Orchestra  NEW AUDITION OPTIONS & REQUIREMENTS!

NOW ACCEPTING PIANISTS! (Scroll down for piano info.)

The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute Orchestra is a full concert orchestra. All participants rehearse and perform with professional orchestral musicians under the direction of internationally recognized conductors. The daily schedule includes full orchestra rehearsals as well as individual and sectional coaching. Repertoire consists of standard and contemporary symphonic literature. Students may also participate in chamber music and ensemble work. The orchestra performs two concerts during the Institute.

Piano Program

Two pianists will be selected.  Each pianist will spend one week working with the choir and one week working with the orchestra in an accompanist or ensemble role.   Each pianist will perform with each group, however, pianists will not perform concertos or a featured role.  Pianists may also participate in chamber music and other collaborative projects. 

Requirements:

1) Complete an online application and schedule your audition no later than noon the Friday before your desired audition date. Click here for audition dates. Audition spaces fill quickly, so schedule as soon as possible.

2)  Bring a goverment-issued I.D. or birth certificate to your audition for age verification purposes.

3)  Arrive at your audition at least 15 minutes early to check in and warm up. 

Students may NOT audition on the following instruments: piccolo, saxophone, english horn, contrabassoon, bass clarinet, E-flat clarinet, or euphonium (baritone). Trombonists: you must audition on tenor trombone, but when you fill out your online application, you can indicate if you play the bass trombone as well.

Audition Requirements:

Percussionists: Perform a short solo or etude on snare and marimba up to 2 minutes each. Sight-read on snare, tympani, and marimba. All instruments will be provided, but please bring your own sticks and mallets. You may bring your own snare drum if desired.

Harpists: Perform two solos of contrasting periods and styles. Each solo should be up to 2 minutes long.

Pianists:  (1) PREPARED PIECE - Perform your choice of a solo work a maximum of two minutes long. (You may choose a piece longer than two minutes; however you will only be allowed to play two minutes of the work.) The piece should demonstrate tone, interpretation, finger dexterity & independence, and the ability to play polyphony cleanly. Sample works that exemplify ideal technical ability: a Bach Prelude or Fugue, a Classical-era Sonata (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven), or a Romantic-era piece (Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Brahms). These specific works are not required, but similar difficulty level is highly recommended when selecting your own audition piece.  The piece does NOT have to be memorized. 

(2) OPEN SCORE READING – Download this vocal score and be prepared to play any combination of the voice parts at the same time. At your audition, you will play the score twice -- once with all four voices, and once with 2 voices.  The 2-voice combination will be determined by the audition faciliator.  The score does NOT have to be memorized. DO NOT take repeats.  This exercise is intended to demonstrate your ability to help accompany chorus rehearsals.

(3) SIGHTREADING - Play a short sight reading exercise.

(4) RHYTHMIC SIGHTREADING - Clap a rhythmic line with a metronome. The metronome will be provided. This exercise is intended to demonstrate your ability to listen carefully and keep strict time.

ATTENTION! Pianists auditioning on Saturday, February 18 at Holland Hall:

When you schedule your audition time, it will include a 15-minute warm up period as well as your 15-minute audition.  If you are late for your audition, the time will be subtracted from your warm up period, so PLEASE be on time!  This affects those auditioning at Holland Hall ONLY.

Judging Criteria: (Differs slightly for each instrument)