We rehearse every Tuesday night at 6.00pm to 8.30pm for 46 weeks of the year.

Our rehearsal space is at Club York, 95–97 York Street a short walk from Town Hall Station just past the Queen Victoria Building.

We expect that if you are not “out of town” that you would try to attend regular rehearsals. While we do not have a strict attendance policy, we really do like you to attend rehearsals regularly. Repetition and rehearsal assist memory. Importantly, rehearsals are social occasions – they are a friendly gathering where you can get to know other choristers and we get to know you. It is usually a lot of fun and often some hard work!

We try to perform 15 to 20 concerts each year which includes about 8 on an annual tour.

As many as you are available to sing in. Some of our choristers try for all of them. However, for most people that is unrealistic. We recognise that people have other commitments with family, friends and work.

The annual membership fee is $550 (reviewed annually). Students are free. Membership fees are due in February. Payment by installment (monthly, quarterly) is available.

Yes, although it is informal and simply enables the Musical Director to listen to you sing a few scales to decide which part of the choir (tenor/bass/baritone) you should sing with.

Auditions usually occur after you have attended about four rehearsals. If you are not an experienced singer, the Musical Director will also determine when you are ready to sing with us in concerts. We have a strong history of “growing our choristers”. Many of our choristers had no formal music skills when they joined the Choir and are now active singers.

One of the attractions of the Sydney Male Choir is our versatile repertoire which covers many genres and styles of music. In any given year, you might sing about 70 to 80 songs. The Choir varies the programme for each concert having regard for the likely audience, venue etc. Our music library contains well over 500 songs arranged for a male choir.

Upon joining the choir, you will be issued a set of music for approximately 125 current songs. These are arranged alphabetically and over time you will become very familiar with these and others introduced from time to time.

We perform songs from the West End and Broadway musicals, opera, sacred songs, traditional Welsh hymns, folk songs, pop songs, classical songs and more. You will never get bored with the range of the music. We aim to entertain and all choristers enjoy a responsive and engaged audience – so we carefully tailor our programmes to achieve that goal.

The Choir is divided into four sections: 1st Tenors, 2nd Tenors, Baritones and Basses. Depending on the arrangement of the piece of music, we may sing in unison (everyone singing the same notes) or we may sing in two-part, four-part or even eight-part harmony (i.e., each part sings a slightly different version of the same song at the same time). It is this singing in harmony that evokes a warm emotional connection with audiences – and sometimes even causes “goosebumps”!

Except for some classical music, when performing the Choir sings from memory, without holding any music. As entertainers this allows us to interact with the audience, watch the Musical Director and is one of the reasons why our shows are so much fun.

We have many solo opportunities in the choir – singing a small or large solo part accompanying the choir or as a stand-alone soloist between song brackets in a concert program.

While the Choir attracts many fine musicians, several singers have had limited sight reading skills and music theory knowledge when they joined and subsequently developed excellent skills just by learning at rehearsals. The Choir holds free classes from time to time in music theory to which you are welcome. Each part of the choir (tenor, bass, baritone) has a part leader or an experienced member if you do not understand something or are experiencing difficulty with a part of a song. We usually have newer members sing next to experienced singers so that they can hear the correct music and develop their confidence.

We find that it takes at least 6-8 weeks for someone to be ready for his first concert. This varies according to your skill and experience. Only you will know when you are ready. The Musical Director and or your Part Leader can assist with this decision. We suggest that you chose a concert 6–8 weeks away and focus on the music for that concert.
 We strongly recommend that you watch the Choir perform in one or two concerts before you sing in your first concert. This will give you an insight into what we do onstage.

Watch the Musical Director. This is critical for entrances and cut offs when singing and for rhythm and emphasis. Consider yourself to be part of an instrument being “played” by the Musical Director. Blend in with your part – the singers in your section usually know the piece well. Listen and sing exactly with them – your voice should not stand out. If you forget the words, it is OK to mime rather than guess the words.

 Every time we sing each song, we sing it slightly differently. The Musical Director gives us direction of what to do at this performance. Watch!

We have some specialist choral software which is a wonderful resource for choristers. You will be enrolled in the Groupaniser system upon joining. When you login you will have access to:

• Member contact details – phone and email contacts;

• A recorded version of the accompaniment for YOUR part in each song;

• The written score for each song in our repertoire;

• A schedule showing dates of future rehearsals and performances along with the song list for upcoming performances.

You can call up any track with your vocal part for each song so you will hear your notes played on your computer while you sing along with the accompaniment and follow the music on screen. All in the privacy of your own home!

The Librarian will provide instructions on how to use this resource. While the learning curve may appear daunting, it becomes easy very quickly.

The Sydney Male Choir plans at least one concert tour annually. Some of our recent tours are listed in the About section of the website.

Choristers participate if they are available. There is usually at least six months’ notice of tour details and choristers pay for their own travel and accommodation. Audiences in regional areas really appreciate the rare visits they get from musical performing groups. These tours are a wonderful tradition of the Choir – and allow for much socialising, impromptu singing, and lots of laughter.

The Sydney Male Choir has undertaken overseas tours from time to time. These are major undertakings and are subject to availability of sufficient choristers in each section of the Choir being available to tour.

We have no current plans to tour internationally – but we do monitor opportunities to participate in choral festivals held around the world from time to time.