HI, THERE!
Thanks for your interest in Valence. If you don’t know much about us, here’s what we’re all about:
We’re a co-ed a cappella group based in New York City that focuses on contemporary hits and musical theatre arrangements, and the fusion between those two (did you know “Feeling Good” is from a Broadway musical?). We’re always on the hunt for new sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses—particularly those who can music direct or can bring some other skillset to the table.
Valence was created for and by singers who miss having a creative outlet after college. At our core, we’re a group of young professionals that decided to bring the performing arts back into our lives. Auditioning for us is is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who can relate to that feeling of missing the arts in their lives.
Sound like something you’re interested in? You can direct any questions to Andrew at valencenyc@gmail.com or read on for submission guidelines.
GUIDELINES
Round one of auditions requires a short video that you’ll submit to us.
- Pick a pop / contemporary song (non-musical theater) that showcases your range, unique sound, and personality
- Keep it to your best 30-60 seconds. A verse + chorus is a quick-and-dirty way to gauge this.
- Record yourself singing your song choice—smartphone is fine—and upload it as an unlisted video to YouTube. (If you don’t want to use YouTube, alternatives are in FAQ.)
- Fill out and submit the audition form.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does my audition song need need to be musical-theatre oriented?
Nope, as stated above, please do not submit anything from the canon of musical theatre. Sing us a pop or contemporary song that perfectly showcases your voice.
What are some examples of songs we can be expected to sing?
We’ve got songs from shows like Spring Awakening, The Lion King, Smokey Joe’s Café, and the hit TV musical-drama Smash. On the contemporary side of things, we perform songs by artists like Sara Bareilles, Jack Garratt, Aloe Blacc, and Phillip Phillips.
Can you tell me more about what you’re looking for?
Ultimately, we’re looking for singers with a unique sound who know how to blend and perform with a group. Give us your best performance that shows us who you are. We don’t care about genres or technicalities—just that you can sing. 30-60 seconds is the perfect amount of time to show us that you can.
Can there be a backing track for my video submission?
Nope. Backing tracks tend to mask the timbre and style of your voice. We want to hear you.
Can I submit an old video?
Again, we’d prefer not. Your video doesn’t need to be anything fancy—a laptop or smartphone video will do just fine.
When and where are rehearsals?
We rehearse 3 times a month, usually on one weeknight and two Sunday evenings for 3 hours each. Everyone in the group is a working professional, so no gigs or rehearsals are ever held during the 9-5 work day. Don’t stress about this part—we’ll cross the scheduling bridge if/when we come to it.
I’m a beatboxer. Does this change anything?
Nope. Your audition instructions are the same: 30-60 seconds that showcase your best percussion skills. Go!
What if I’m a beatboxer AND a singer?
You talented little devil, you! You can record your voice solo and beatboxing auditions back-to-back in the same video and submit away.
Errr. Do I have to use YouTube?
You can upload your video to any hosting platform (YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox) and include that public URL in the audition form. However, we recommend you upload to YouTube as an unlisted video and then copy the URL into the audition form. It’s makes things easier and streamlined for us.
What’s an unlisted YouTube video and how do I do this?
valencenyc.com 