College Audition Piece

powayflute01 · Post by **powayflute01** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:32 am

I'm trying out for the orchestra at my college in the fall. This school is not exactly well-known for having a great classical music department (it's got a stellar jazz program though...), but I would really like to create an impression, particualarly because I'm not a music major. I have about a month to prepare a piece...any ideas on a good audition piece? I'm completely unfamiliar with skill level rankings, but to give you an idea as far as ability level goes, a few pieces I'm currently polishing are the Prokfiev Sonata and Hue Fantasie. Any assistance would be appreciated.

embum79 · Post by **embum79** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 1:56 pm

I think either of those pieces look great! Usually directors just want to see that you have a range of skills, so they will want to see technical skills and lyrical, more musical skills. You'll have to find out how long the audition is so you can decide whether to do excerpts from 2 contrasting movements or whether you can do 2 movements... or if you could find a movement that has both technical and lyrical spots.

One bit of advice though.. for an audition once I picked a very modern piece and the director had never heard it before and I think he was a bit shocked by it. I didn't get selected. So... picking more well known pieces is usually a good thing! Good luck!

noseflute · Post by **noseflute** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 6:07 pm

I think the Hue would be great! It shows off lots of different characters and aspects of flute playing in one compact piece. The Prokofiev might be a little intense for an audition like this...

Remember, in auditions for professional orchestras, candidates are usually (at least here in Australia) required to play the first movement of one of the Mozart Concertos. Usually the G major. Plus a bunch of orchestral excerpts. Maybe you can use that as guidance? I think that the Mozart is a very transparent composition, and shows you off in a 'leadership' role. Then the excerpts are used to show how you can blend with the flute section, the woodwind section and the orchestra as a whole.

My vote is for the Hue

powayflute01 · Post by **powayflute01** » Sun Jul 25, 2004 12:36 am

Thanks for the advice! The only thing that bugs me about this audition is I only get "a few minutes" to play. Both pieces are relatively long, and I'm not entirely sure which chunk to play to give them a good idea of my abilities.

I'm surprised that you say the G major concerto is the one usually played for auditions, noseflute. Even though I can't really say because I'm not very experienced (okay, not at all experienced) in the world of professional auditions, my general impression was always that Mozart in D was the big standard. I could be completely wrong though.

Prokofiev and Hue are pretty well known...right?

noseflute · Post by **noseflute** » Sun Jul 25, 2004 4:35 am

Hi POWAY,

I've done my fair share of orchestral auditions (student and orchestral) and the vast majority have required the G Major. I believe that this is because the G major is considered the only "true" flute concerto, as the D major is pretty much just a direct transcript of the oboe concerto (although it *was* transcribed by Mozart himself...).

Good luck!

Lisa4 · Post by **Lisa4** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 12:31 pm

Be more concerned over which you play better.

Big difference in an audition for a minor program at University than the advice some want to compare to it.

If you can play either of those pieces well you should have no problem getting into most third rate programs. Probably most second rate Universities.

If you were talking audition for a top conservatory it would be a different discussion.

But the kind of program you are talking about takes almost anyone that can play a scale. With about 700 schools offering music majors, if you have the money, you will find a program that will take you.

powayflute01 · Post by **powayflute01** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 5:32 pm

So, then (out of sheer curiosity) what kind of a piece would one play if auditioning at a first-rate university?

Sneeble · Post by **Sneeble** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 1:58 pm

I personally wouldn't go with Prokofiev. There's too much room for error, and it's one of those pieces that sounds much better with piano. Go with something a bit more "standard" like a Mozart or the Poulenc Sonata. Pick something that shows off your range, but is also technically difficult and melodic. This is why a piece like Prok. or Hindemith probably wouldn't be the best choice. They're awesome pieces, but you don't exactly walk away humming them! I've found that conductors who are not flute players sometimes don't "get" these type of pieces.

Lots of luck!