Membership Expectations

The Reading Choral Society is comprised now, as it has always been, of dedicated semi-professional singers from all walks of life with no minimum or maximum age.

RCS rehearses in a professional atmosphere Tuesday evenings from 7:00PM to 9:00PM from September through mid-April.  Rehearsals are held at Christ Church, at the corner of 5th and Court Streets in Reading.

RCS performs three concerts a year, usually in November, January or December, and in April. The Society performs a wide variety of music, including choral masterworks with full or chamber orchestra and popular music such as folk music, spirituals and musical theater.  RCS regularly collaborates with young singers from the Berks Classical Children’s Chorus, local high schools and area colleges.  RCS enjoys a formal alliance with the Children’s Chorus in which the groups work together artistically and administratively.

Membership dues are $110 per year. This includes music fees, which vary each year based on programming.

Concert attire consists of black tuxedos for gentlemen and uniform black dresses for the ladies.  The ladies’ dresses and uniform costume jewelry are purchased from a choral dress company for a reasonable cost.

Members are expected to attend all rehearsals.  If a singer must miss more than two rehearsals before a concert, the member must get permission from the Music Director to sing in the concert.  If a member misses two consecutive concerts in a row, the member must re-audition with the Music Director to rejoin the Society.  New members must have a vocal review after completing their first season with RCS.  Vocal reviews are then conducted every four years for all members.