsals are arranged around 5-6 concerts per year, for each of which we hold five or six rehearsals. We rehearse in central London on Monday evenings from 7 to 9.30pm.
We expect a high level of commitment from our members – in return you’ll get to work with our regular MD David Allinson and a roster of excellent guest conductors on challenging, specialist repertoire and vocal technique. We sing mainly unaccompanied and rehearse without instrumental support.
In addition to rehearsals, members are strongly encouraged to attend our Open Workshops (usually three per year), which give members of the public the opportunity to sing alongside the choir under the direction of expert tutors. Members are also expected to attend an annual weekend away in the South East of England where we work intensively on repertoire and technique, often including consort singing, as well as having time to socialise.
The choir operates as a non-profit organisation and there is an annual subscription fee (currently £210), which covers the costs of running the choir and its programme. Occasionally we offer scholarships in the form of waived subscription fees to enable younger singers and students to join the choir.
About you
You are likely to be an experienced choral singer with a keen interest in polyphony. You are an excellent sight-reader and are confident singing in smaller groups, unaccompanied, occasionally one to a part. You are a sensitive listener and can blend well with the singers around you. You can commit to a regular Monday night rehearsal and occasional weekend performances.
If this sounds like you and you would like to audition for The Renaissance Singers, we invite you first to take a moment to listen to and watch the audio and video clips here, in order to get a feel for the standard expected. If you'd like to proceed, please contact us via the form on this page, including details of your choral singing experience. Female and male altos are equally welcome to audition.