5 Tips for Solo Singers in a Choir

Being a member of a choir is a fulfilling experience, overflowing with the rewards of working together to create something beautiful. And one of the most exhilarating moments in anyone’s choral journey is performing a solo.

Unfortunately, this can also lead to stress. After all, you want to do your best with the spotlight on you, and so much of your training is geared toward sounding good as a member of a group — not as a distinct voice.

Luckily, there are a handful of easy-to-follow tips that can help you during your next solo!

Understanding Your Role as a Solo Singer

So what is a solo singer in a choir? It refers to a performer who sings a piece of a work on their own. This could mean that the entire rest of the choir is quiet while the solo singer performs, or the vocal line of the solo singer could be emphasized either through volume or pitch.

This leads to exciting moments of vocal acrobatics — wowing audiences with your talent and making dynamics that add to the complexity of the choir’s overall performance.

A great solo singer is able to control their voice well, and they can be confident while doing it. It goes beyond hitting notes, you need to be able to deliver those notes in such a way that the audience feels the song.

Tips for Delivering a Powerful Solo

Below are five key tips for becoming a great solo singer. These will help you sing your best and project charisma at the same time.

1. Practicing Like a Solo Singer

The main techniques of solo performance focus on your unique role as a stand-out from the rest of the choir, which requires a different frame of mind than most of your singing on the risers. Preparation for this includes:

More intense rehearsal of your solo: It will take a lot more time to prepare for a solo than other parts of the performance, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to master what you will be singing.

Focus on stage presence: Solos aren’t only about having a great voice — they are just as much about confidence and stage presence. For that reason, you’ll want to practice maintaining powerful eye contact, as well as using your face and body language to express the emotion of the piece. Mirrors are essential for this process!

2. Singing in Harmony

Understanding the harmony of your solo will be key to performing it on command. Yes, you can practice it so much that you are able to memorize every detail, but a deeper understanding of how to harmonize will allow you to feel more in the moment during your big solo.

This begins by understanding the difference between harmony and melody. The melody contains the core notes of the song, while harmony includes notes added on top of the melody to provide a richer sound.

3. Keeping Vocal Cords Healthy

Staying healthy in the lead up to your solo performance is key. INTERKULTUR has a wide range of resources to help you do that. These include:

4 Effective Breathing Exercises to Improve Your Choir Performance

5 Top Vocal Tips for Choir Singers

5 Tips to Expand Your Vocal Range Safely

4. Building Musical Knowledge and Theory

Music is a kind of language, and knowing about music theory is a way to understand the grammar and vocabulary of that language. The more you know, the more you can interpret your solo and bring that added knowledge to your performance.

While you don’t necessarily have to read sheet music or become a music theory master to sing a great solo, these mental models help tremendously. They allow you to grasp everything on a much deeper level. That way you don’t simply know what to do, you know why you need to do it a certain way.

5. Communicating with the Choir Director and Fellow Members

Clear communication with your choir director and fellow singers is going to be key. The better you can understand the vision of the director, the better you can perform. And during your solo, your fellow singers are going to support you and put you in the best light possible — so their input matters.

It’s easy to give into stress and feel like your upcoming solo is your burden to bear alone, but it isn’t! If you need help just ask.

Final Thoughts on Singing Solo in a Choir

A solo should be a crowning achievement in your choral singing career. While it will always cause some butterflies, it doesn’t need to cause stress. If you follow the tips above, you’ll be prepared to give it your all and deliver a mind-blowing solo that the audience will remember for years to come.

For more information on the world of choir singing and more helpful tips on performance, make sure to follow INTERKULTUR on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Youtube!