Auditions for Northamptonshire County Music Groups, Choirs, Ensembles and Young Actors Company are open to young musicians, singers, and actors in full time education in Northamptonshire. We also welcome applications from gap year students and from those living in nearby counties.
Our County Groups page has more information of the opportunities available, however auditions are for all the opportunities associated with your instrument or voice, rather than for a specific ensemble or group.
Before you apply, please check the requirements below, which outline the standards expected in each department, and how to prepare. Members of county ensembles are expected to maintain regular instrumental or vocal tuition to enable continued personal improvement.
Auditions are free to attend. If you are offered and accept a place in one of our county groups, there is a membership subscription – please see the payments page for details. For those in financial need there is a scheme to offer some assistance with membership subscriptions.
In 2022, auditions for County Groups will take face to face once again, for instrumentalists and vocalists, with the full process outlined below.
Applicants for Young Actors Company will be invited to attend an audition workshop in July.
How it will work:
We aim to make the audition process as simple and supportive as possible. Each department will have specific criteria which you will find in the tabs below. Audition results will be released in early August.
You will be auditioning for one of two guitar ensembles and will be placed according to your ability and suitability.
Some students may be offered the opportunity to work with John Draper, Head of Guitar, as the Tarrega Guitar Quartet. This invitation will come in September and the quartet members will have additional challenging pieces to learn, plus other concert commitments. There is an additional cost for being a member of a quartet. The Tarrega Quartet is not offered as an alternative to the main guitar ensemble.
Electric guitarists interested in auditioning for jazz groups should see the jazz audition requirements below. Alternatively, please contact us to apply for one of our NMPAT Contemporary Centres.
Choose any song that you are comfortable singing, either from the list below or one of your own choice that best reflects your ability.
Choose a song that you feel confident and comfortable singing. This can be from any style but we do recommend looking at the list of suggested songs below, depending on your age and singing level.
You can perform your audition with or without accompaniment and backing tracks can usually be found on YouTube to support your preparation. Please contact Beth Hodgson, Head of Vocal Studies, if you need any support: BHodgson@nmpat.co.uk
Grades 1 to 5 (more experienced singers may be invited to join the Senior Chamber Choir)
Grades 6 to 8. We also run a chamber ensemble called ‘Guys & Dolls’ for those wanting to explore Musical Theatre repertoire. This is via invitation only so please let us know if you would like to be considered for this group.
The audition will consist of:
Players should make sure to choose a piece that they are comfortable with, as they will give a much better impression by choosing a piece at their current level rather than trying to attempt a harder piece.
The audition will consist of:
In addition to the above requirements, any saxophone student (new or existing) wishing to be considered for a jazz group will be asked to perform a short improvisation.
Improvise a 12-bar blues in Concert F:
All instrumentalists and vocalists are invited to audition for the World Music Group Zingaresque. Members are usually also members of other County ensembles.
The audition will consist of an opportunity to perform on your principal instrument and demonstrate your interest in the collaborative process of building music from diverse musical influences.
If you wish to be considered for a Zingaresque audition please indicate where required on the audition application form.