<p>I was recently admitted to Stanford REA, and there is a good chance I will be attending.</p>
<p>Anyway, I had some questions about extracurricular music at Stanford (note that I do not intend to major in music, performance or otherwise).</p>
<p>Orchestras
What kind of variety of string/symphony orchestras are there? I poked around the website a bit, but I just was hoping to get info from someone "on the inside." Consequently, how hard is it to get in? (Even though I know that's really hard to gauge.)</p>
<p>Choirs
I noticed that Stanford has a few A Cappella Choirs. I've never done choir officially, but I take voice lessons and am very interested in singing. Much the same as the orchestra question, what kind of variety of vocal performance groups are there at Stanford?</p>
<p>I know these questions are very general, but if you have any information you would like to give (preferably things I can't find on the website), I would be very appreciative. </p>
<p>Cleverscreenname, you might be interested in auditioning for Stanford’s Fleet Street Singers a cappella group. Check them out here: [The</a> Stanford Fleet Street Singers](<a href=“http://www.fleetstreet.com%5DThe”>http://www.fleetstreet.com).</p>
<p>I’m not a part of any musical group, but there are a ton of different ones on campus (especially a capella groups, it seems like there’s a million of them). Make sure you go to the activities fair in White Plaza during Orientation, where most of the groups will have a booth. You can sign up for their mailing lists and get information about each one.</p>
<p>There’s one orchestra, the Stanford Symphony Orchestra (SSO). Audition is required, and how competitive it is depends a lot on instrument. I think strings are pretty competitive, not sure about woodwinds, brass less so, and percussion not at all. There are also opportunities to do chamber music, about which I know basically nothing.</p>
<p>The a capella groups are extremely competitive, but from what I hear, a lot of fun if you get in. (They’re also a huge time commitment, so be warned of that.) There are also a number of choirs, at all different levels, some of which I think are pretty easy to get into. I was never very familiar with the choir programs, though, so I’m not the one to give details on that.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks so much, that really helps. I just wanted to get a general idea of what it’s like, so that’s perfect. I’ll be sure to look into it more :)</p>