Auditions for the Cappella Giulia, the choral group that enriches the weekday and festive liturgical celebrations of St. Peter's Basilica.
The Cappella Giulia, an ancient institution, has been restructured in its current form at the beginning of the current year 2024. To create a mixed voice choir that is as fitting as possible for the repertoire of chants in the Basilica and to engage the assembly, St. Peter's Basilica, in collaboration with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, has announced an audition process.
The selection is open to Soprano, Contralto, Tenor, and Bass voices, to form polyphonic ensembles (choral quartets, polyphonic choir, etc.) that will perform sacred repertoire during liturgical services, according to the Basilica's needs.
The selected candidates will become part of the Cappella Giulia for a period of six months, during which their actual integration into the choral group will be evaluated, both in terms of relationships with other members and the specific requirements for liturgical animation in the Basilica.
Requirements for audition participation:
• Experience in liturgical music.
• Wide availability to participate in weekday and festive liturgical actions, weekly choral rehearsals, and to maintain behaviour appropriate for the liturgical context and the venue.
• Submit applications by 12:00 on June 14, 2024, exclusively through the registration form sent to the email address cappellamusicalegiulia@basilicasanpietro.va
The judging commission, chaired by the Dean of PIMS, consists of the director and vice-director of the Cappella Giulia, the vice-dean, and three other experienced members from PIMS.
The Commission will meet and work at the PIMS headquarters and may utilize remote work tools for their tasks. The judgment of the Commission is final.
Candidates can take the selection test on either June 24, 2024, or September 9, 2024, starting at 9:30 am at the headquarters of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, at Via di Torre Rossa no. 21. Candidates can express their preference for the date and time in the application form. Candidates will receive instructions via email regarding the date and time of the test. Individual practical tests will not exceed 15 minutes.
The judging commission will evaluate candidates based on established criteria:
• Intonation
• Tone quality
• Sight-reading
• Performance of a Gregorian chant provided by the Commission
