Yale Russian Chorus Rush 2026


Welcome!

We're so excited that you're interested in joining North America's oldest Slavic choir in our 73rd year!

Since our founding in the midst of the Cold War, we've fostered cross-cultural understanding by sharing a beautiful and unique musical tradition with audiences across the world. We've performed for presidents and priests, scholars and schoolchildren - not to mention, creating countless memories and forging lifelong friendships along the way.

This year, we look forward to touring in New Orleans and Boston, and preparing for our 2027 Baltic tour to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All tours are subsidized by the chorus, at no cost to its members.

We in the Yale Russian Chorus sincerely hope you'll join us and become a part of something that's about more than just music. Read on to find out how!

The Yale Russian Chorus is committed to a message of peace and cultural diplomacy.

Please contact us with any questions at yalerussianchorus@gmail.com, or text our rush manager Audrey at (925) 321-4264.

Yours truly,

Yale Russian Chorus Board 2026


Who should audition?

We welcome all undergraduate and graduate students at Yale to audition, regardless of gender identity, as long as you are comfortable singing music written for a tenor-bass ensemble! No Russian language or music experience is required, whatsoever.


Come to Polyphony on September 8th!

Audition Process and Timeline

September 6th - Extracurricular Bazaar

September 6th - 73rd Anniversary Concert

September 8th - Polyphony, Cultural Music Showcase at Yale

September 9-11th - Open Rehearsals

September 14th-17th - Auditions

September 18th - Initiation

Auditioning for the YRC is simple and straightforward! First, we'll all do some warm-up exercises as a group so your voice is all set for some sweet notes. Then, we’ll see how you do on a couple of basic musicality exercises.

Next, we'll teach you a short line from a song in our repertoire, and see how you sound in a quartet with three members of the YRC.

The final and most exciting part of your audition will be your solo. Choose a thirty-second to one-minute section of any song that you're comfortable singing. This may be the most nerve-inducing part of the process, but seriously, don't stress! We just want to hear you show off your beautiful voice!

We'll let you know within a week of your audition whether we would like to see you again in a callback!