Music in the Mountains announces auditions for Festival Chorale

Music in the Mountains announced today that conductor Ryan Murray will hold auditions for experienced singers interested in joining the Festival Chorale.

Auditions will be held on Wednesday, September 5 at Peace Lutheran Church (828 West Main Street) in Grass Valley between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Interested singers should be able to read music and have sight-reading skills. The individual auditions will be in three parts: vocalization, pitch memory and sight singing. The Festival Chorale will be rehearsing for Holiday choral concerts December 9 and 10.

According to Ryan Murray, MIM choral conductor, “We are particularly looking for new tenors and basses to augment what are already very strong sections.”

Rehearsals will be held on Wednesday nights at Peace Lutheran Church. Interested singers should e-mail Ryan Murray at ryan.murray@mimchorus.org.

The Music in the Mountains Festival Chorale is a large symphonic chorus with roots dating back to the 1960s. Under the direction of Ryan Murray, highly acclaimed choral conductor, the group is made up of experienced choral singers from the Grass Valley, Nevada City and Auburn areas.

With weekly rehearsals and individual study and practice, the MIM Festival Chorale is dedicated to presenting outstanding performances and maintains professional standards of excellence. The chorus performs in two to four festivals annually and has premiered a number of new works from famous local composers. The group’s repertoire includes a range of a capella and major works with orchestra.

In addition to his work with Music in the Mountains, Murray is musical director for the Modesto Opera and director of vocal activities with the Vocal and Instrumental Teaching Academy (VITA) in Sacramento.