Bay Area Solstice 2026: Auditions!

Hello! We're looking for community members to lead singalongs and read speeches at the Bay Winter Solstice this year.[1] If you're interested, please send in an audition recording by the end of Thursday, November 20 using the forms below. Songleading audition form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchthxkQQI4u4B7NpZK4qzR_OEpD-Ochm6TOeEIuE8Rel3EMQ/viewform Speech audition form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0Vrf2gTFrm04B6tIcKbqXMwnlUGbC3rms6o498jRSliqWDg/viewform Songs We're currently auditioning songleaders for: • The Circle• Hymn to the Breaking Strain• Bold Orion• Who by Fire• No One Survives• Auld Lang Syne• Songs Stay Sung• Ballad of Smallpox Gone• Here Comes the Sun• A Toast for Unknown Heroes• Brighter Than TodayThe accompaniment this year is likely to be violin + bass + drums. By default the band will accompany you, but you're welcome to accompany yourself or bring a musician friend. If you'd like to do so, please just say so in the form. SpeechesWe're currently auditioning readers for: • The Roman Oration• Recessional (Rudyard Kipling)• How the Enlightenment Ends (adapted from Henry Kissinger)• 500 Million But Not A Single One MoreThe texts we're using are here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FvyssjJdZqLYANITUk9yqifrnUuSq4cV0EpvTL8OXcc DatesThe event itself will be the evening of Saturday, December 12 at the Freight in Berkeley. There will also be a dress rehearsal on the evening of Tuesday, December 8, which you should plan on coming to if you're leading a song or reading a speech. We'll have a tech rehearsal the evening of Friday, December 11th, and if you'd like to get used to the acoustics of the space you'll be encouraged to stop by then. Leila Clark is the music director this year and will be running the auditions; if you have any questions, please email her at me@leilaclark.io. If you have questions about the speeches, please email me at vaniver@gmail.com and cc Leila. • ^Tickets are now available!