The University Musical Society Choral Union has announced auditions for membership during the 2010-11 season.

Auditions will be held Monday, August 30, beginning at 6 p.m. in U-M's Modern Languages Building (MLB) Auditorium 4; and Monday, September 13, beginning at 6 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 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 170-voice Choral Union performs choral music of every genre in historic performance venues in Detroit and Ann Arbor. Members believe in sharing the joy and hard work of music-making, a moving and memorable activity with rewards that last a lifetime.

The 2010/11 Choral Union season opens with two performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Choral Union music director Jerry Blackstone, on Saturday and Sunday, December 4-5, at Hill Auditorium.

Next, the Choral Union will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (“Symphony of a Thousand”) with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin on Friday, March 18 at the Detroit Opera House, and Saturday, March 19 at Hill Auditorium.

The choral union joins with the DSO again in April for three performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Thursday-Saturday, April 14-16, at Orchestra Hall); and the season concludes with a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra (Saturday, April 30, Michigan Theater) under the direction of Arie Lipsky.

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.

More information about the UMS Choral Union, Choral Union conductor and music director Jerry Blackstone, and the University Musical Society can be found at the UMS web site.