WELCOME!
If you are passionate about choral music and are looking for an inspirational and rewarding musical experience, we would love to hear from you!
Overview of the 2026–27 season, Brilliance
Join CMS to share extraordinary music that lifts the human spirit. 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 2026–27 season will take place at Glenview Community Church on the following dates:
Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from mid-August through late April 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.
Membership dues are $160 for the 2026–27 season. Members are also responsible for purchasing their own copies of the music.
If you are passionate about choral music and are looking for an inspirational and rewarding musical experience, we would love to hear from you!
Overview of the 2026–27 season, Brilliance
Join CMS to share extraordinary music that lifts the human spirit. 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 2026–27 season will take place at Glenview Community Church on the following dates:
- Fall: Saturday & Sunday, October 24 & 25, 2026
- Christmas: Saturday & Sunday, December 5 & 6, 2026
- NextGen: Friday, February 26, 2027
- Season Finale: Saturday & Sunday, May 1 & 2, 2027
Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings from mid-August through late April 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.
Membership dues are $160 for the 2026–27 season. Members are also responsible for purchasing their own copies of the music.
Audition Process
Dates, Location, and Overall Requirements
Auditions for the 2026–27 season were held in late July and early August. Midseason auditions (for the NextGen and Season Finale sequences) will be held on Monday, December 7 from 7:00–9:00pm. All auditions will be held at Countryside Church in Palatine.
For the 2026–27 season, auditions are required for prospective members of all voice parts, current members of the Soprano and Tenor sections, and current Altos and Basses who missed a sequence during the 2025–26 season. Occasional exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Music Director.
Both current and prospective singers 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 2026–27 season were held in late July and early August. Midseason auditions (for the NextGen and Season Finale sequences) will be held on Monday, December 7 from 7:00–9:00pm. All auditions will be held at Countryside Church in Palatine.
For the 2026–27 season, auditions are required for prospective members of all voice parts, current members of the Soprano and Tenor sections, and current Altos and Basses who missed a sequence during the 2025–26 season. Occasional exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Music Director.
Both current and prospective singers 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: The Music Director will lead the auditionee in simple vocal exercises, similar to warm-ups.
- 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: Auditionees should prepare this excerpt from Geistliches Lied by Brahms. Auditionees should learn 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 can be found here.
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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Signups for December 7 auditions will be available starting October 15
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.
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.
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