Do you think the best singer in a church choir should always sing the solos?

Question:

Do you think the best singer in a church choir should always sing the solos?

In our suburban church choir, there are a few excellent singers, and a few good singers. The philosophy of the choir director seems to be that the excellent singers always sing the solos. This never gives the lesser singers a chance to prepare and perform a solo. As a result, they begin to think they never can be good enough to sing a solo. It's the musical equivalent of "the richer get richer and the poorer get poorer."
Now, I know there is plenty of justification for making the best music possible, especially in Church. So the practice of always using the best singer makes sense. But, how do the lesser singers get a chance to develop?

I would be particularly interested in responses from choir directors or choral leaders, but all opinions are welcomed.

VK

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Who is the choir director trying to impress? Is the choir auditioning for a recording contract? Probably not. In that case, if someone wants to sing a solo, they should be allowed. When I directed my church choir several years ago, I usually let whoever wanted to sing the solo try it out every time we rehearsed. If there were more than one who did well at it, then we left it up to the choir to decide and tried to spread the solos around.

The best way, in my opinion, is to leave it open. Don't assign the solos every time. Hold auditions! Ask who would like to sing a solo. Offer to work with anyone who is interested in the solo. It opens up new doors for new and unsure singers to become confident soloists!

It is important to let the choir director know how you feel. It's not a professional performing group...it's church choir! Everyone needs a chance to shine!