Join Us: Become a Member

Singers and Prospective Chorus Members

Please join us for our Spring 2024 season!

Rehearsals for our Spring 2024 season will start January 23rd. We rehearse on Tuesday nights from 6:30 - 8:45 at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 N Fitzhugh St in downtown Rochester. New members can email us at therwcc@gmail.com with questions.

Our In-Person Rehearsals:

New singers: We welcome new singers. Open placements take place during the first three rehearsals of each season. Please arrive between 6 and 6:15 pm for recruitment, registration, and voice placement.

The Fall/Winter season typically runs from September to December/January. The Spring season starts in January and ends in June. Each season ends with a major concert. Additional events are scheduled as they arise throughout the season.

Our Winter concert alternates between December and January. This schedule allows us to balance the joys of performing holiday music in December with the luxury of bringing other kinds of music to our audience in the quieter month of January.

In addition, those of us who are available perform at the Eastman Theater (along with many other local choruses) as part of the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium (GRCC)'s bi-annual Prism Concert.

Recruitment

Recruitment takes place during the first three rehearsals of each season: in September for the fall/winter season and in January for the spring season. If you are interested in singing with us but have missed our 3-week recruitment, you may contact us for more information.

While we have no auditions, we do have voice placement. Prospective members should arrive approximately 15-20 minutes early so they can register with the chorus and be placed in sections that best suit their voices.

Don't read music? That's OK! All we ask is that you have a desire to sing and that you attend rehearsals every Tuesday evening.

Special Rehearsals

Mid-season, we hold a Rehearsal Retreat, usually an offsite event at a local church or park. Around the same time, each vocal section also holds a Sectional Rehearsal. The retreat and sectionals are as important as the regular rehearsals and all singers are strongly encouraged to attend.

Shortly before each major concert, we hold two on-stage Technical Rehearsals. It is important that all performers and critical volunteers attend both of them.

Dues

All singing members of the RWCC are asked to pay dues each season (twice a year). Dues help us defray the costs of acquiring permission to perform the music, pay our talented accompanist and director, rent our rehearsal hall and concert hall, and more.

Dues range from $50 to $90 on a sliding scale based on each individual's ability to pay. Dues may be paid via Paypal or at rehearsal during the season.

No one will be denied membership or participation in any chorus event because of an inability to pay dues. Members who have difficulty paying dues should speak to the current Board Treasurer.

For more information, please contact us.

Chorus Structure

The singers are divided into four sections: high sopranos (S1), low sopranos (S2), high altos (A1) and low altos (A2). Section placement for new members takes place as they arrive during the recruitment period (the first three weeks of each season). Each section has a leader to whom singers may turn with any chorus-related issues.

Each rehearsal is run by the Music Director and the Principal Accompanist. You can "meet" them now by reading their biographies.

The chorus is run by the Board of Directors that is approved by chorus members. There are also several committees that all members are encouraged to join.

Snacks, Food, Water

Rehearsals usually include a brief break for announcements.

Chorus members may bring their own water bottles, tea, etc. with them to weekly rehearsals. Note that in some performance spaces, water bottles may not be permitted. Any restrictions are announced going into the final weeks.

Signup sheets for coordinating and contributing food for the Retreat or afterparties (cookies or food for the concert guests directly following concerts) are also made available during the season. We also have an end-of-season Potluck Dinner that is — well, a potluck!

Handbook

When you join, you will receive a handbook that should answer most of your questions. If you'd like to have those questions answered before you join us, download a PDF version of the handbook.

Non-Singers

Not a singer? Too busy to make a weekly commitment? Become a Volunteer!