The University Musical Society Choral Union announces auditions for membership during the 2011/12 season.

Auditions will be held Monday, Aug. 29 and Monday, Sept. 12, from 6:30 - 10 p.m. in the Great Lakes Room of Palmer Commons (located at the intersection of Washtenaw and Palmer Drive).

Singers must schedule an audition time in advance by contacting Choral Union Manager Kathy Operhall, by email at choralunion@umich.edu or by phone at 734-763-8997. Auditions are open to singers of all ages.

The 175-voice Choral Union performs choral music of various classical genres in historic performance venues in Detroit and Ann Arbor.

The 2011/12 Choral Union season opens in December with two performances of Handel’s "Messiah" with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Choral Union music director Jerry Blackstone (Saturday-Sunday, December 4-5, Hill Auditorium). The Choral Union will also perform Handel’s "Messiah" with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Christopher Warren Green (Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 10-11, Detroit Orchestra Hall). In February, the Choral Union will perform Brahms’ "Ein deutsches Requiem" and John Adams’ "On the Transmigration of Souls" with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin (Friday, Feb. 24 and Sunday, Feb. 26, Detroit Orchestra Hall). In April, the group will perform Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and William Bolcom’s "Prometheus" with the DSO, again under the direction of Leonard Slatkin (Friday-Saturday, April 20-21, Detroit Orchestra Hall).

Auditions for the University Musical Society’s Choral Union consist of a series of vocalization exercises to determine the range and color of the voice, a prepared solo (no more than two to three minutes in length), and sight reading of a Bach Chorale. Singers should plan to arrive at least ten minutes prior to the scheduled audition time, and should bring a copy of the prepared solo in the correct key for the accompanist. Singers are notified of the results after completion of all auditions.