Auditioning the Audition Process

It would be quite interesting to research the evolution of the orchestral audition process in order to figure out how it ended up in its current form. There are a couple of obvious factors that have probably influenced the way the audition process has developed.

There really is no better way to hear how a person plays than in a live performance. No amount of resumes, recommendations, or recordings can truly represent what a person is able to do on their instrument in the present moment. When this factor is paired together with the sheer number of applicants for most positions, it is easy to see how we came to the “12-minute shoot-out”. We have come up with a procedure that gives everyone a chance to be heard.

There is an intense frustration on the part of musicians going through the audition process having to do with the fact that a knee-shaking 10 minutes of having to produce the hardest moments of orchestral repertoire has nothing to do with what they would be able to contribute as the member of a section. Truthfully, there will always be many, many more qualified section string players then there are sections jobs to place them in. If nothing else, the current audition experience makes it pretty easy to make cuts.

Perhaps the biggest frustration comes with the outcome of an audition where nobody is chosen. Excluding title positions, this seems difficult to understand from the point of the auditionee. It is also perhaps a sign of a hitch in the process.

As the moderator has pointed out, there are numerous inconsistencies and contradictions in terms of what skills an audition actually tests in relation to the skills that an orchestral musician is called upon to use on a daily basis. What then are the key qualities that should be tested for, and how can they be tested? Some would argue that the tenure process is in place for this very purpose.

During my time spent in the Milwaukee Symphony I have been very happy to see a chamber music round as an integral part of auditions. It has turned a couple of auditions upside-down, in terms of expected outcome. Playing a few minutes of chamber music very quickly exposes a musician’s flexibility, reaction time, ability to blend, support, and knowledge of when and what material to bring out. These are just a few of the qualities that are not demonstrated by whizzing effortlessly through a concerto exposition and some orchestral excerpts.

It would be easy for most orchestras to incorporate a chamber music round in their auditions; if fact, many already do so. I would like to pose the question of making 10 minutes of chamber music the primary way of testing a candidate in the first round of auditions.