NATIONWIDE AUDITIONS FOR THE 2025-26 NZSSC BEGIN 30 SEPTEMBER 2024!
DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE NEW ZEALAND SECONDARY STUDENTS' CHOIR?
The NZ Secondary Students' Choir operates on a two-year cycle and auditions for the next 2025-26 NZSSC cycle will be held nationwide, starting Mon 30 September, finishing on Fri 11 October. Complete our online audition application, link below!
ELIGIBILITY: Any singer who will be a full time student at a NZ secondary school in their first year of the two-year cycle can audition. EXAMPLE: For the 2025-26 cycle, students must be a secondary student in 2025 (Year 9 & Year 13 are min/max level)
COMMITMENT: You must be able to commit to NZ Secondary Students' Choir membership for the FULL two-year cycle. The choir gathers for up to one week during most school holidays. The International Tour is in 2nd year (usually July) and can be up to 3 weeks long. Members can request leave for no more than one rehearsal course, and only for the Apr or Jul course in the first year. Request for leave must be submitted at the time of accepting a place into the choir - however, we do strongly urge you not to miss any course in the first year.
Further information regarding financial commitments further down this page.
Please ensure you have read ALL info on this page as it explains our general time & financial commitments for NZSSC membership.
Once you've satisfied yourself in this knowledge and would like to proceed to audition for the next NZSSC cycle, click below to go to our online application form!
APPLICATIONS TO AUDITION FOR THE 2025-26 NZSSC ARE NOW CLOSED!
PLEASE SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH OUR ACTIVITY - AND TO BE INFORMED WHEN THE NEXT ROUND OF AUDITION APPLICATIONS WILL BE OPEN
(Hint: it will be approx August of 2026)
2024 AUDITION DATES
Mon 30 Sep - WELLINGTON
Tue 1 Oct - WELLINGTON
Wed 2 Oct - AUCKLAND
Thu 3 Oct - AUCKLAND
Fri 4 Oct - AUCKLAND
Sat 5 Oct - AUCKLAND
Sun 6 Oct - PALMERSTON NORTH
Tue 8 Oct - CHRISTCHURCH
Wed 9 Oct - CHRISTCHURCH
Thu 10 Oct - CHRISTCHURCH
Fri 11 Oct - DUNEDIN
WHY NZSSC? Hear it from our past members....
"Being a part of NZSSC kindled my passion for music like nothing else has. It's given me a vision of the level of quality I should aspire for in my future endeavours, and has been an irreplaceable experience for me to grow as a musician and as a person."
"This whole experience opened my daughter's eyes to the serious music world and set her up for a lifetime of confidently enjoying choral singing - she LOVED it. She learned how full-time musicians operate and particularly appreciated singing with other like-minded, focussed , hard-working young people."
"I have noticed a huge development in my voice and music knowledge over the last two years. I found that singing with people better or at a similar level as you is incredibly beneficial for this and also broadens your mindset in terms of performance, how to practice and rehearse etc."
"It has helped me to grow exponentially as a musician, especially aurally, where it has helped me to develop a finer ear for the choral sound, and in terms of reading and story telling, where I am able to connect better with a text (or lack of) in pieces that I sing."
"Truly unforgettable. I had never seen so much musical passion and talent in one place until joining NZSSC."
"I found the tour itself to be an incredibly enriching experience, I loved being able to bond with my fellow choir members and embrace a drastically new and different culture together whilst being able to share and represent New Zealand and its cultures in our music and presence."
"My personal experience was life changing. I got to travel around the world with my best friends. I got to see and learn about a different culture."
IMPORTANT INFO FOR SINGERS AND WHĀNAU
- ONLINE AUDITIONS: If you are unable to audition in person, or the date/time that you prefer is unavailable, we will try to arrange an online audition.
- PLANNING for PLAN A and B: As you can imagine, the Covid-19 pandemic was hugely disruptive to our choir activities and as such we always work with contingencies in mind for projects (if required). We aim to tour internationally in the final year of the cycle, but generally always have a Plan B for a special un-ternational tour if travel restrictions required.
- NO COSTS FOR NO INTERNATIONAL TOUR: There will be no tour costs for singers or whānau for international touring that does not go ahead as planned. But there will be a fee associated with any alternate plan for touring within NZ however, this will be much lower than the international tour fee.
"Don't think you can't do it because you can. If you love singing, that's all that matters,"
"We take singing seriously but we have fun at the same time and everyone's there for the same reason: because we love music." NZSSC member Lemau Sio Lolesio 2009-2012.
Read a Stuff article on Lemau's experience of NZSSC and watch the video above explaining how auditions work.
Get in touch with our NZSSC Manager Ange Kalogeropoulos if you have any further questions about joining NZSSC.
PREPARING FOR AN AUDITION
To see what you will be tested on, read our AUDITION INFORMATION SHEET
Watch the below videos, recorded at workshops a couple of years ago, for insights into the audition process.
NZSSC Auditions Workshop: Song selection
NZSSC Auditions Workshops: Vocal Excercises
NZSSC Auditions Workshops: Aural Exercises (Part 1)
NZSSC Auditions Workshops: Aural Exercises (Part 2)
NZSSC Auditions Workshops: Sight Singing
NZSSC Auditions Workshop: Overall Impression
NZSSC Q&A from Auditions Workshops
MEMBERSHIP FEE'S
There is no fee to take part in the auditions, other than your travel costs to get to the venue.
Once selected to join the choir, membership fees for the full two year cycle are approximately $7,000-$7,500 - depending on the length and destination of the international tour.
We charge these fee's 'per course' and invoice twice. Once at the beginning of the cycle to cover the 1st year's course fee's, then again before the start of the 2nd (final) year, which includes the International Tour fee. Annual fee's can be paid in full upfront, or via monthly AP. The International Tour fee is paid in pre-determined instalments. Financial support may be available, see below. Full fee's are confirmed at the time of accepting choir membership.
These fees cover:
- COSTS TO ATTEND ALL NZ COURSES: Tuition, air/ground travel to the rehearsal city and accommodation (usually billeting), with breakfasts and dinners included. Local choir member families are expected to billet members from out of town.
- COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INTERNATIONAL TOUR: Approximately $5,000-$5,500 of the total membership fee covers the international tour. Flights, accommodation, meals and festival fees are all included. Personal spending money and any passport/visa/immunisation requirements are additional personal costs & responsibilities.
STUDENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We are proud to offer financial assistance to our members through our FREEMASONS FOUNDATION Student Support Fund, originally set up in 2016 from a 30th anniversary Boosted crowdfunding campaign. We also receive donations and grants aimed specifically at assisting members with fees.
Support is generally only offered towards the international tour (in 2nd year of choir cycle), and varies upon individual needs. However, it is not usually more than $2,000. An application form is here - (do not apply until membership has been accepted).
We've also assembled a list of fundraising suggestions, including local grant opportunities, so students can contribute towards the cost of their membership.
