What are the OAKE National Conference Choirs?
The OAKE National Conference Choirs is part of a larger annual event—the OAKE National Conference—occurring in a different city each year throughout the United States, bringing together well-known clinicians, educators, conductors, and entertainment over the course of four days culminating in the Saturday performance of the students who have been selected to participate in the National Choirs.

What are the associated fees and deadlines?
The audition application and audition fee are due in October. For accepted singers, registration information and the fee are due in December. Students will not be able to participate in the OAKE National Conference choirs until audition and registration fees have been received. Although these fees are ultimately the responsibility of the parents, some participating schools may cover one fee or even both. It is the responsibility of the parents and teacher to address these questions prior to beginning the audition process. (Financial obligations and due dates are subject to change)

How does my child audition?
Only active OAKE members are allowed to audition their students. Teachers will conduct the audition and submit the application on the students’ behalf. Once an application has been submitted for a student, the parents listed on the application will receive a confirmation email. The components of the audition are a vocalise, part-singing/solfege exercise, and a prepared a capella song.

Can my child be in more than one choir?
No. Students may only participate in one choir. See the main Choirs page and Family Brochure for more information about which choir to audition for, based on grade level and voice part.

When will audition results be announced and what happens after my child is accepted?
Notifications of acceptance and decline will be sent by email, usually in mid-November. Acceptance emails will contain links to complete the registration process and download travel, lodging and other information to help your child prepare for the OAKE National Conference! (Financial obligations, notifications, and due dates are subject to change)

Frequently Asked Questions: Accepted Singers

What is the concert attire?

Rehearsal Attire: Dress during rehearsals is casual.

Concert Attire:

Children’s and Youth Choirs

- Long-sleeved, white dress shirt/blouse with a collar (worn tucked in)
- Black dress pants or skirt (try to have the length of skirt be in the middle of the knee cap)
- Black tights or hose, if wearing a skirt
- Black socks and black belt, if wearing pants
- Black dress shoes

Concert Treble and Chamber Choirs (select the option most appropriate for you):

- Concert dress (modest floor length black dress) with neutral hose and black dress shoes. No necklaces.
- OR black dress pants (tight fitting pants/leggings and jeans are not acceptable), nice black top, neutral color hose, and black dress shoes.
- OR black suit or sport coat with black dress pants, white long-sleeved dress shirt with a collar (worn tucked in), a long dark tie (no bowties), black socks, and black dress shoes.

When will my child get their music?
Your child’s music will be mailed to the teacher listed on the application. This typically happens in early December. The cost of the student’s music packet is covered in the registration fee.

Does OAKE arrange the travel and lodgings for my child?
No. OAKE is not responsible for arranging the travel and lodging for participating teachers or their students. It is ultimately the responsibility of the parent to arrange travel and lodgings. Some schools sponsor this event as an official school function and will arrange and provide chaperones. It is the responsibility of the parents and teacher to address these issues prior to beginning the audition process.

Does my child receive any conference mementos and will I be able to purchase conference merchandise at the conference?
Yes. Each student typically receives a complimentary T-shirt and water bottle at registration. Parents will be able to pre-purchase additional OAKE conference merchandise—these details will be provided in your child’s acceptance email. Lastly, parents will be able to visit vendors that exhibit at our conference selling various things such as crafts, music, clothing, jewelry, etc.

Do I have to attend the conference with my child?
Your child must be chaperoned by either a parent, grandparent, relative over the age of 21, teacher or other designated chaperone at all times while not in a scheduled rehearsal. OAKE requires all choir members and chaperones residing outside of the conference city to stay in the designated conference hotel.

How many tickets do I get to the final performance?
Refer to the Accepted Singers page for more information about this year’s concert tickets.

When is the earliest my child can leave the conference? Is there a checkout process?
The National Conference Choirs Concert is typically Saturday evening. Details will be shared on the choirs page and via email. Immediately following the Saturday National Choirs Concert, students will be released to their families at the performance venue and are allowed to leave immediately thereafter.

How do I acquire a recording, photos, or other media of the final concert?
Concert recordings will be shared with all singers, families, and teachers of national choir members. Additional recording formats will still be available for purchase, as will extra t-shirts and “well wishes” printed in the concert programs.

It takes approximately 6 weeks for the audio engineer to finish mastering and editing the works, so it’s expected for these to be complete by the end of April. Families and teachers will receive an email at that time about how to access the free streaming video or purchase physical photos / recordings from Image One. You can visit www.choirslive.com now to pre-order your items.

Frequently Asked Questions: Opus

I’m a parent and received more than one payment link for my accepted singers. The first link works, but the second link results in an error. What should I do?
Please refresh your browser, clear the browser cache, or use a second browser. The Opus system assumes you will have only one payment link. Once a link is opened, it has remembered that you used it already so it’s attempting to prevent you from accidentally making a repeat payment. Refreshing the page should fix this error. If not, do a quick clear of your browser cache. If none of these options work, please contact us.

I’m a teacher and need to pay for my singer(s) with school funds. What should I do?
Families will enter and Save all registration information from their registration link. Once saved, from your Opus dashboard, use the check boxes beside your singer’s names and click “Pay Selected”, or if you are sending to someone else in your district, you’ll instead click “Email CC Paylink.” A window will open and on the right side you can select “Other Address” and add the address where you’d like the payment link to be sent.

Have more questions? Please email us at [email protected] or call 310.441.3555.