Join the Mendelssohn

Always wanted to join the MCP, but never knew how?

It’s not as scary as it sounds! The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh invites singers to our free Audition Clinic on Monday, April 27, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Third Presbyterian Church. This two-hour session is designed to demystify the audition process. Participants will warm up together, work through choral excerpts for upcoming auditions, and get a clear picture of what a Mendelssohn season looks like and what we expect of our members. Music Director Daniel Singer and members of the choir will be on hand to answer questions and sing alongside you. Pre-registration by April 20 is appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome. There is no fee to participate.

Professional Core

MCP employs a small number of professional singers to serve as leaders within the ensemble. Members of the core are expected to have excellent vocal technique, strong music reading skills, and the diligence and preparation to be performance-ready at every rehearsal. Ideal candidates for the professional core will have prior choral experience, be comfortable in a wide range of vocal music historical periods and genres, able to sing with varying amounts of vibrato, and flexible in their approach to choral singing and musical interpretation. Members of the core may be called upon to perform as soloists or in small ensembles as repertoire requires.

Professional Core Audition Requirements:

• 2 solos (at least one in a language other than English or Latin)


• 2 prepared choral excerpts from Orff’s Carmina Burana and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War

Volunteer Choir

Most members of our chorus are dedicated volunteers who give their time and talent to make MCP an ensemble of and for the people of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. Sight-reading skills are helpful but not required to sing as a volunteer, and we provide all singers with resources to prepare repertoire at home (including reference recordings, individual practice tracks, diction recordings, etc.). Volunteer singers are expected to arrive to every rehearsal as prepared as possible so the rehearsal can be spent shaping the sound and musicality of the ensemble. Ideal volunteers possess strong pitch-matching ability, flexibility/willingness to sing a variety of musical styles and approaches, and a passion for rehearsing and performing music at the highest professional level.

Volunteer Audition Requirements:

• 1 solo in any style and language


• 2 prepared choral excerpts from Orff’s Carmina Burana and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War