VOCO ELITE

VOCO Elite will be a small, auditioned vocal ensemble (choir) made up of the most skilled, committed, and driven young people across all VOCO programs (or as one student put it, “across the VOCO-verse”). This opportunity is open to current 5th through 12th grade students, and will also be open to students who have never done VOCO before.

Led by VOCO Executive Director Travis Branam, this group will learn and perform music that is a dramatic step up in difficulty from our usual repertoire, featuring lots of harmony, a cappella singing, and more. They will perform at least 2 songs by themselves at each VOCO concert, perform at special events around the city, and eventually participate in performance tours and/or cultural exchanges in other parts of Colorado, the U.S., and the world. Last but not least, VOCO Elite will also be a place where interested members can gain experience directing choirs, and possibly even direct the full VOCO choir in concerts.  

HOW IT WORKS
Next year, Monday night VOCO will be divided into two sections: VOCO Advanced (6-7pm, open to the public), and VOCO Elite from 7:15-8:30pm after regular VOCO ends. To preserve the community aspect of VOCO, all students in VOCO Elite must commit to participating in all Monday night VOCO activities, making their commitment 6:00-8:30pm at St. Elizabeth’s School.

AUDITIONS
Youth who are interested in participating in VOCO Elite will be required to audition on either Monday, May 6 or Monday, 13 between 6:00-8:30pm at St. Elizabeth’s School. Click here to register for an audition. 

During the audition, youth will need to:

  • Sing The Revival a cappella (with no accompaniment)

  • Perform two VOCO “standards” by yourself (a list to choose from is provided with links at the end of this page)

  • Sing an ascending and descending major scale on solfege

  • Demonstrate exceptional vocal, musical, and performance skills

COMMITMENT
While the commitment for VOCO Elite will not require another “day of the week” of rehearsal under this format, the commitment required should be considered a major family commitment. In addition to pristine attendance on Monday nights, VOCO Elite members will need to be committed to participating in all additional performance opportunities that arise, summer and fall workshops to learn new music/work on our sound/begin building this unique community, and will need to commit to participating in and paying for the cost of any performance tours (fundraising will be involved, but that’s a conversation for another day). 

The current touring goals are to do a 4 to 6 day tour in spring/summer 2025 somewhere in the U.S., and a 7 to 10 day international tour in spring/summer 2026. Reaching these goals depend on a lot of factors, so the performance tours are not a guarantee at this point. That said, if we reach the necessary goals, we will have the first performance tour on the calendar for Spring/Summer 2025 no later than August 1, 2024, and will begin exploring international possibilities for 2026.

In non-musical categories, auditionees will also be evaluated on their ability
and willingness to: 

  • Have extremely strong attendance, punctuality, and reliability

  • Give a consistently high level of focus and effort in rehearsals/sessions

  • Show a high level of respect for all members of the group and staff

  • Receive and respond to constructive feedback

  • Be a positive, dependable, trustworthy, encouraging leader

  • Connect with VOCO youth of all ages and backgrounds

  • Cultivate a safe and inclusive community for youth of all ages/backgrounds

  • Practice our music outside of rehearsal time 

VOCO Elite members will be announced on May 20th via email. 

Thank you for your interest in VOCO Elite. We’re incredibly excited to launch this new program and give youth more unique opportunities to show their stuff, speak their truth, and build community through VOCO. To declare your interest and sign up for an audition, fill out the form below. And if you have questions, don’t hesitate to email us at contact@vocalcoalition.org!

Travis Branam
VOCO Executive Director 

if you not not currently a VOCO student, we will ask you to submit a letter of recommendation from a trusted mentor who can speak to your character in these areas

VOCO Standards: