WELCOME!
If you are passionate about choral music and are looking for a rewarding musical experience, we would love to hear from you!
Overview of the 2025–26 season
CMS presents a four-concert season with two performances of each program, except for the NextGen sequence. Members are expected to sing all scheduled performances for the entire season unless unavoidable circumstances arise. Concerts during the 2025–26 season will take place at Glenview Community Church on the following dates:
Additionally, CMS members may choose to sign up for a performance tour to Leipzig, Dresden, and Prague from Thursday, June 25 to Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from mid-August through early May at Countryside Church in Palatine from 7:30-10:00 pm. Optional but strongly encouraged sectionals are held weekly from 7:00-7:30 pm. Additionally, rehearsals are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during the weeks of concerts. All concert week rehearsals begin at 7:00 pm and are mandatory. Click here for the season calendar (updated 5/19).
Membership dues are $145 for the 2025–26 season. Members are also responsible for purchasing their own copies of the music.
If you are passionate about choral music and are looking for a rewarding musical experience, we would love to hear from you!
Overview of the 2025–26 season
CMS presents a four-concert season with two performances of each program, except for the NextGen sequence. Members are expected to sing all scheduled performances for the entire season unless unavoidable circumstances arise. Concerts during the 2025–26 season will take place at Glenview Community Church on the following dates:
- Fall: Saturday & Sunday, October 25 & 26, 2025
- Christmas: Saturday & Sunday, December 13 & 14, 2025
- NextGen: Friday, February 27, 2026
- Season Finale: Saturday & Sunday, May 2 & 3, 2026
Additionally, CMS members may choose to sign up for a performance tour to Leipzig, Dresden, and Prague from Thursday, June 25 to Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from mid-August through early May at Countryside Church in Palatine from 7:30-10:00 pm. Optional but strongly encouraged sectionals are held weekly from 7:00-7:30 pm. Additionally, rehearsals are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings during the weeks of concerts. All concert week rehearsals begin at 7:00 pm and are mandatory. Click here for the season calendar (updated 5/19).
Membership dues are $145 for the 2025–26 season. Members are also responsible for purchasing their own copies of the music.
Audition Process
Dates, Location, and Overall Requirements
Auditions for the 2025–26 season were held from July 14–August 4. Mid-season auditions will be held on Monday, December 15. All auditions will be held at Countryside Church in Palatine.
For the 2025–26 season, we will conduct auditions for prospective members, current members of the Alto and Bass sections, and current Sopranos and Tenors who missed a sequence during the 2024–25 season. Occasional exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Music Director.
Both current and prospective members may be accepted on a probationary basis, in which case they will be required to reaudition at a future time determined by the Music Director. Requests to change voice parts must be discussed with the Music Director and may require an additional audition.
What to expect at an audition
Auditionees will be asked to demonstrate their vocal and musical skills through the following exercises:
What we’re looking for
Members of CMS do not need to be professional musicians, but they must possess an excellent choral skill set, including:
Auditions for the 2025–26 season were held from July 14–August 4. Mid-season auditions will be held on Monday, December 15. All auditions will be held at Countryside Church in Palatine.
For the 2025–26 season, we will conduct auditions for prospective members, current members of the Alto and Bass sections, and current Sopranos and Tenors who missed a sequence during the 2024–25 season. Occasional exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Music Director.
Both current and prospective members may be accepted on a probationary basis, in which case they will be required to reaudition at a future time determined by the Music Director. Requests to change voice parts must be discussed with the Music Director and may require an additional audition.
What to expect at an audition
Auditionees will be asked to demonstrate their vocal and musical skills through the following exercises:
- Vocalization
- Pitch memory: The Music Director will play a series of pitches and ask the auditionee to sing them back on a neutral syllable.
- Choral sight-reading: Auditionees will sing their part of a four-part piece twice. The first time, the Music Director will play their voice part with them. The second time, he will play all four parts.
- Prepared excerpt: This excerpt is from the first movement of Egil Hovland’s Agnus Dei. Auditionees should prepare it carefully and perform it expressively, at the tempo indicated and with the markings observed. Auditionees will sing the excerpt twice. The first time, the Music Director will play their voice part with them. The second time, the auditionee will sing unaccompanied. Practice tracks have been made available to assist with preparing the excerpt.
What we’re looking for
Members of CMS do not need to be professional musicians, but they must possess an excellent choral skill set, including:
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Click the link below to sign up for a mid-season audition.
Monday, December 15, 2025
Questions?
We will be happy to answer any questions that you have. Please contact our Managing Director via email at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 847-604-1067.
Monday, December 15, 2025
Questions?
We will be happy to answer any questions that you have. Please contact our Managing Director via email at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 847-604-1067.
