No. All alumni and new members will audition on the same day with the same requirements, which does include singing a solo piece for the panel. Please note, if you are an “inactive member,” you do not need to re-audition.

Please arrive no more than 15 minutes ahead of time, as we anticipate the evening will be tightly scheduled. If you know that you will be late, contact the New Member Coordinator at [email protected]. Depending on the number of auditionees, you may not sing exactly at your selected time. There may be a wait. We recommend you request an earlier time should you need to leave at a specific time.

Auditions are open to any and all persons age 18+ who can sing in the tenor or bass range, irrespective of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or race. However, if you want to stay involved with the Chorus as a non-singing member, please notify us, and we can get you in touch with our volunteer coordinator. SFGMC is volunteer-driven, so we always welcome this part of our community with open arms.

Yes. Please come prepared to sing a song or portion of a song (at least 16 measures of a song). You must also bring piano accompaniment (sheet music) with you for the audition. There may also be exercises geared toward blending, harmonizing and voice placement. The audition is very non-threatening, and you will be made to feel completely comfortable.

Auditions and rehearsals will be held at the Chan National Queer Arts Center, home of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, 170 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.

Yes! We have members who have only sung in the shower before joining; some who have advanced musical degrees; and everything in between. Part of SFGMC’s formula of success is to take a mix of singers with diverse experiences in music. In addition to singing, we also need members with skills in many other areas. Singers should be able to comfortably sing between C3 and C4 on the piano keyboard - singers who can also comfortably sing higher will be placed in tenor voice parts, singers who can also comfortably sing lower will be placed in bass voice parts. Here is a video to give you a visual of the Octave Ranges.

We want you to be comfortable with your song choice. Your selected song can be classical, choral, pop, opera, Broadway show tunes, etc. However, you may not sing a cappella. We will have a pianist, who will play the sheet music you bring with you.

Yes! You can sing in any language you choose.

No. If you don't have a pre-recorded track or sheet music, our accompanist will be prepared to help you audition with "Happy Birthday." 

Not difficult at all! Choose one that you are comfortable singing. If you know you cannot hit a high note in a song, don’t try to impress the panel and fail. The audition is not about impressing the panel, it’s about showing that you have the skills to be a great addition to SFGMC.

The easiest way to do this is by visiting websites that provide sheet music. www.sheetmusicplus.com is a popular site that many auditionees have used. Please make sure you choose a song that is within your vocal range. The accompanist will not be able to transpose the music for you during your audition.

We have had auditionees play an instrument to accompany themselves. If you have a music track that you want to play, you are welcome to use that method too; however, please bring your own speaker as one will not be provided. Also, recorded music tracks cannot have other vocals singing along.

Whatever makes you feel the most comfortable.

Please bring printed sheet music for our accompanist in the key you wish them to play the song. Do not present a piece of music and request them to transpose it into another key. Other than this, just bring your true, authentic, and fabulous self!

SFGMC’s Artistic Director, Jacob Stensberg, the section leaders, and other Chorus leaders will hear each audition. In total, your panel may be about 12-18 people. You will not be asked to sing in front of the other auditionees.

The audition consists of a brief interview with our New Member Committee, your song selection (or a portion of it), followed by a few exercises which will enable the panel to assess your vocal range and ability. The whole audition only takes a few minutes and will be over before you know it.

The audition results will be delivered shortly after the final audition date (via email).

SFGMC welcomes all with all sorts of life experience you bring to this diverse community of passionate singers. We only require all who audition to be the minimum age of 18 years old.

Please do not be discouraged! While we would love to accept everyone, it is obviously not possible. You are always welcome to audition again in the future. Many members auditioned more than once before joining SFGMC. You may also consider joining SFGMC as a non-singing volunteer. We are a volunteer-driven organization, and we always welcome new members who wish to contribute time to our organization. The New Member Committee will be happy to put you in touch with the appropriate people depending on your particular interests.

You can reach out to Pablo at [email protected], he is more than happy to answer any additional questions to help you make your audition process the easiest and best SFGMC audition experience possible.