The art of audition

Ever wonder what it takes to become a member of a professional orchestra? The Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (CCO), founded in 1976 and known as “Ithaca’s Orchestra,” accepts new members by screened audition. CCO’s musicians are members of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and follow rules for auditions that are standard to the industry. In AFM orchestras, musicians typically compete behind a screen and are evaluated by a panel of musicians from the orchestra and the music director.

People auditioning for orchestras have usually been playing their instrument since elementary school or even earlier, often joining a local youth symphony program before going on to major in music in college. Their entrance to a collegiate musical program can serve as a seminal audition experience itself, as acceptance to conservatories like Curtis, Eastman or Julliard, or excellent music schools within universities (like Indiana University) is highly competitive. It is during the college years that many musicians begin to learn the art of the orchestral audition. They audition for places in collegiate orchestras and summer music festivals and, in some cases, they start to audition for professional orchestras.

So how competitive are these auditions? CCO Executive Director Sarah Chandler relates, “After I completed my music degrees, I started breaking in my newly minted credit card to take orchestra auditions all over the country, from the Shreveport Philharmonic to the LA Chamber Orchestra. This is all done at the musician’s expense, so the cost adds up quickly. And, I could get to an audition and be facing anywhere from 30 to 60 other competitors.” 

Reflections from a few CCO audition winners over the past two seasons:

“I would describe auditioning as kind of like a bracket-style match-up. But instead of 1v1, we’re all simultaneously competing against each other, in anywhere from two to five  rounds … Let’s say there are 20 candidates in the first round. After the first round there will probably be anywhere from five  to 10 people in the semi-finals. The process repeats again, and now it’s an even trickier decision. All of these people are probably really great players, so even just the smallest mistake or one beautiful phrase may be what sets them apart from making the cut to the next round. The final round most likely will probably not have more than three to four  people in it. These are the people you can really hear sitting next to you in the section. They sound great, they have wonderful musical ideas, good rhythm, the whole package. At this point, it’s time to pick a winner and, possibly, a runner-up, in the case that the winner decides not to accept the position.”

–Sage Silé (winner of the Second Horn position, will join the CCO next season)

“An audition is unlike any other job interview, because you know precisely what they are going to ask. You know exactly how high the bar is and what you need to do to clear it. It’s not a question of qualification, but one of execution under pressure. You not only have to prepare, you must massively over-prepare so that even with the adrenaline pumping, you still deliver something close to your best playing”

–Asher Wulfman (CCO Violin Section Winner)

“Auditions are crazy. It’s often the case that we all have good days and bad days, but on the day you’re called to play in the particular time slot, you are expected to be at your very best. There’s a lot of people playing the exact same thing as you; it’s important to stand out in a positive way.”

–Peter Dudek (Section Viola Winner)

Do you have any routines for preparing for an audition that are specific to the process?

“My routines before an audition are generally practicing, listening to recordings, getting good sleep and eating well. In terms of practicing, I don’t spend too much time on the audition repertoire at the beginning, maybe 15 to 30 minutes a day, but each day I focus on a specific excerpt or a problematic passage. When it gets to a few days before the audition date, I would start playing through the entire repertoire without stopping, then see which one(s) still needs more work.”
–Grace Ho (Section Cello Winner)

“Playing through the list randomly throughout the day with cold hands, and practicing with recordings to get the feel and style of the orchestra. Practice feeling nervous so you get comfortable with the uncomfortable.”

–Peter Dudek

“When I’m preparing for an audition, I play mock auditions for my friends and colleagues as much as possible the last three weeks before the audition. I want to be able to walk in there feeling calm, cool, collected, and not at all surprised by anything the committee might throw my way. I also have a database of every excerpt I have ever practiced complete with score study analysis, and tempo markings/musical ideas from at least five recordings. All of this has been essential to my success as a musician.”

–Sage Silé 

All of our CCO musicians are audition winners! 

When you go:
FLIGHT OF FANCY
Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Ford Hall, Ithaca College
https://www.ccoithaca.org/flightoffancy