Early Music Singers

The Stanford Early Music Singers is a select chamber choir dedicated to reviving music of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras, directed by Eric Tuan. Dedicated to cultivating the art of vocal chamber music, the choir offers opportunities for solo and small-group singing. Participation is open to both students and community members by audition.

2026-2027 Season:

The Early Music Singers' 2026-2027 season features Renaissance Christmas favorites, polyphony sung in Angola under Portuguese colonial rule, and a collaborative Purcell program with the Stanford Baroque Soloists.

Auditions

This page will be updated with audition information for the new academic year by September 1. Auditions typically take place during the week prior to the start of autumn quarter, which begins on September 22, 2026.

Key Dates

The Early Music Singers rehearse on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Optional small group rehearsals take place from 9:00 - 9:30 pm after rehearsal.

Fall Quarter:
First rehearsal: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Dress rehearsal: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Concert: Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Friends of Music Holiday Musicale (tentative): Saturday, December 5, 2026

Winter Quarter:
First rehearsal: Wednesday, January 6, 2027
Dress rehearsal: Tuesday, March 9, 2027
Concert: Wednesday, March 10, 2027

Spring Quarter:
First rehearsal: Wednesday, March 31, 2027
Dress rehearsal: Tuesday, June 1, 2027
Concert: Wednesday, June 2, 2027

Attendance Policy

Please note that excellent attendance is vital to the success of the group. Absences will be excused only for reasons of personal health, family emergency, or events of an equally serious nature. Members are expected to limit absences to no more than one per quarter. Missing more than one rehearsal will necessitate a part check with the director in order to perform in the concert, and may cause a lowering of the final letter grade.

Listserv Instructions

Go to this URL in a browser: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/early-music

You will see instructions for joining the list, as well as a description of its etiquette. Appropriate messages to this list pertain to the Early Music Singers: coordinate rehearsal, performance, or social activities; or share information of interest to the group. Please do not send messages of a commercial or marketing nature to our list.

Members with a non-Stanford email address (one that does not end in "@stanford.edu") will need to create a password for themselves.

Follow the instructions and click on "subscribe". Please do not select "digested" as that will delay your receiving messages.

Please contact rleigh [at] stanford.edu (Rowen in the Music Office) or mwpalm [at] stanford.edu (Miriam) if you have questions.

Once you are a member of the list, you can send messages to it using this address: early-music [at] lists.stanford.edu (early-music[at]lists[dot]stanford[dot]edu). Some messages with attachments may be delayed for review by the list managers.

Photo/Video/Audio Consent

The Choral Studies Program now asks all participants in ensembles to consent to the use of photographs, video and audio recordings at rehearsals and concerts, for publicity purposes.

Matriculated students (undergrad and graduate) need to enroll in EMS on Axess, even if you are not taking it for credit. There is now a zero-unit enrollment option. The policy and steps for this option are on the Music Department website. The student form includes the consent described above.

Students will need to follow this policy each quarter they participate.

Community members who sing in EMS need to sign and submit a photo/video/audio consent waiver. The form and complete information on the policy is located here. This is a one-time submission.

Please review these forms and instructions, and submit them within two weeks of the first quarter's rehearsal.