The Peninsula Women's Chorus is always looking for new members to join us. Below are some frequently asked questions about the audition process and the PWC. If you are interested in joining, please contact us by email at auditions@pwchorus.org or by calling the chorus at (650) 327-3095. Please bring a filled-in copy of this information form to your audition.
The nationally recognized Peninsula Women's Chorus is a community chorus of approximately 50 singers, conducted by Martín Benvenuto. In addition to winter and spring concerts in the Bay Area, the PWC competes in international choral competitions while on tour, enters national invitation-only conferences, and performs with outstanding local choral and instrumental musical groups. The PWC performs a diverse repertoire from memory and in the original languages, from eleventh-century Gregorian chants to modern pieces commissioned for the PWC.
New singers are expected to have some choral experience and be able to read music of some complexity, be able to learn text in other languages, memorize for performance, and sing a voice part that currently has openings.
Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings, 7:15 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., on the Middlefield campus of Foothill College in Palo Alto. (Directions) In addition, singers attend sectional rehearsals at least twice a season.
The PWC is a course offered by Foothill College, and the current cost for the year's tuition is approximately $108 - $120. In addition, singers are asked to make a donation to the PWC of $150 each year. This covers the cost of concert dress and all music. It does not cover extra tours or retreats in which the PWC participates.
The concert season consists of two sets of concerts, one in December and one in May. Traditionally, the PWC has been privileged to present concerts at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park and Mission Santa Clara, on the Santa Clara University campus. We also perform at other local venues, as far north as San Francisco and as far south as San Juan Bautista.
In addition to our regular concert season, the PWC also performs at events ranging from church services to women's basketball games at Stanford University. The PWC also holds weekend retreats and occasionally goes on tour.
The PWC provides each singer with a long black gown and colored tunic. All singers wear a gold necklace and gold earrings of her own choosing and plain black shoes and hose.
In addition to singing at all scheduled performances, chorus members also contribute to the smooth functioning of the organization by volunteering their skills in finance, stage setup, organization of auxiliary support, publicity, and the like.
Auditions may occur throughout the year at the director’s discretion, but they are primarily held in late August and again in early January.
The audition will consist of a voice quality/range check, a prepared piece (an art song, aria, or choral excerpt), singing scales a cappella, a short sightreading passage, and a brief interview. Each audition takes around twenty minutes. Please bring a filled-in copy of this information form to your audition.
To schedule an audition, please contact us by email at auditions@pwchorus.org or by calling the chorus at (650) 327-3095.