Auditions for the 2024-25 season:

Audition Requirements:

1. Scales

    • Violin & Viola: 3 octave C major with arpeggios (play scales quarter note = 60, with three notes per beat)
    • Cello: 3 octave F major with arpeggios (play scales quarter note = 60, with three notes per beat)
    • Bass: 3 octave E major with arpeggios
    • Brass: Bb and Ab Major concert
    • Winds: A and Ab Major concert
    • Harp: C major scale, hands together, at a comfortable tempo
    • Percussion: concert snare drum roll (please bring snare) soft-loud-soft, 3 of the basic snare drum rudiments (flam, ruffs, paradiddles, etc), and a C Major scale on the glockenspiel (instrument provided by Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra)

2. Solo work

One solo piece that represents both technical and expressive playing. Candidates should bear in mind that the Youth Orchestra performs standard (difficult) orchestral repertoire and your selection of solo material should reflect your readiness to perform at this level.

3. Orchestra Excerpts

You must prepare the required excerpt for your instrument listed below. If you are unfamiliar with these excerpts, we encourage you to listen to recordings of the piece and bring the excerpt to your private instructors or ensemble leaders for their input. Please contact youthorchestra@oaklandsymphony.org if you have any questions.

All Excerpts are of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5

Flute:
Mvt.1: Begin until 1 after letter F
mvt.2: Pickup to Letter C until one after Letter H
mvt.4: Letter D until letter M; Last page (presto until End).

Oboe:
mvt. 2: begin until letter B; Letter F until 9 after letter F; 4 before Letter G until G.
mvt.3: 8 after Letter A (solo) until 9 before Letter B
Mvt.4: Letter X until End

Clarinet:
Mvt.1: begin until Letter B
Mt.2: 8 before Letter D until Letter D
Mvt.3: 9 before letter B until 1 after Letter D
Mvt.4: 7 after Letter O until 13 after Letter O; Letter Z until end.

Bassoon:
Mvt.1: Allegro con anima until Letter C; 9 after Letter N until 17 after Letter N; Letter Q until 13
after Letter Q
Mvt.2: 4 before Letter D until Letter G;
Mvt.3: Letter A until 9 before Letter E; 3 after letter N until 6 before Letter O

Horn:
Mvt.1: Letter E until 1 after Letter F; Letter K until Letter Q
Mvt. 2: Solo at beginning of mvt.
Mvt.4: Letter X until Presto

Trumpet:
Mvt.1: Letter H until Letter K; Letter Z until end
Mvt.4: Letter A until 2 after Letter C; 9 after Letter K until Letter N; Letter Q until End

Trombone:
Mvt.1: Letter D until 1 after Letter F; Letter Z until End
Mvt.4: Letter G until H; 15 after Letter Q until End

Violin:
Mvt.1: Letter H until K; Letter N until Q;
Mvt.3: Pickups to 8 before Letter E until 2 after Letter K
Mvt.4: K until M; 8 before Letter Z until end

Viola:
Mvt.1: 1 after Letter B (w/pickup) until 1 after F; Letter Z until End
Mvt.3: begin until 8 after Letter A; E until 8 after Letter K
Mvt.4: Letter I until N; Letter Y until End

Cello:
Mvt.1: C until 1 after letter F; 3 before Letter T until 9 before U
mvt.2: 3 before D until E
Mvt.3: begin until 8 after Letter A; C until 8 after K;
Mvt.4: K until M

Bass:
Mvt.1: C until F; M until N; 11 after R until U
Mvt.4: begin until F; Poco piu animato after letter Q until Letter S; Letter W until End

Percussion: From Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 (must prepare all five excerpts)

Timpani
(i) 4th Movement (Allegro non troppo): Fig. 97 – Fig. 98
(ii) 4th Movement (Allegro non troppo): Fig. 121 – Bar 3 Fig. 133

Xylophone
(iii) 2nd Movement (Allegretto): Fig. 69 – Fig. 71
(iv) 3rd Movement (Largo): Fig. 89 – Fig. 90

Snare Drum
(v) 1st Movement (Moderato): Fig. 27 – 3 bars after Fig. 29

 

Audition adjudicators will be evaluating your performance based on the following criteria:

  • Intonation
  • Rhythm
  • Tone Quality
  • Musicality
  • Sight Reading
  • Style/Technique
  • Potential
  • Overall performance and preparation