Experience the Music World with Columbia River Chorus

Discover Your Inner Musician

We will be so happy to have you visit us. We are anxious to get acquainted and hope to give you an idea of who we are and what we do as well.

We start rehearsals at 7 pm every Monday night and continue until 9:30 p.m.

For further information Contact our Director Elissa Riman 564-227-7542

How do you know which part to sing? Here are some clues which may help

Tenor: The highest voice part. Requires a light, clear tone quality

Lead: The melody line. Moderate voice range. Easily managed by soprano and alto voices.

Baritone: Vocal range has more low notes. Requires a flexible voice and a good musical ear.

Bass: The lowest voice part. 2nd Alto or male Tenor range.

Our director or section leader will listen privately to your voice to help you determine which part is best suited for you. If you've sung barbershop in the past, please let us know.

Can't read music? Many of us don't! We visually follow the notes up and down on the sheet music and learn by ear. The lower parts, baritone and bass, are written in the bass clef. This is often unfamiliar to women singers. If you do read bass clef or play the piano, you need to know that these parts are sung an octave higher than written.

We urge you to participate. You are welcome to bring music to the risers and to be involved in choreography practice. We hope that you will enjoy your visit and will be back for our next rehearsal.

The Beat Goes On

What Happens Next

So, you've gotten your first visit in and you have chosen your part and experienced singing with the chorus and you feel comfortable in this voice part, great! If your having doubts about the part you're singing or where you stand on the riser, be sure to speak to our director. You can always try another part to see if it's better suited for your voice.

As you continue to visit our rehearsals, you can become more familiar with the barbershop style of music and get to know the members of the chorus. You can also spend this time to ask questions about the chorus or the Sweet Adeline International Organization.

Once you have decided that you would like to join the chorus, (and we hope you do), you will need to go through an audition process. There is no specific timeline for this. It's up to you when you want to audition.

The Audition Process

Using the Director's phone, you will move off the risers standing off to one side and record yourself while singing a selected song with the chorus.

The Director will review your recording

After review, the Director will let you know how you did. (75 - 80 % needed on notes and words)

You pass your audition, YAY! What's next:

You will fill out applications to be submitted to the Board

1. Application for Charter Membership

2. SAI Application for New or Reinstating Member

The applications and results of your audition go to the Board of Directors for review.

After review, the Board will recommend action to the chorus membership

A Word About Commitment:

Regular attendance at rehearsal is very important. Most of us think of Monday evenings as "my night out". We also have performances and other events throughout the year. We know that each member has a certain amount of time she is able to spend on chorus activities, and we truly believe that family comes first. In order to maintain high performance standards, we have a "performance ready" program. When a song is memorized and ready for review, we ask that you sing that song for "passing". We want to correct any wrong notes or words early before they are "cast in stone". There are several options for this procedure, and your mentor or your section leader will help you with this. Our hope is that each member finds her chorus experience to be fun, exciting and challenging.

Contact Us

Better yet, see us in person! We Rehearse each Monday Night from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM

Clark College

1933 Fort Vancouver Way

Vancouver, WA. 98663

We are in the Beacock Music Building

Room 104

For further info Contact: Elissa 564-227-7542

Columbia River Chorus

1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, Washington 98663, United States