Youth Choir

*NEW LOCATION*
Webb School of Knoxville
9800 Webb School Lane
Knoxville, TN 37923

2025-26 Season Calendar (Updated Jan. 8)

2025-2026 REHEARSAL TIMES:

Junior Choir:
Check in: 4:45pm – 4:55pm
Rehearsal: 5:00pm – 6:15pm

Senior Choir:
September, October, January, February
Check in: 6:00 – 6:10pm      Rehearsal: 6:15 – 7:30PM
&
November, December, March, April, May
Check in: 5:30 – 5:40pm      Rehearsal: 5:45 – 7:30PM

The Knoxville Symphony Youth Choir is open to all vocal ranges of students grades 3rd through 12th. Previous choral experience is preferred but not required.

Erin Johnson
Erin Johnson is a graduate of the University of Tennessee Knoxville, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts with the highest honors in Music Education and Vocal Performance. As a Knoxville native, she has been a longtime choir member at Church Street United Methodist, where she serves as a scholarship singer and assistant director for the children’s choirs. She was also recently appointed as the choral assistant for the Parish Adult, Youth, and Children’s choirs. Throughout her time at Church Street, she has been a featured performer and soloist in works such as Faure’s Requiem, Bob Chilcott’s St. John’s Passion, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, Rutter’s Gloria, and Handel’s Messiah. Erin has a wide range of musical training in sacred and secular settings, from choral and musical theatre styles, to classical and operatic styles in solo voice. Throughout her time at UTK, she studied private voice with Cecily Nall and was a member of the Opera Theatre program, VolOpera, Chamber Singers, and Concert Choir. Performances include: Carmen, L’elisir D’amore, Le Nozze di Figaro, Amelia Goes to the Ball, Pinnochio, and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9. Erin maintains a voice studio in Knoxville, specializing in the growth of adolescent singers. She is passionate about vocal development and hopes to help young musicians navigate their voices, through choral and solo settings. She is a proud member of the American Choral Directors Association and is ecstatic to bring new musical opportunities to the Knoxville community!

Jean Helbig
Jean Helbig is currently the arts department chair at Webb School of Knoxville and has also served as the assistant choral director and accompanist at Webb for 30 years. Additionally, Mrs. Helbig teaches private piano classes and is the accompanist at Robertsville Baptist Church in Oak Ridge. She accompanies yearly for an honor choir at the All East Tennessee Choir concert. She was an accompanist for the Tennessee Ambassadors on their 7-country performance tour of Europe.

Jean is originally from Melbourne, Florida, and received her Music Education degree from the University of Central Florida. She is married to her husband David and has 3 sons and 7 grandchildren.

Auditions for the 2025-2026 season will be held August 14, 15, and 16, 2025

Church Street United Methodist Church
900 Henley Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

Applications for the 2025-2026 Knoxville Symphony Youth Choir season are now closed.

Please contact Erin Johnson with questions regarding the KSYC or to schedule a late audition.

Audition Fee: $25
Membership Fee: $300

Audition Guidelines:

The audition process will consist of 3 main sections: Vocalization/Range Assessment, Prepared Songs, and Listening Assessment

Vocalization/Range Assessment: The audition proctor will guide each singer through several warm-ups in order to assess tone and singing range.

Prepared Songs: Singers will prepare two songs, one of students choosing and one from the list provided.

1) Singers will prepare their song of choice. (Please choose a song you feel confident singing)
For the prepared song of your choosing please provide a backing/accompaniment track. Singers may either bring a phone to play their track, or send a link to Erin Johnson ([email protected]). Find a track for your song by searching YouTube for “song name karaoke/instrumental”

2) Select one of the following songs to prepare:
            Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
            Happy Birthday
            The National Anthem

Listening Assessment: Singers will be asked to listen and repeat pitches, basic rhythms, and note patterns.

Basic music theory and sight-singing assessments will be provided, based upon ability to read music.