Music
Woodwinds, Brass & Percussion
Please make one selection of your choice that best demonstrates your ability (60–90 seconds in duration). Then prepare the “general” excerpt selected for your instrument. If you wish to be considered for principal parts, please ALSO prepare the “principal” excerpt selected for your instrument.
When you audition, please inform the monitor if you will be playing the excerpt intended for principal part consideration. The panel may request specific excerpts (and amounts of those excerpts) during your audition.
Please be sure to contact your studio teacher with questions!
General & Principal Excerpts
Flute
- General Excerpt: Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, Mvt. 4 (letter D–E with the repeat)
- Principal Excerpt: Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (rehearsals 2–3, measures 21–31)
- Piccolo Excerpt: Holst’s 2nd Suite in F, Mvt. 4 (letter H to end)
Oboe
- All play: Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin – Menuet (please note this is in place of a self-selected work)
- General Excerpt: Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (multiple spots)
- Principal Excerpt: Stravinsky’s Pulcinella
Clarinet
- General Excerpt: Frühling’s Trio in A Minor, op. 40
- Principal Excerpt: Arutunian’s Scherzo
- Principal Excerpt: Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps – Adoration (rehearsals 10–12)
Bassoon
- General Excerpt: Mozart’s Serenade in C Minor (last movement beginning of page to rehearsal K)
- Principal Excerpt: Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps (beginning)
Saxophone
- General Excerpt: Creston’s Rhapsodie, op. 108a
- Principal Excerpt: Crepin’s A Tribute to Sax
Horn
- General Excerpt: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8, Mvt. 3
- General Excerpt: Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel
- Principal Excerpt: Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Mvt. 3
Trumpet
- General Excerpt
- Piece of choice (1 minute)
- Required piece: Libby Larsen’s Fanfare for the Women (can be played on C trumpet or B-flat as written, last 1.5 measures can be played down the octave)
- Principal Consideration Excerpts
- Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 (on C trumpet), 1st trumpet part
- First movement:
- opening to 5 measures after rehearsal 1
- rehearsal 7 to rehearsal 8
- one measure before rehearsal 13 to 1 measure before rehearsal 14
- Second movement (Scherzo):
- rehearsal 7 to 13 measures before rehearsal 8
- Last movement:
- one measure before 32 to 2 measures after rehearsal 33
- First movement:
- Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (on C trumpet), 1st trumpet part
- one before rehearsal 143–146
- rehearsal 192 to end
- Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 (on C trumpet), 1st trumpet part
- Please contact Mary Elizabeth Bowden for Advanced Principal consideration excerpts
Trombone
- General Excerpt: Berlioz’s Hungarian March (excerpt)
- Principal Excerpt: Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps (rehearsals 196–202)
- Principal Excerpt: Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 (as marked)
Bass Trombone
- General Excerpt: Rossini’s La gazza ladra (excerpt)
- Principal Excerpt: Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman (excerpt)
Euphonium
- General Excerpt: Vaughan Williams’s Toccata Marziale (excerpt)
- Principal Excerpt: Respighi/Duker’s The Pines of Rome (excerpt)
Tuba
- General Excerpt: Vaughan Williams’s Toccata Marziale (excerpt)
- Principal Excerpt: Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps (rehearsals 70–71)
- Principal: Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 (rehearsals 15–17)
Harp
- General & Principal Excerpts: Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (cadenza and fugue)
Percussion
- General Excerpts for All Percussionists:
- Snare Drum: Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Mvt. 3
- Glockenspiel: Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, V. Valse
- Short sight-reading on mallets and timpani
- Optional Excerpts for Principal Consideration:
- Timpani: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (189–end)
- Snare Drum: Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Schedule
- 9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: Flute
- 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.: Clarinet
- 11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Lunch Break
- 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Saxophone
- 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Oboe & Bassoon
- 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Break
- 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Horn
- 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Trumpet
- 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Trombone
- 6 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Tuba & Euphonium
- 6:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Break (Set-up for Percussion)
- 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Percussion
Strings
The Large Ensemble Placement Auditions for all strings (including harp) will take place in Armstrong Hall on Monday, August 29 starting at 4 p.m. During Welcome Week (beginning Monday, August 22), you’ll have an opportunity to sign up for a slot (available on a first-come, first-served basis). A sign-up link will be sent to your SU email that week. Please be on the lookout for that email.
Please prepare the excerpts as posted and only prepare those sections that are marked in red brackets. All excerpts (except harp) were extracted from Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 8” and Richard Strauss’ “Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche” which will be performed during the orchestra’s first concert of the 2022/23 season.
Harp Excerpts
- Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”: please prepare between rehearsals 2–4 and 7–8 (in red brackets)
- Britten’s “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”: please prepare Variation I and Fugue, letters I to J (in red brackets)
If you are a new, incoming undergraduate student only, please also bring a short (2-minute max) solo of your choice which best demonstrates your ability. You must also prepare the excerpts.
All returning students (both undergraduate and graduate) and new-incoming graduate students will prepare the orchestral excerpts only.
***Note for violins: you have the option of auditioning with the Violin II excerpts only.
Please be prepared to perform all excerpts although you may not be asked to play all of them at the actual audition.
The auditions for all strings will be “blind” and you’ll be standing behind a screen.
Be sure to be thorough in your preparation of these excerpts. You may use the recording links below as reference to give you a sense of approximate tempi, expression, style, etc. as you prepare.
Reference Recordings in Spotify
- Beethoven: “Symphony No. 8 in F Major, op. 93”
- Strauss: “Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche”
- Debussy: “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”
- Britten: “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”
Questions?
Questions regarding large ensemble auditions for strings (e.g., excerpts, the audition process, etc.) should be directed to Professor Jan Wagner (Director of the Symphony Orchestra) at jwagner@su.edu.
Approximate Audition Blocks Schedule* for Monday, August 29, 2022
4 p.m. – Harp in Armstrong Hall, Room 39
4:45 p.m. – Violins in Armstrong Hall, Room 39
6:15 p.m. – More violins as needed on Armstrong Concert Hall stage
7:15 p.m. – Viola on Armstrong Concert Hall stage
8:15 p.m. – Celli on Armstrong Concert Hall stage
9:15 p.m. – Double basses on Armstrong Concert Hall stage
*Audition block times are approximate and subject to change
Large Instrumental Ensembles Audition Materials
Percussion
Questions?
Additional questions regarding large ensemble auditions should be directed to Professor Jan Wagner (Director of the Symphony Orchestra) at jwagner@su.edu or Dr. Timothy Robblee (Director of the Wind Ensemble) at trobblee@su.edu.
Improvisation is optional, but encouraged. Play prepared music at indicated temp or a tempo that is manageable. Both wind and rhythm players will also sight read during the audition.
Wind Instruments
From the Improvisation Folder (Optional)
- Select one Blues and play three choruses of improvisation
- Select two tunes and play the melody with two choruses of improvisation
From the Prepared Music (Mandatory)
Saxophones
- Mambo Inn – Prepare entire chart, part of your choice mm=230
- Rapid Transit – Prepare part of your choice, measure 9–41 mm=200+
- All of Me – Prepare entire chart, part of your choice mm=medium swing
Trumpets
- Mambo Inn – Prepare entire chart, part of your choice mm=230
- Taking of Pelham – Prepare entire chart, part of your choice mm=90
- All of Me – Prepare entire chart, part of your choice mm=medium swing
Trombones
- Mambo Inn – Prepare entire chart, part of your choice mm=230
- All of Me – Prepare entire chart, part of your choice mm=medium swing
- So What – Prepare a part of your choice measures mm= up tempo swing
Rhythm Players
From the Improvisation Folder (Optional) – No drums on this event
- Select one Blues and play three choruses of improvisation
- Select one tune and play the melody with two choruses of improvisation
For all rhythm (Mandatory)
- Grooves: Play short sample of Swing, Salsa, Funk and straight 8th on any chord, progression or tune
For all rhythm (Mandatory)
Prepared Music (Guitar/Vibes select piano or actual part)
- Mambo Inn – Prepare entire chart, mm=230 (latin)
- All of Me – Prepare entire chart, mm=medium (swing)
- So What – Prepare entire chart, mm=up tempo (swing)
Questions?
Additional questions regarding the Studio Big Band should be directed to Dr. Matthew Niess (Director of Brass Studies and Trombone Artist-in-Residence) at mniess@su.edu.
Additional questions regarding the Little Big Band or Jazz Combos should be directed to professor Craig Fraedrich (Director of the Little Big Band and Jazz Combos) at cfraedri@su.edu.
Questions?
Additional questions regarding chamber ensemble auditions should be directed to Professor Doris Lederer (Director of Chamber Music) at dlederer@su.edu.
Piano Performance Majors
All new incoming undergraduate instrumental and piano performance students will audition in person for Chamber Ensembles with Professor Doris Lederer (Director of Chamber Music) on Friday, August 26, 2022. Audition requirements include two contrasting works of choice lasting no more than 5 minutes total. Returning instrumental and piano performance students will be placed at the discretion of the director of chamber music.
Non-Performance Piano Majors
Non-performance piano majors (composition, music education, music production & recording technology and music therapy, etc.) may audition for any of the established ensembles (Studio Big Band, choirs, chamber music, etc.). If you wish to audition for a jazz ensemble or chamber music, please prepare the materials as indicated on this page.
Please check the Welcome Week schedule for the date, time and place of the guitar ensemble auditions.
Questions?
Contact Director of the Guitar Studio and Associate Professor of Guitar Colin Davin at colin.davin@su.edu.
Questions?
Additional questions about choral ensembles during the 2022/23 school year should be directed to Assistant Professor of Music Education (Choral Emphasis) Hillary Ridgley at hridgley@su.edu.
Opera auditions for the fall Opera Up Close production are closed.
Questions?
Additional questions regarding opera auditions should be directed to Director of Opera and Associate Professor Ella Marchment at emarchme@su.edu.
Bass Guitar
Two songs/pieces, each approximately 2 minutes in length, of contrasting styles and genres (pop, R&B, Latin, soul, country, etc.) on electric bass guitar played along with recordings:
- One song/piece in a slower tempo to demonstrate your expressivity and touch on the instrument
- A second song/piece in a faster tempo to demonstrate technique and energy
- If desired, you may include a third original composition
Drum Set
Two songs/pieces, each approximately 2 minutes in length, of contrasting styles and genres (pop, R&B, Latin, soul, country, etc.) on drum set played along with recordings:
- One song/piece in a slower tempo to demonstrate your expressivity and touch on the instrument
- A second song/piece in a faster tempo to demonstrate technique and energy
- If desired, you may include a third original composition
At the audition, students will also complete a short diagnostic including the following:
- Reading short notated rhythms
- Singing back short rhythms by ear
- Improvising a one-minute drum solo
Piano/Keyboard
Two or three songs/pieces, each approximately 2 minutes in length, of contrasting styles and genres (pop, R&B, Latin, soul, country, etc.):
- One song/piece in a slower tempo to demonstrate your expressivity and touch on the instrument
- A second song/piece in a faster tempo to demonstrate technique and energy
- If desired, you may include a third original composition
At the audition, students will also complete a short diagnostic including the following:
- Reading a chord progression written using chord symbols
- Playing back short melodies and/or rhythms by ear
- Identifying intervals and chord qualities by ear
- Improvising over a common chord progression
Questions?
Additional questions regarding opera auditions should be directed to Director and Assistant Professor of Contemporary Music Rod Vester at rvester@su.edu.
Theatre
Auditions for the spring productions will be held in October. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19 to be considered for the spring season shows.
- “The Wolves’ (Glaize Studio Theatre play), directed by Carolyn Coulson, performs Feb. 9–12
- “Tuck Everlasting” (Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre musical), directed by Michael Park, performs Feb. 23–26
- “The Apple Tree” (Glaize Studio Theatre musical), directed by Kevin Covert, performs March 23–26
Audition Requirements
- “The Wolves:” 60-90 second contemporary monologue. You may submit the same monologue you used in the fall if you wish. Callbacks will be Saturday, Oct. 22, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- “Tuck Everlasting:” Medium song cut (approximately 60 seconds) of contemporary musical theatre in the style of the show PLUS a short dance video that showcases technique. Dance callbacks Sunday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Acting/singing callbacks on Sunday, Oct. 23, from 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- “The Apple Tree:” Medium cut (approximately 60 seconds) of a 1950s–1960s MT song in the style of Bock & Harnick. Comedic selections welcome! Callbacks Monday, Oct. 24, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Special Notes
- Rehearsals for “Tuck Everlasting” will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 18, which is before the spring semester classes begin. If you live on campus, Residence Life will be notified so you may access your dorm the day before.
- Part of “The Apple Tree” will be set in a S & M kingdom utilizing things like whips, jocks, bustiers, and chains. If you have any questions about particulars, please speak with Kevin Covert before completing the audition form.
Questions?
Additional questions regarding theatre auditions should be directed to Operations Manager of the Theatre Division Elizabeth Albert at ealbert00@su.edu.
Dance
Dance Ensemble audition will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, August 26, 2022. The Dance Division will provide further instructions through email. If you are a non-dance major and interested in auditioning for the dance ensembles, email Chair of Dance Division and Associate Professor of Dance Maurice Fraga at mfraga@su.edu.
Questions?
Additional questions regarding dance ensemble auditions should be directed to professor Maurice Fraga (Chair of Dance Division) at mfraga@su.edu.
Music Theory Placement, Piano Proficiency & Applied Musicianship Proficiency
Video Audition Submission Process
- Follow the guidelines below to record your UNLISTED YouTube video.
- Label your YouTube video: [Name] – [Instrument]. Example: John Doe – Piano
- Complete and submit the Piano Proficiency Form by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17, 2022. This form will provide a place to add the web link to your YouTube audition video.
Special Guidelines for Instrumental Video Auditions
- All videos will be submitted as a link to an UNLISTED YouTube video. You must set up your video as UNLISTED to protect against licensing infringement.
- Professional recordings are not recommended nor required.
- Position the camera’s field-of-view so that both right and left arms are in clear view.
- Ensure that lighting and acoustics are adequate.
- State your name and the name of your selection.
- If you need to stop and start an excerpt again, do not pause, stop or restart video, simply begin again with the excerpt you were playing and continue.
- The entire audition should not exceed 10 minutes.
- Do not edit after the recording. Recordings that are not continuous or that are edited will be disqualified.
Submission Deadline: Submit your YouTube web link via the Piano Proficiency Form by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17, 2022.