Message from the Music Director on Auditions and the SBYS

Musicians and their families, welcome to the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony auditions.

This Youth Symphony has grown in recent years in size and ability. This growth encourages more young musicians to audition and brings even greater musical improvement. This is reason for all of us to be proud of our past and coming achievement. I am very proud of this Orchestra.

An orchestra plays best when the stronger musicians are spread throughout the Orchestra, not just clumped around the Conductor. SBYS seats string musicians in a manner that brings the strongest possible musical outcome to our performances. Some principal string players will rotate and almost all wind players will rotate.

Unfortunately not all who audition will be admitted to the Orchestra. Mostly this happens because of section size constraints—no one wants to listen to an Orchestra with 47 Bass players. We take as many players as we can in a section, often “doubling” parts, to accommodate more. To those who don’t make the orchestra, thank you for your time and musical efforts. We hope you will continue to play and that we might see you in the future.

Please note: Participation in the orchestra in one season does not guarantee your place in succeeding seasons. Please take the auditions seriously even if you have been in the youth symphony before.
It is hard for musicians of every level to audition, to put yourself “on the firing line”. Because of this, SBYS has tried to and make your audition as tension-free as possible.

Please help the Orchestra perform better by making the best music YOU can make, both in audition and in the Orchestra. You can best do this by learning your music early and by not worrying about how your playing compares to others or by concerning yourself with your placement within a section.

Please follow the rules of the audition. You are asked to bring one prepared piece. Prepare a piece that shows you to your best advantage. If you bring in more than one piece, you will be asked to choose one to perform. You will be asked to play some of the required excerpts. You might not play all of them and you might be cut off in the middle because of time constraints. You might also be asked to sight-read.

Thank you all for auditioning. To those who will make up the Orchestra, please come to the first rehearsal prepared for a complex and sophisticated first Concert.

Best wishes,
Andy Radford
Music Director, SBYS

top

Santa Barbara Youth Symphony
Audition Excerpts

Updated June 22, 2008

Please take the time to listen to the music before you start working on the excerpts and as you move forward. Understanding the style of the music and finding tempi goals will assist in your preparation.

Rhythm is very important. If your excerpt is in a steady tempo, make sure that you’re not compressing or rushing. Show the committee that you know and understand the style of the excerpt.

If you have trouble playing at the tempo you hear in recordings, it is ok to perform the excerpt at the slower tempo you can manage. The Committee is listening for many things in your playing, not just speed.

Please ask your teacher for help in preparing the excerpts.

Please note that some of the excerpts contain small rests (1 or 2 measures). These are meant to be counted (performed) in audition—not to be skipped over.

All parts are 1st parts unless otherwise marked.