Audition Information

The musicians of the Wilmington Symphony are local amateur and professional instrumentalists, UNCW music faculty and students, and advanced high-school students who rehearse and present orchestral music drawn from the a wide range of repertoire. The conductor, Dr. Steven Errante, is Professor of Music at UNCW. Auditions are normally held twice a year, in August and January. Prospective members will be asked to play the required audition music and sight-read before the conductor and a committee of the principal chair players. Rhythmic accuracy and intonation are the most important qualities we look for in the prepared material, and solid sight-reading skills are also expected.

The three audition results are:

1. Accepted for 5-year membership: becomes a voting member of the WSO with a 5-year seat in the orchestra.
2. Will call as needed: may be asked to play certain concerts as the needs of the orchestra require, especially as substitutes or extra players in sections which are full. All high-school and college students are placed in this category; they can then reaudition after final graduation for 5-year membership.
3. Not accepted: may choose to re-audition at a later date, preferably at least a year later. The orchestra may deny requests for repeated auditions if there is no evidence that the player has advanced in skill level.

Who can Audition

Anyone who has graduated from high-school. High-school students who have completed at least two semesters in good standing with the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra may audition. However, high-school students must continue membership in good standing with the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra in order to participate in the WSO.

Interested musicians must schedule an audition time by contacting the WSO orchestra manager. To contact the Orchestra Manager, call: 910 791-9262 or send an e-mail to:orchestramgr@wilmingtonsymphony.org. Interested musicians may also download the application form and audition music below.

Application Form:

Click on this link: Application Form:

Audition Music:
To download your audition music for a particular instrument just click on one of the links below:

• Flute
• Oboe
• Clarinet
• Bassoon
• Horn
• Trumpet
• Trombone
• Tuba
• Violin1
• Violin2
• Viola
• Cello
• Double-bass
• Percussion
• Harp

Don't have a PDF Reader? Just click on the logo..

Rehearsal attendance:

5-year members and as-needed players may miss no more than the allowable number (see table) of the rehearsals for which they are required for a concert. Participation in the concert with excessive absence or absence from the dress rehearsal(s) is at the discretion of the conductor.

Tardiness:

Being more that 15 minutes late or leaving more than 15 minutes early will be considered tardy.

Concert attendance:

To remain a member in good standing, 5-year members may miss no more than the allowable number (see table) of the concerts for which they are required per season. Players exceeding this limit will be informed by letter from the conductor and player committee at the end of the season; if the player is not in good standing for two consecutive years he or she will revert to "as-needed" status and have to re-audition to reinstate 5-year membership.

Table of Minimum Attendance Requirements

Leaves of absence:

Leaves of absence may be granted with prior written approval by the Player Committee and then conductor for one semester or one year for reasons of temporary relocation, maternity/paternity, personal emergency, and other extenuating circumstances. Leaves of absence may not be requested to circumvent the normal attendance policies, and if the leave of absence is not approved, those policies continue to apply.

Other reasons for dismissal:

If the conductor, in consultation with the Player Committee and the appropriate principal players, determines that a player is a detriment to the orchestra's musical quality or morale, that player will be asked to leave the orchestra.

Stipends:

Modest stipends are paid to all participating local players on a per-service basis at a rate to be determined by the WSO, Inc. Board of Directors to help partly offset some of the costs of attending rehearsals and concerts. Stipends will not be paid for services in which the player is absent or tardy; stipends will not be paid at all if the player is asked not to play the concert because of attendance.

Supplementary personnel (ringers):

If the full personnel requirements for a particular concert cannot be met with 5-year members and as-needed players, the WSO Board may hire supplementary players from outside the local area to insure full instrumentation.