Behind the Music: Rehearsing for a Professional Choir Tour

Written by Kimberley Denis, Alto in Pro Coro Canada

There is a unique energy in the rehearsal room when a professional choir is preparing for tour. Every rehearsal carries a sense of anticipation as we work toward performances in new venues, for new audiences, in new cities. Months of planning come together through countless hours of practice, collaboration, and attention to detail. It's an exciting time in the season—one that brings together experienced ensemble members, welcomes new singers to the fold, introduces fresh repertoire, and even involves the surprisingly important task of packing the perfect tour suitcase.

For any choir, adding new singers is both rewarding and challenging. New voices bring fresh perspectives, musicality, and enthusiasm to the ensemble. They also need time to learn not only the notes but the choir's distinctive sound, rehearsal style, and performance traditions. Professional choirs strive for a unified tone, precise diction, and seamless blend, so every rehearsal becomes an opportunity for new and returning singers to listen closely to one another and build trust. Veteran singers fill in the newbies on special markings in music we've performed before, answer questions about pronunciation, and try to build camaraderie with new colleagues. Before long, unfamiliar faces become valued colleagues, and individual voices become part of one cohesive instrument. It's a remarkable thing- breathing together, listening to one another, trusting the person beside you to sing with their heart and soul builds a level of connection almost immediately and new friendships form quickly. 

Learning new repertoire is another highlight of tour preparation. Our concert program for this tour has been carefully crafted by Michael around a fairy tale theme with beloved pieces like Ugis Praulins' The Nightingale and world premieres especially commissioned for tour to take audiences on a musical journey. Every score presents its own challenges—complex harmonies, intricate rhythms, unfamiliar languages, or expressive storytelling that requires emotional depth as well as technical accuracy. I hope we figure it all out in the 12 hours of rehearsal we have before or first concert!

Of course, preparing for tour isn't all about music. Packing becomes an art form in itself. Experienced touring singers know that every item in the suitcase has earned its place. Concert attire is carefully packed to avoid wrinkles, along with comfortable rehearsal clothes, concert shoes, and accessories. A well-stocked singer's bag often includes a reusable water bottle, throat lozenges, a small steamer or wrinkle-release spray, pencils for marking scores, chargers, medication, and healthy snacks for long travel days. We all triple check to make sure we've packed our music, folder, and concert clothes, telling ourselves anything we forget we can always pick up in Toronto but we have to have our music!

For audiences, a choir tour may begin with the opening chord of a concert. For the singers, however, the journey starts much earlier—in every rehearsal, every carefully learned phrase, every new friendship, and every suitcase packed with equal measures of music and anticipation. Those behind-the-scenes moments are the foundation of every successful performance, reminding us that the magic heard on stage is built long before the first audience takes its seats.

Thanks for reading,

Kim ~ in Ottawa!