St. Cecilia Chamber Choir is holding auditions for all voice parts as it begins preparing its December concert of Lessons and Carols for the Christmas Season.

"Drawing inspiration from the world-famous King’s College Cambridge Service of Lessons and Carols, our program blends carols both sacred and secular with seasonal readings, accompanied by a professional string quartet and performed in the beautiful Bowdoin College Chapel and Damariscotta Baptist Church," said Sean Fleming, in a news release.

St. Cecilia Chamber Choir is a fully-auditioned group of singers that includes talented youth and seasoned performers. The Choir performs challenging choral repertoire spanning the centuries from medieval to modern, under the direction of husband-and-wife team Linda Blanchard and Sean Fleming of Damariscotta. In the English choral tradition, the choir sings with a straight tone, enabling attention to fine-tuning rich harmonies. Much of the repertoire is a cappella, and singers are frequently accompanied by a professional chamber orchestra. Two to three concerts are presented per year, typically in December and May.

"We’re a dedicated and friendly bunch, eager to welcome new members, and we especially encourage gifted students to audition," said Fleming. "We strive for our audition process to be gentle, welcoming, and supportive. Rehearsals are high-energy and challenging.

“We work hard,” says Blanchard, “but we keep the rehearsals upbeat and fun. We provide practice materials to use at home, so singers can come to rehearsal feeling prepared and ready to go!”

Singers wishing to audition should have good vocal control, and sopranos and altos should be able to sing without vibrato. The ability to read music is preferred, but those who cannot read may participate by spending extra time learning the music at home with the aid of provided practice materials.

Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. starting Sept. 10, at St. Andrew’s Church, Glidden Street, in Newcastle. Concerts are December 20 and 21. To schedule an audition, call Linda Blanchard at 207-536-8102 or email audition@ceciliachoir.org. For more information about the Choir, please visit facebook.com/stceciliachamberchoir and ceciliachoir.org.