The Music in the Mountains Chorus

About Us

The Music in the Mountains Chorus

The Music in the Mountains Chorus is an auditioned community chorus, made up of about 80 singers from the region. We perform several times a year, sharing our love of great choral music with the community.

Recent performances include an array of great choral works, such as Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Requiem, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, and Faure’s Requiem.

The chorus has its roots in the Golden Chain Chorale of the 1970s, a group of 20-40 members, part of the Sierra Musical Arts Association. In the mid-1980s Music in the Mountains formed (with the chorus at its core) and renamed the group the Festival Chorale. The chorus has since grown into one of the top community choirs in the Sierra foothills. Many of the founding members are still part of today’s choir.

Since performances have expanded beyond MIM’s seasonal festivals, the choir dropped “festival” from its name in 2013, becoming the MIM Chorus.

Auditions

Fall 2025

What to Expect

Auditions take place in a welcoming environment with the director and assistant(s). Auditions will include vocalization to assess range, pitch-matching, sight-reading, and a prepared solo. The prepared solo will be sung a cappella (without accompaniment). Singers should have some experience in reading music.

Prepared Solo: The prepared solo may be no longer than three minutes, and should demonstrate the singer’s vocal quality, technique, and musicality. If the song is longer than three minutes, please make appropriate cuts. Style recommendations include classical, musical theater, folk, patriotic, jazz, or hymns/spirituals.

Singers may select their song or choose from the following lists:

• Classical: Down By the Sally Gardens, Come Again Sweet Love, Sebben Crudele
• Musical Theater: If I Loved You, On The Street Where You Live, Edelweiss
• Folk: Danny Boy, Shenandoah, The Water is Wide
• Patriotic: My Country ‘Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, God Bless America
• Jazz Ballad: Skylark, Summertime, Moonlight in Vermont
• Hymn/Spiritual: Amazing Grace, Deep River, Shall We Gather at the River

Interested singers should be able to read music and have sight-reading skills. The individual auditions will be in three parts: vocalization, pitch memory and sight singing.

Rehearsals are held Monday evenings from 7-9 pm, September through mid-June, with a break during January. Rehearsals are at Peace Lutheran Church (828 West Main Street) in Grass Valley. Concert and additional dress rehearsal dates are announced early in the season, and members are expected to be available. Singers must read music and attend rehearsals regularly and are asked to purchase the group’s official “concert black” attire.

Once each semester, in the fall and spring, the Chorus hosts an all-day workshop and retreat on a Saturday. With the visiting vocal experts, pot luck lunch and extensive work on our music for the season… we have a great time!