FOR KIDS : Chance to Sing Out : Auditions begin for Valley Master Chorale’s new Children’s Chorus. Its first performance will be in December.

Eleven-year-old Sean Levy of North Hills seemed a little hesitant before going in, and when he emerged, he admitted that the experience was a little scary but enjoyable.

His twin sister, Lauren, had no such qualms. She marched in, then came back declaring, “It was fun.”

They were at Cal State Northridge auditioning for the Valley Master Chorale’s new Children’s Chorus. In all, 25 children were heard Sunday during the first of three audition sessions being held to staff the new chorus, projected to have 40 voices.

Applicants sang “Happy Birthday” and ran through drills with Children’s Chorus Director Brenda Mohr.

“I’m getting voices I never thought I would be hearing,” said Mohr, who is working on her master’s degree in choral conducting at CSUN. “There’s a lot of potential, a lot of talent in the Valley. I’m very encouraged.”

The chorus, open to children in fourth through ninth grades, will perform with the Valley Master Chorale and the Angeles Symphony. Its first performance will be Dec. 11 in Glendale. This is followed by a concert in March. The chorus will also participate in a performance of Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” in May. The children will receive instruction in harmony, tempo and dynamics.

The Valley Master Chorale’s Children’s Chorus is offered in cooperation with the CSUN music department and is sponsored in part by the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.

Chorus members will pay $35 a semester.

Where and When

What: Auditions for the Valley Master Chorale’s Children’s Chorus, open to children in grades four through nine, at CSUN Music Building, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge.

When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Room 105; and 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 8, Room 110.

Call: For audition appointment, (818) 885-3365.