Ensemble Placement Auditions

UCONN CHOIRS welcome all singers to be a part of the exciting choral singing and learning happening at the University of Connecticut. We are dedicated to creating choral music at the highest level, exploring music in a thoughtful way from all backgrounds and cultures, and empowering you to become a dynamic and creative musician through an active rehearsal process and exciting performances on and off campus. There are choirs for all singers, from singers who are aspiring music professionals to those of you who just love to sing and would like to start here at UConn. This coming Fall Semester 2025, we cannot wait to be back creating and sharing our love for singing together.

Current singers come from all majors and disciplines across campus, undergraduate and graduate. We have a thriving group of music majors who are the core of Concert Choir but our choirs are filled with engineers, chemists, Pre-Med students, varsity athletes, English majors, and more. If you like to sing, we encourage you to be a part of the joy in musical excellence with UConn Choirs. “No-stress Placement Hearings” will be held at the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester in August and you can sign up for a hearing below. Please contact Dr. Spillane in the UConn Choral Office at UConnChoirs@uconn.edu if you have any questions.

For more information about UConn Choirs please see the information below.

For Information about Choral Placement Hearings and contact information- click here!

To schedule a Choral Placement Hearing – Click here!

Auditions for placement in the UConn Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band and jazz combos will be submitted electronically. Please complete the UConn Jazz Ensembles Placement Audition Form before submitting. Students are to video record themselves playing:

A 12-bar blues (or jazz standard of your choosing) with recorded accompaniment. For your convenience, here are direct links to Billie’s Bounce (F blues): https://youtu.be/Ttn7D-WB9R0?si=FJlwy_LjfKE_cCTZ and Sonny Moon For Two (Bb): https://youtu.be/7rpI71NuRHs?si=GPLqH7BqbgxM4FAy

Ideally, we would like you to play the head twice, followed by 3 choruses of improvisation, and then the head once again.

Pianists and guitarists: please “comp” for two choruses prior to playing the out-head.

Bassists: In addition to demonstrating your improvisation skills with a play-a-long track, please record 2 choruses of bassline walking on a 12-bar blues in F, at a metronome marking of quarter note = 144.

2. Any song (jazz or otherwise) which will serve as a representation of your musicianship (demonstrating sound, accuracy, rhythmic interpretation, facility, etc.) A prepared jazz transcription or etude would be preferable, but a classical excerpt would also be acceptable.

Drummers: in lieu of the above, demonstrate the following “feels,” playing each sample for approximately 30 seconds.

- - Medium swing
  - Bossa Nova
  - Samba
  - ¾ jazz waltz
  - 12/8 afro Cuban
  - Up-tempo swing
  - Brushes at a ballad tempo
  - Swing brushes on the snare at a medium-up tempo

Finally, to demonstrate your soloing, trade 4-measure phrases with yourself, alternating swing time-keeping and soloing.

3. Brass – range and lead demonstration:

Brass players have the option of demonstrating their upper register by playing a lead ensemble part of your choosing, a chromatic scale upwards to your highest note, or a simple melody in the upper register.

Please upload your video audition to this folder. Video submissions must be uploaded to the Google Drive by Thursday, August 28th at 5:00 P.M. Please label the folder with your name and instrument. Ensemble rosters will be posted on the jazz bulletin board, in the main hallway of the Music Building, prior to the first big band rehearsals on Tuesday, September 3rd. Permission numbers for enrollment will be issued at the first rehearsal.

Large Instrumental Ensembles

UConn Choirs

Jazz Ensembles & Combos