Choirs in Berlin: 7 open to new singers, €20–€39
Seven Berlin choirs take new singers, most at €20–€39 a month. Which never audition, which want music reading, plus nights and districts. Checked Sept 2026.
Seven choirs in Berlin are taking new singers this autumn, six at €20 to €39 a month. Three of them never audition anyone. Three let you sing along first, then ask you to sing for the director before you can stay.
The short version
- Three of the seven never audition: Some Voices Berlin, HERE TO SING at School Of Voice, and studiosi cantandi.
- Three do, eventually. Chorus Berlin, the Berliner Oratorien-Chor and the Berliner Konzert Chor let you sing as a guest first, then ask you to sing for the director before you join.
- Of the seven still open, the cheapest way in is a trial. Chorus Berlin gives three guest rehearsals plus a free first month; Some Voices gives one free taster; School Of Voice charges €15.
- Reduced rates are real and barely advertised. studiosi cantandi drops from €20 to €7 a month, the Oratorien-Chor from €25 to €6.25 under 25, and Some Voices takes 15% off for students and low earners, on proof.
- September is the right month. Some Voices’ winter term starts the week of 14 September, and studiosi cantandi names the period after the summer break as an ideal moment to start.
How we checked: every night, fee and joining rule below comes from the choir’s own website or published fee regulations, read in September 2026. Where a choir publishes nothing, this guide says so rather than guessing.
Contents
- The eight choirs, compared
- What “no audition” means
- Some Voices Berlin
- HERE TO SING, School Of Voice
- studiosi cantandi Berlin
- Chorus Berlin
- Berliner Oratorien-Chor
- Berliner Konzert Chor
- Cantus Domus
- KIN Choir Berlin — closed for now
- How we chose these
- Questions people ask
The eight choirs in Berlin, compared
Standard monthly fees, September 2026. Reduced rates bracketed.
| Choir | District | Rehearsal night | Try before joining | Fee / month | Audition to stay? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Some Voices Berlin | Schöneberg | Tue, 19:00–20:30 | Free taster | €35 (15% concession) | No |
| HERE TO SING (School Of Voice) | Zehlendorf or Prenzlauer Berg | Tue or Wed, 19:00–20:30 | Trial class, €15 | €39 + €25/year | No |
| studiosi cantandi | Kreuzberg | Mon, 19:00–21:30 | Yes, non-binding | €20 (€7) | No individual audition |
| Chorus Berlin | Schöneberg | Tue, 19:15–21:15 | 3 rehearsals as a guest, then first month free | €20 (reduced rate on request) | Yes — short sing-through |
| Berliner Oratorien-Chor | Charlottenburg | Wed, 19:00–21:15 | Yes, no audition to visit | €25 (€6.25 under 25) | Yes — entrance exam after 4–8 weeks |
| Berliner Konzert Chor | Mitte | Wed, 19:00–22:00 | Yes, trial rehearsal | €30 (€20) + €25 joining fee | Yes — short audition |
| Cantus Domus | Charlottenburg | Thu, 19:00–21:30 | Yes, “just come by” | Not published | Not stated |
| KIN Choir Berlin | Kreuzberg | Wed, 19:00–20:30 | — | Free | No — but closed to newcomers |
Found a night that fits? Walking into a room full of strangers is easier with one person beside you. Post the rehearsal as a plan on MITRA and go with someone who also wants to try it. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store
What “no audition” actually means in Berlin
This is what catches people out. The phrase “no audition” covers three different things, and the difference decides whether you are still singing come November.
| What the site says | What it means | Which choirs |
|---|---|---|
| No auditions, ever | You turn up, you sing, nobody auditions you individually at any stage | Some Voices, HERE TO SING, studiosi cantandi, KIN Choir (closed to newcomers) |
| No audition to visit | Guest rehearsals are open to anyone, but staying means singing for the director | Chorus Berlin, Berliner Oratorien-Chor, Berliner Konzert Chor |
| No audition mentioned | Nothing published either way — ask before you commit a term | Cantus Domus |
The second row is the one to read twice. The Berliner Oratorien-Chor is explicit: no audition is needed to get a taste, but after four to eight weeks there is a compulsory entrance examination in which you sing from the work being studied. An open door followed by a real one — not the same offer as Some Voices, though both get filed under “no audition” elsewhere.
Only two of these choirs publish the language they work in — School Of Voice, in English and German, and the Berliner Oratorien-Chor, in German. The rest say nothing, so ask. If German is the sticking point across your social life, we wrote a longer piece on making friends in Berlin without German.
Some Voices Berlin — €35, and nobody ever listens to you alone
Some Voices is a contemporary pop choir in over twenty UK and European cities. No auditions, no sheet music, no need to read music: everything is learned by ear, and all adults over 18 are welcome.
The year runs in three terms of ten rehearsals, with a half-term break. The winter 2026 term starts the week of 14 September and ends the week of 23 November, with end-of-term shows from late November. Membership is €35 a month, four payments a term — €140, the last landing after your final rehearsal. Notice is 30 days; after week 9, term end only. A 15% concession applies to students and low earners, on proof. Your first rehearsal is free, bookable in weeks 1–4 and 6–9.
Rehearsals are Tuesdays at Studio Tambour, Wilhelm-Kabus-Straße 28 in Schöneberg, nearest station Südkreuz. One real caveat: Some Voices says the venue is not accessible — no lift, and stairs up to the studio.
HERE TO SING at School Of Voice — €39, two nights, two districts
School Of Voice is a bilingual singing school, and HERE TO SING is its adult choir: non-audition, international, singing pop not liturgy — its own description names Lady Gaga, Leonard Cohen and ABBA.
Rehearsals run 19:00 to 20:30, and you pick one of two nights in very different parts of the city: Tuesdays at Herbergerweg 14 in Zehlendorf, or Wednesdays at “Bremer Höhle”, Buchholzer Str. 16 in Prenzlauer Berg.
Membership is €39 a month, with a €15 trial class. Budget for two more things: a yearly €25 registration fee for sheet music, and an initial contract of six months — the longest of any choir here, and the reason to spend €15 on the trial rather than signing up cold.
studiosi cantandi Berlin — €20, and €7 if money is tight
studiosi cantandi rehearses Mondays 19:00 to 21:30 and is the best-value entry point here for anyone wanting serious choral repertoire without being assessed on the way in. In its own words: you do not need a fully trained voice, and nobody auditions individually.
Membership is €20 a month, reduced to €7, with further reductions on application. The choir works in projects that each end in a concert and says it performs twice a year at Berlin venues — though its autumn 2026 Carmina Burana plays Tilburg in the Netherlands on 15 November before Berlin on 21 November. It names the period after the summer break as an ideal moment to start — so early autumn is exactly right. Join mid-project and you sit in as a non-binding guest, then start properly with the next one.
Ignore the English page on the address. It still says the venue held only to the end of 2025 and that the choir may move “slightly further north”. The German pages settle it: rehearsals are in the hall of the Robert-Koch-Gymnasium, Dieffenbachstraße 60 in Kreuzberg, nearest stations U Schönleinstraße (U8) and U Südstern (U7) — and the homepage repeats it while selling tickets for those November concerts and asking for men’s voices for the 21 November one.
Two people, one Monday, no commitment. A non-binding guest rehearsal is a smaller ask when someone comes with you. MITRA is for the other half of the problem — finding the person who also wants to try a choir this week. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store
Chorus Berlin — three free rehearsals, then a first free month
Chorus Berlin is a lay choir of around 50 that deliberately mixes musical, rock and pop with classical works. Members range from about 30 to 80, which it presents as the reason newcomers settle in quickly.
It is the most generous trial here: three guest rehearsals before you decide, then a free first month. Rehearsals are Tuesdays 19:15 to 21:15 at the Scharmützelsee-Grundschule, Hohenstaufenstr. 49 in Schöneberg. The fee is €20 a month, reduced for pupils, students, the unemployed and anyone on a low income.
No choral experience and no music reading are required — the choir says so outright, and one member offers to teach notation. The catch is small but worth stating: after your three guest rehearsals, the membership form must be countersigned by the director following a short sing-through. It wants tenors and basses, and says sopranos could still be reinforced. Its site carries a “last updated 19.04.2026” stamp, so confirm the night.
Berliner Oratorien-Chor — €25, big halls, a real entrance exam
One of the city’s large concert choirs: it performs at least twice a year in the Konzerthaus or the Philharmonie, almost always with professional orchestras, and is reorganising and accepting all voice ranges.
Full rehearsals are Wednesdays 19:00 to 21:15 in the community hall at Schloßstraße 6 in Charlottenburg, with section rehearsals for soprano/alto or tenor/bass alternating on Mondays 18:00 to 19:30. Its pages disagree about the warm-up: the joining page promises 20 minutes of singing-in with a vocal coach, the site footer puts it at 19:00–19:15, inside the rehearsal slot.
Membership is €25 a month from age 25 and €6.25 below it, halvable for low earners. You can also sing a single concert cycle as a project singer, with the director’s agreement, for €25 a month.
Be clear-eyed about the requirements. You need a basic knowledge of reading music, and after four to eight weeks there is a compulsory entrance examination. Concert participation expects 70% attendance, and falling below can mean an audition before you may perform. Of the eight here, it is the one that commits in writing to the Konzerthaus or the Philharmonie at least twice a year — but it asks for something in return.
Berliner Konzert Chor — €30, and right now it wants low voices
The Berliner Konzert Chor rehearses Wednesdays at the Freie Waldorfschule Berlin-Mitte, Weinmeisterstr. 16; it lists U8, trams M1 and 12, and the S5, S7 and S75 for getting there. Budget three hours, not two and a half. Ignore the English rehearsal-times page, which still says 19:00 to 21:30 — the German version sets out 19:00–19:30 singing-in then 19:30–22:00, and the dated calendar matches it every Wednesday from 2 September to 7 October 2026. Nothing weekly is published after that. Add quarterly rehearsal weekends, plus dress and final rehearsals per concert.
You can turn up to a rehearsal without joining — the choir says to drop by, and publishes no charge for a visit. Singing a whole project is a bigger step than it sounds: its project sheet, updated June 2026, wants experienced choral singers, charges a one-off €50, asks for proof you know the work — performance practice in the last 12 months and a sing-through heard only by the director, your voice leader and possibly a board member — and requires 70% attendance. Membership is different again: admission is decided by the musical director through what the choir calls a short, friendly audition, with reading music, musicality and vocal accuracy expected. It includes fifteen minutes of vocal coaching a month.
The fee schedule, in force since January 2025, sets €30 a month for active members and €20 reduced for pupils, students, trainees and anyone on wage-replacement benefits, plus a one-off €25 joining fee (€18 reduced). Fees are collected half-yearly in advance by direct debit, and you can only leave at a quarter end with a month’s notice. One constraint before you get attached: it is accepting mainly tenors and basses, having enough sopranos and altos.
Pick one, set a date, and don’t go alone. Every choir here still taking singers lets you visit before you commit — the hard part is the first Wednesday. Post it on MITRA and make it two of you at the door. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store
Cantus Domus — the one here with no published fee
Cantus Domus is the most stylistically adventurous choir here, known for staged concerts and collaborations rather than the standard format. It wants singers, above all soprano, alto and tenor.
Full rehearsals are Thursdays 19:00 to 21:30 in the parish hall of the Kirche am Lietzensee, Herbartstr. 4 in Charlottenburg; section rehearsals alternate Wednesdays 19:00 to 21:30 at the Heinrich-Böll-Bibliothek, Greifswalder Str. 87 in Prenzlauer Berg.
You do not need to have studied music, but the choir asks for commitment and musical aptitude, and the invitation is to come by — after emailing first. Two honest gaps: it publishes no fee anywhere on its site, and says nothing about an audition. Its joining page dates from July 2024.
KIN Choir Berlin — free, and closed to newcomers right now
Two reasons it is here: it is the only one here publishing a fee of nothing, and you will find it under its old name elsewhere. SHE Choir Berlin is now KIN Choir Berlin. Founded in 2016, collectively run and non-auditioned, it is open to everyone within the FLINTA* umbrella, and rehearses Wednesdays 19:00 to 20:30 at New Yorck im Bethanien in Kreuzberg, mostly a cappella. The catch is decisive: it says interest has been overwhelming, it has run out of room, and is taking an extended pause without rehearsals for newcomers. The venue has no lift access.
If it stays shut and you want a free, low-commitment way to be around people weekly, try a book club in Berlin or one of the city’s social meetup groups.
How we chose these
The choirs in Berlin listed here are amateur or open-access ensembles that publish, on their own site, enough to act on: a rehearsal night, a way in, usually a fee. Cathedral and professional ensembles were left out — they audition properly and are not a beginner’s route. So were choirs publishing no rehearsal times.
Nothing here comes from an aggregator. Two of these choirs run English pages that lag their German ones — the Konzert Chor’s on its rehearsal times, studiosi cantandi’s on its address. In both cases this guide follows the German pages, and says so. Confirm by email before crossing the city.
One last thing: a choir is a weekly, repeating, low-alcohol commitment — one of the better ways to meet people if bars are not your thing. If that is the real reason you are reading this, the wider list is in meeting people in Berlin without drinking.
Questions people ask
Do I need to read music to join a choir in Berlin?
Not for all of them. Some Voices teaches everything by ear and uses no sheet music; Chorus Berlin states outright that neither choral experience nor music reading is required; School Of Voice says its choir suits members whether they read music or not. The Berliner Oratorien-Chor requires a basic knowledge of reading music, and the Berliner Konzert Chor expects it too.
Are there English-speaking choirs in Berlin?
Some Voices runs an English-language site and uses no sheet music, and School Of Voice says all its courses are taught in English and German. Of the German-registered choirs, only the Berliner Oratorien-Chor publishes its rehearsal language — German, though it notes members also speak English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese and Korean. The others do not say, so ask.
How much does a choir in Berlin cost per month?
Among the choirs here still open that publish a fee, standard rates run from €20 a month at Chorus Berlin and studiosi cantandi to €39 at School Of Voice. Reduced rates go lower: €7 at studiosi cantandi, €6.25 at the Berliner Oratorien-Chor for under-25s. KIN Choir is free but closed to newcomers, and Cantus Domus publishes no fee.
Can I join a choir in Berlin mid-season?
Usually yes. Some Voices lets you join at any point in a term if places are available. studiosi cantandi names the turn of the year and the period after the summer break as the ideal moments, and says a big rehearsal backlog just means sitting in as a guest until the next project. Chorus Berlin lets you attend three guest rehearsals whenever you like.
Do Berlin choirs audition?
It depends what you mean. Of the seven still open, Some Voices, HERE TO SING and studiosi cantandi never audition anyone individually. Chorus Berlin, the Berliner Oratorien-Chor and the Berliner Konzert Chor all let anyone attend a rehearsal without auditioning, but ask you to sing for the choir director before you can become a member. The Oratorien-Chor’s version is a compulsory entrance examination after four to eight weeks.
What should I expect at a first choir rehearsal in Berlin?
KIN Choir describes a physical warm-up, a vocal warm-up, a short round, then work on learning longer songs, each segment led by a different member. The Berliner Oratorien-Chor’s own pages disagree about its warm-up: 20 minutes with a vocal coach, or 15 inside the rehearsal slot. Most rehearsals here run 90 minutes to three hours on a weekday evening.
If singing in a group appeals but you would rather talk than sing, improv classes in Berlin are the same weekly-group idea — six schools, from a free Sunday jam to €335.
Want to keep reading?
- Dance classes in Berlin: your first class, €0 to €15
- Book clubs in Berlin
- Meeting people in Berlin without drinking
- Making friends in Berlin without German
- Social meetup groups in Berlin
- Things to do alone in Berlin
A choir is one of the few things in Berlin that asks you back at the same hour every week, to the same room, next to the same people. That repetition is the point. You do not have to be good — at three of the seven still open, nobody checks. You keep turning up until the strangers become people you sing with.
The first rehearsal is the only hard one. MITRA is for finding someone nearby who wants to do the same thing at the same time — a choir taster, a Monday guest rehearsal, whatever you just picked. Berlin first, other EU cities on the roadmap. Get MITRA on Google Play · Download on the App Store
Sources
All read September 2026.
- https://somevoices.co.uk/berlin
- https://somevoices.co.uk/faq
- https://somevoices.co.uk/sing-with-us
- https://somevoices.co.uk/all-locations
- https://schoolofvoice.berlin/programs/choir/
- https://schoolofvoice.berlin/start-here/prices/
- https://schoolofvoice.berlin/about/locations/
- https://www.studiosi-cantandi.de/
- https://www.studiosi-cantandi.de/konzerte/vorschau/
- https://www.studiosi-cantandi.de/chor/mitsingen/
- https://www.studiosi-cantandi.de/chor/mitsingen-2/
- https://www.chorus-berlin.de/
- https://www.chorus-berlin.de/mitmachen/
- https://berliner-oratorienchor.de/en/join-us/
- https://berliner-oratorienchor.de/en/faqs-en/
- https://konzertchor.berlin/en/sing-with-us
- https://konzertchor.berlin/en/choir/rehearsal-times
- https://konzertchor.berlin/chor/probenzeiten
- https://konzertchor.berlin/proben-und-termine
- https://konzertchor.berlin/fileadmin/Dokumente/Antraege/Informationen_zur_Projektmitwirkung.pdf
- https://konzertchor.berlin/fileadmin/Dokumente/Satzung_und_Beitragsordnung/Beitragsordnung_des_Berliner_Konzert_Chor_eV_2025-01-01.pdf
- https://cantusdomus.de/ueber-uns/
- https://cantusdomus.de/mitsingen/
- https://shechoir.com/berlin/en/
