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Greetings!
As directors of the choral groups of the Department of Music and Campus Ministry, we invite you to join hundreds of other singers in making our choirs part of your Notre Dame experience. As a participant in this rich musical tradition you will find artistic fulfillment and kindle lifelong friendships. You will find descriptions of each of our choirs below.
If you're interested in auditioning for any of the campus choirs, you can:
- Sign up for the Welcome Weekend in-person auditions (schedule and link below)
- Submit a virtual audition (link below)
If you have any specific questions about our individual groups, or if you want to schedule an individual audition for a particular choir, please contact that group's director at the email address. We welcome you to the Notre Dame family, and we look forward to hearing from you!
Best wishes,
Directors
Daniel Stowe (Interim), Notre Dame Chorale (dstowe@nd.edu)
Jonathan Hehn, Notre Dame Basilica Schola (jhehn@nd.edu)
Elizabeth Schleicher (Interim), Notre Dame Magnificat Choir (eschleic@nd.edu)
Andrew McShane, Notre Dame Liturgical Choir (amcshane@nd.edu)
Daniel Stowe, Notre Dame Men’s Glee Club (dstowe@nd.edu)
Valetina Varas Franzani (Interim), Notre Dame Folk Choir (vvarasfr@nd.eu)
Turrell O'Neal, Voices of Faith Gospel Choir (toneal2@nd.edu)
Benito Salazar, Coro Primavera de Nuestra Señora (bsalaza1@nd.edu)
Choirs of the Department of Music and Campus Ministry
The Notre Dame Basilica Schola specializes in unaccompanied choral music, with a special focus on Renaissance polyphony. The choir comprises around sixteen singers drawn from the faculty, staff, students, and other members of the University community. They are directed by Dr. Jonathan Hehn, OSL. The choir's core identity is as a liturgical ensemble that calls the Basilica of Sacred Heart its home. In addition to regularly singing for Sunday evening Vespers in the Basilica, the choir also sings periodically for Masses and other special services during the academic year at Notre Dame. The choir holds auditions and welcomes some new members each year. Its latest album is due for release in the Fall of 2026. Rehearsals are W 3:45-5:00PM.
The Notre Dame Chorale, founded in 1974, is the mixed-voice concert choir of the Department of Music. They present a broad repertory of works from the Renaissance to the present in regular concerts on campus each year, including a performance of Handel’s Messiah in December. Membership is open to all Notre Dame, St. Mary's, and Holy Cross undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and faculty. The Chorale tours domestically each January and internationally every three to four years; since 1997 the Chorale has toured throughout the United States, including to Hawaii, and internationally in Italy, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland. Rehearsals are MW 6:30-8:15 PM.
The Notre Dame Men’s Glee Club, founded in 1915, presents a wide-ranging repertory in several formal concerts each academic year on campus and on tour, as well as in dozens of informal performances at University events. As specialists in a cappella music for men’s voices, their concert programs customarily include works in various classical genres as well as folk songs, African-American spirituals, music in a variety of American popular styles, and songs of Notre Dame. Directed by Daniel Stowe, the Glee Club draws its membership from all fields of study at the university. They tour domestically twice each year and internationally every other year; they have performed in over 45 U.S. states and in over 20 countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America; 2024-25 tour destinations include California, Canada, and Spain. Rehearsals are MTWTh 5:00-6:15 PM.
The Notre Dame Liturgical Choir was founded in 1973 and is composed of approximately 70 singers drawn from all areas of the undergraduate and graduate student body. The Choir’s main purpose is to provide musical leadership at the 10 AM Solemn Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, a French Gothic structure built in 1871 by University founder Fr. Edward Sorin. The Sunday Mass at 10 AM (Eastern time) is televised weekly on CatholicTV. Membership in the Liturgical Choir is open to all undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Notre Dame. Led by director Dr. Andrew McShane, the choir performs a repertoire drawn on the diverse traditions of a cappella and accompanied sacred music from the Renaissance through the twentieth century. In recognition of the Liturgical Choir’s special ministry to the Notre Dame community, Pope John Paul II extended his apostolic blessing upon the Choir in 1989. Rehearsals are T 5:00-6:45 PM and Th 6:00-7:45 PM.
The Notre Dame Folk Choir explores and celebrates sacred music from diverse traditions, including Catholic hymns, contemporary jazz and gospel, and Irish folk tunes. Its central responsibility is to provide liturgical music for the 12pm Mass community in the Basilica on Sundays and Holy Days during the academic year. The choir has recorded 12 albums and toured 5 continents in its 40 year history, and has most recently traveled to East Africa and Israel for international tours and recordings. Rehearsals are T 7:15-8:45 PM and Th 8:00-9:30 PM.
Voices of Faith Gospel Choir was founded in 1977 as a faith led student-run organization of approximately 35 members. The choir is diverse in faith and heritage but we sing as one to praise the Lord. Voices is a group for anyone who is looking to deepen his or her faith in God or looking to learn more about Gospel music and the effect it can have on its listeners. Rehearsals are T 6:00-7:30 PM.
Coro Primavera de Nuestra Señora’s main purpose is to provide liturgical music for Sunday Spanish Mass. Throughout the academic year, Coro participates in celebration masses and events including, but not limited to, Virgen de Guadalupe and Dia de los Muertos. The choir, led by Director Benito Salazar, is inclusive, welcoming, and open to all Notre Dame, St. Mary’s, and Holy Cross students who are wanting to sing in Spanish. We also invite those who play guitar and/or percussion to join the Coro Familia as well. Rehearsals are W 6:30-8:00 PM
Sacred Music at Notre Dame Choral Ensembles.
The Sacred Music at Notre Dame program (SMND) hosts a number of other campus choirs not represented here. They are open to undergraduate and graduate students from all departments as well as community members. Please note that SMND choir auditions are separate from the general campus choir auditions, so if you are interested in auditioning for a SMND choir, please click the link above for more information.
Audition Instructions
We are pleased to offer the ability to audition for our choirs virtually and in-person - please follow the instructions below.
In-Person Auditions (2026)
All in-person auditions will be held on the 3rd floor of the Coleman-Morse Center. The times will be:
- Friday, August 21 , 1:30PM-4:15PM
- Sunday, August 23, 11:30AM-8:00PM
- Monday, August 24, 7:00PM-9:30PM
Click here to sign up for an in-person audition time.
(Because of director availability, auditionees for Coro Primavera are asked to sign up for a time on August 23 between 11:30AM-1PM. Voices of Faith auditionees are asked to sign up for a time on August 24 between 7:00-9:00PM)
Virtual Auditions
The audition will take about 5 minutes to complete. You must complete the audition in one sitting and submit a single video file of your entire audition. After you have finished recording your audition, please fill out this virtual auditions form and attach your video directly within the form at the bottom.
This audition consists of four sections: a warm up exercise, singing the hymn Amazing Grace, an ear training exercise, and finally a short sight-reading example. Please ensure that you have a device to record audio and video -- a smartphone will work perfectly -- and that your upper body and face are in the frame.