WILMINGTON SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA AUDITIONS

Auditions are scheduled every year in August/September and January at UNCW's Cultural Arts Building.

The Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestras were organized to serve as a supplement, not as a replacement for school music programs. You are strongly encouraged to participate in your school's orchestra or band.

Audition Requirements

  • All Instruments

    • Solo - present a prepared solo and/or etude, no more than 1 minute in length, preferably with contrasting tempos and/or styles (no piano accompaniment). You do not have to start at the beginning of a piece. Two short contrasting movements are acceptable (please note: you are responsible for stopping the first piece at the 30 second mark and moving to your second piece). You may use solos/etudes from ERO or All-State band auditions, or any other appropriate composition.

    • One scale - Two or three octaves (depending on your comfort level and instrument). No arpeggio is required. Speed should be Quarter Note=100 or faster.

    • Sight reading - Your audition judge will give you a short piece of music to play - music you have never seen before. To practice for this, we suggest using sightreadingfactory.com. You will have 30 seconds to look over the sightreading before you begin to play. 

  • Percussion

    • Percussionists will be asked to perform on snare drum and glockenspiel during the live audition. Instruments will be provided.

    • Applicants who would like to showcase proficiency on an additional percussion instrument are welcome to submit a one-minute video performance. Videos should be uploaded to YouTube (public or unlisted) and the link included with the audition application. This optional video provides an opportunity to demonstrate skills on instruments not included in the live audition.

Audition Criteria

Auditionees will be scored based on the following criteria during their blind audition:

  • Tone (including vibrato)

  • Intonation

  • Dynamics

  • Rhythm

  • Note Accuracy

These criteria help us assess each musician’s technical skill, musicality, and overall preparedness. We encourage all applicants to focus on these areas as they prepare for their audition.

Youth Orchestra auditions will also be used to place students into Chamber Ensembles who have expressed interest in the WSYO Chamber Ensemble program.

Questions?

Please email Linda Estep, Youth Orchestra Conductor

APPLICATION:

 
 
   
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The Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestras were organized to serve as a supplement, not as a replacement for school music programs. You are strongly encouraged to participate in your school's orchestra or band.

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