Online Auditions for The Toronto Northern Lights 2023/24 Season are now open. We have a season full of concerts and contest appearances planned, and are looking for talented masculine presenting singers to enjoy the ride with us!
** You can find the application form here. **
Callback Auditions:
From the video auditions, candidates may be invited to complete a more formal audition process, which will involve singing one of our repertoire songs in a quartet with three other TNL members, plus an assessment of your musical and visual presentation skills.
Alternatively, feel free to visit one of our rehearsals, and we can tell you more! Here are the details: Visit A Rehearsal
Please fill out our application form and create a short (1 minute max) video introducing yourself, and demonstrating your singing ability. Pick a favourite pop song, choral piece, O Canada, or Happy Birthday; in other words, anything that you enjoy singing and which will give us an idea of your vocal range and ability. Upload your video as an unlisted YouTube video.
Get Started! https://forms.gle/DuZ5EyUAyxLwoPeMA
Questions? Contact us at: auditions@
About Toronto Northern Lights:
The Northern Lights Chorus (“TNL” for short) was formed in 1997. We are part of the Barbershop Harmony Society (“BHS”), a worldwide organization devoted to the practice of 4 part a cappella singing in the barbershop style. The hallmarks of that style include relatively simple melodies, melody in the second highest voice (referred to as the “Lead”), a high tenor harmonizing above that, a bass singer singing fundamental harmonies, and a baritone filling in above and below the melody. Music sung in this style includes English language popular songs, particularly from the early to mid 20th century, classic and contemporary Broadway, gospel/religious music, and vocal jazz.
TNL has gained a reputation as one of the most renowned and admired ensembles within the BHS. Our combination of exquisite singing and theatrical staging has won us numerous medals at BHS International competitions, including the gold medal in 2013. We’re well known in the US barbershop singing community, but have also made appearances in England, Sweden, Germany, China, and the Netherlands.
We sing challenging arrangements, but our singers do not all have extensive musical training, nor do we require an ability to sight read (although it helps!). Most of all, we’re looking for singers who can sing with passion and expression, and who enjoy the feeling of locking and “ringing” a well-tuned chord.
Here are a couple of examples of what we do:
Toronto Northern Lights – I Am Not American (2014 International)
This appearance as the retiring International Champions at a BHS convention in 2014, showcases some of the characters featured in our previous appearances, and plays up the fact that we’re not as American as most other prominent Barbershop Choruses
Toronto Northern Lights (TNL) – Let It Snow
We can get a little more serious too; here we are at our most recent Christmas show, at Metropolitan United Church in downtown Toronto