The choral offerings at Vanderbilt University are designed to make a quality choral ensemble available to each Vanderbilt student. All Vanderbilt Choirs are open to both music and qualified non-music majors.
Blair's Director of Choral Studies is Tucker Biddlecombe. He also serves as Chorus Director for the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
Choral Offerings
Vanderbilt University Singers - MUSE 1020 [1.0 credit]
Conductor: Tucker Biddlecombe and Mary Biddlecombe
Meeting Times (Fall '26): MW 3:35pm-4:25pm; F 3:35-5:15pm
Vanderbilt Sixteen - MUSE 2120 [1.0 credit]
Conductor: Tucker Biddlecombe
Meeting Times (Fall '26): TR 4:15-5:30
The Vanderbilt Sixteen is a sixteen-voice chamber choir that performs music from the sixteenth century to the present day. This ensemble prioritizes historical depth, informed vocalism, and a lifelong commitment to choral music. Achievement in musicianship, preparation, and vocal flexibility are requisite. Auditions are held at the end of each semester.
Blair Jazz Choir - MUSE 1330 [1.0 credit]
Conductor: Vinéecia Buchanan
Meeting Times (Fall '26): TR 11am-12:30pm
Open by audition to any Vanderbilt student, this vocal jazz ensemble performs one concert per semester and collaborates frequently with the Blair Big Band. Audition inquiries can be sent to the instructor, or by registering for the course.
Audition Procedures
Vanderbilt Sixteen auditions are usually held during November during fall and April during spring. Audition procedures vary from semester to semester, and announcements will be made via email in advance of audition periods.
Vanderbilt Choral Scholars
The Vanderbilt Choral Scholars Immersion program has created residencies for Vanderbilt choral students at Leeds Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral in the United Kingdom since 2022. These experiences allow students to perform the traditional choral concert repertory within the liturgical context for which it was written (chant, Byrd, Palestrina, Victoria, etc.) Our students sing side by side with the cathedral choirs during the weekday and weekend liturgies, and attend performances by some of the finest professional choral ensembles in Europe (The King's Singers, Sansara, The Sixteen). Qualified students also have a chance to conduct the English cathedral youth choirs, which are populated with students from high need urban areas. Read more about VCS here, and here.
Concert Dress
Option 1: Black tuxedo or suit, black collared button-down shirt, white tuxedo shirt, standard sized black bow tie, black socks, black shoes
Option 2: Conservative, ankle-length black dress, black skirt (no slits), or black dress pants with long sleeved black blouse, closed-toe black shoes.
Sixteen Only: Tunic provided. You must provide tuxedo bottoms or dress pants (no leggings or denim) with closed toed dress shoes.
Music in the Listening Place
The Vanderbilt Chorale released their first full-length album in February of 2018, entitled Music in the Listening Place. This album has been described as "a taster of the emotional highs and lows choral music can evoke in the listener" (Review Graveyard). The American Record Guide labeled this record as "a fine album, in part because of the intense performances of the students of the Vanderbilt Chorale" (American Record Guide). Click the playlist below to hear the album in its entirety, or download on Amazon, iTunes/Apple Music, or Spotify.