About NC Honors Chorus
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Every year, the North Carolina Honors Chorus (NCHC) is held in November and performs at the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) Conference. This elite middle school chorus provides an opportunity for the very best singers from across the state to come together and work with a nationally acclaimed choral conductor.
NCHC auditions are held in three regions across the state: East, Central, and West. At the audition, students must sing their voice part of the audition song with the provided accompaniment. Each student will audition in front of a single judge in a closed audition. Each student will also sight-sing a 4-measure melodic exercise. Only about the top 15-20% of auditioned singers will be selected for this prestigious choir. The annual event is held at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Audition Information
To prepare for this audition, students should download and/or bookmark the audition tracks. Each individual voice part has a track that is played on the piano. These single-part tracks feature the voice part played louder than the accompaniment. This is intended to teach students the notes and rhythms for their voice part. The last track is the accompaniment track which will play during each student’s audition as they sing their part for their judge.
Before the audition, singers should practice singing the audition song with the accompaniment track for as many people as possible and in as many uncomfortable situations as possible. Sing it for parents, friends, neighbors, youth group, summer camp buddies, etc. Singers will be singing the audition song by themselves in front of the NCHC judge.
Important Info:
The NCHC 2026 audition resources and song are linked below under "How to Practice for the NCHC Audition."
Round 1 video audition is due by Mon, Sept 7. For Round 1, students should video record themselves singing their vocal part with the at tempo accompaniment track. Send the video to ACavanaugh@wpcss.net.
On Wed, Sept 9, the highest-performing students from Round 1 will be invited to audition in-person for the NCHC judges on Sept 30.
After-school practices for in-person auditions will be Thurs, Sept 17; Thurs, Sept 24, and Tues, Sept 29 from 2:30-4:30 in the Chorus room. Pick-up will be in the carpool lane.
The NCHC 2026 in-person audition date will be Wed, Sept 30 at Cary Academy in Cary. Traveling to the audition will count as a field trip, and students will not be marked absent from school. Student audition times TBD.
The in-person NCHC audition fee is $25 per student.
Here is the copy of the rubric that the judges will use to evaluate singers. It's important to be solid in every area.
The judges' final NCHC 2026 selections will be released the week of auditions.
If accepted to NCHC, the participation fee is $40 per student, due to Mrs. Cavanaugh in cash or check made payable to CAB - Chorus. (CAB will send a check to NCMEA).
If not accepted to NCHC, there will be more extracurricular singing opportunities for singers throughout the year, such as All-County Chorus and All-State Chorus. Much can be learned from a valuable experience such as the NCHC audition!
If accepted to NCHC, families should book Winston-Salem lodging accommodations ASAP.
NCHC will take place on Saturday, Nov 7 - Sunday, Nov 8, 2026 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, NC.
Performance Recording: Awake the Trumpet's Lofty Sound (Handel)
Star/arrow/circle your part at the beginning of each musical system. S = Soprano; A = Alto; T = Tenor; B = Bass
Write in the counts of the rests so that you know when to re-enter after long rests.
Highlight every dynamic marking in a distinctive color. Demonstrate the dynamic markings while you practice.
Prepare where you plan to breathe. Mark your breaths in the music, being sure that you aren't breathing in the middle of a word or musical phrase. Lift after each textual comma, within reason. If you have questions, listen to the practice tracks and/or ask Mrs. Cavanaugh.
If you are unsure of how to pronounce a word, listen to the practice tracks and/or ask Mrs. Cavanaugh!
Listen to the practice track for your part MANY times. Contour, hum, and/or "noo" while learning your part.
Sing through the song MANY times over MANY days until you can sing your part perfectly with the practice vocal track.
Practice MANY times using the accompaniment piano track (no vocals).
Once you have learned the audition song, practice singing ALL THE WAY THROUGH the song without stopping, even when you make a mistake. Don't build a habit of stopping. Once you're finished singing, then go back and practice to fix the errors.
When you have mastered all of this, record a video of yourself singing the piece with the accompaniment track playing in the background and send it to ACavanaugh@wcpss.net. You will be emailed back with positive feedback as well as elements that you can improve.
Round 1 video auditions are due by Mon, Sept 7. If selected for Round 2, students will be notified Wed, Sept 9.
Sight-Reading
The element that typically "makes or breaks" a successful Honors Chorus audition is the sight-reading. Make sure you are confident in your sight-reading by practicing every day. Spend at least 10 minutes each day sight singing over the summer.
Once school begins in August, we will be practicing sight-reading examples that are more challenging than the audition examples so that you will be more than prepared when you go to audition.
Here are some sight-reading examples to get you started:
Log into your Sight Reading Factory account for practice! If you need help logging in, email ACavanaugh@wcpss.net.