Musical Theatre Audition Songs for Altos

Are you an ALTO getting ready for an audition and need an audition song that will perfectly showcase your ability? This can be a daunting task, as it requires striking a delicate balance between demonstrating your talent and standing out from the crowd. Finding a piece that highlights your range is essential to show a director your versatility and skill set. Additionally, selecting a song that the director has not heard is vital if you want to leave a lasting impression!

Here are my top audition songs for altos, whether it’s for a community theatre or a professional musical audition gig. I have broken them down into two categories: Classical (pre-1960) and Contemporary (post-1960); and within those categories, I have separated them into ballads and uptempo selections.

Classical Ballads (pre-1960)
1. “Anyone Can Whistle” from Anyone Can Whistle (Sondheim)
2. “How Are Things in Glocca Morra” from Finian’s Rainbow (Burton Lane & E.Y. Harburg)
3. “As Long as He Needs Me” from Oliver! (Lionel Bart & Johnny Green)

Classical Uptempo (pre-1960)
1. “A Wonderful Guy” from South Pacific (Rodgers & Hammerstein)
2. “Johnny One Note” from Babes in Arms (Rodgers and Hart)

Contemporary Ballads (post-1960)
1. “Heaven Help My Heart” from Chess (Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice)
2. “If He Really Knew Me” from They’re Playing Our Song (Hamlisch & Sager)
3. “I Know the Truth” from Aida (Elton John & Tim Rice)

Contemporary Uptempo (post-1960)
1. “Stars and the Moon” from Songs for a New World (Jason Robert Brown)
2. “My New Philosophy” from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Andrew Lippa)

Finding the right audition song can be challenging, but in my experience as a professional audition accompanist and music director, I have found these selections to be outstanding choices to add to your audition repertoire. Do check out the official video below to hear each song played.