Conductor Audition

Greetings!

We had a very interesting morning, and I just want to thank all of you for participating. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful musicians and supporting board members willing to give of their time! Thanks, also, for your input.

When the selection process is complete and a contract has been agreed upon, we will surely notify you!

Thanks again,

Julie Gardner
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435.723.8262
LincolnYouthSymphony.blogspot.com

Lincoln Youth Symphony Conductor Audition Schedule and Instructions

Greetings!

I am sending this to "everyone" again simply because I know there are people out there who have not responded because they didn't know the schedule.

To those of you who have responded, thank you for your willingness to participate in the process of selecting our new conductor for LYS. This is really going to be a fun experience! You will have an opportunity to evaluate each applicant, and then cast a "vote" for your pick! Your opinion matters very much to us! I think it's going to be a difficult decision. :)

So far I have 1 flute, 1 oboe, no bassoons, 1 clarinet, 1 horn, no trumpets, no trombones, no percussion, 5 violins, 1 viola, 2 (maybe 3) cellos, no basses. Invite your friends, whether they are members of LYS or not! Remember, this is just a one-day commitment! I will either deliver (if you live close by) or email you the music. If you've already responded, you'll get it today, so you have time to prepare.

I have worked out the schedule.

Let me apologize, first off, that it will be a long morning, and assure you that there will be food provided by the board of directors. Sustenance is mighty important, I believe! 

Here is the schedule:

8:00 am Orchestra arrives; 8:15 am Preliminary Rehearsal Downbeat (I will be running this rehearsal)

9:00-9:15 am Interview (Orchestra break); 9:15-9:45 am Rehearsal (Bott)

9:45-10:00 am Interview (Orchestra break); 10:00-10:30 am Rehearsal (Beeton)

10:30-10:45 am Interview (Orchestra break); 10:45-11:15 am Rehearsal (Bae)

11:15-11:30 am Interview (Orchestra break); 11:30-12:00 pm Rehearsal (Bowman)

Orchestra members may use break time to practice, eat, and/or meet the previous applicant while the next applicant is interviewed by the board. 

Since you will be an active participant in the audition process, please read the following letter (below, in blue) I sent to the applicants. In addition to explaining the goals of the rehearsals, it includes information on the pieces we will be playing, and links to youtube videos of other orchestras playing those pieces. I've pasted it below!

Thanks again, in advance, for your willingness and participation. If you've already said you would be participating, you will receive your music today. I will compile some information about each applicant and email it to participants during the week.

:) Julie

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Dear Applicant,

On behalf of the Lake Bonneville Symphonic Society board of directors, thank you for your interest in being the next Conductor / Music Director of the Lincoln Youth Symphony and for participating in our conductor search! We appreciate your time and your talents. The Lincoln Youth Symphony is ready to be taken to the next level, and I know finding an excellent conductor must be part of that process. ...

Since it is the middle of summer, the audition orchestra is not the current Lincoln Youth Symphony – it is current members, past members, friends & family of LYS and of the Lake Bonneville Community Symphony – some are more advanced than LYS youth, and some are less advanced. The orchestra will also be involved in the evaluation of each applicant.

Our goal is to observe you as you run a rehearsal. Please think of it as the third rehearsal on the music, not the first. We want to get to know you in as close to a real musical setting as possible. Each applicant will be working on the same pieces, and we have kept the music limited so you can focus. We do not want you to just "run through" the pieces; we would like you to stop the orchestra and work on whatever strikes you, or even begin your rehearsal with "spots" that you have identified ahead of time. Please budget your time so you can work on both pieces.

I have already mailed the scores to you. You should receive them in the mail today. The two pieces are:

"St Lawrence Overture" by Robert Washburn, © 1943. This piece was relatively easy for our orchestra to sight-read two years ago, so I knew it would be possible to put together for the audition orchestra, but it also has interesting parts for all members of the orchestra, and it is not terribly long (about 5½ minutes). There were also five full scores in the file which made distributing scores to you easier for me. Here is a video of the Jordan Youth Symphony performing this piece.

"Fugue in G Minor (The Little)" by JS Bach, orchestrated by Lucien Cailliet, © 1940. This is another piece we have performed before. It is short, but a little tricky because of its… fugal… nature. Lots of entrances! J I did photocopy the score for you on this, but it was much shorter than the other piece. Here is a video of the Columbia Gorge Sinfonietta orchestra performing this piece.

Again, please do not approach this as a concert. We expect you to stop the orchestra and work on things. We want to observe you in your work. We want to see what you can accomplish with the orchestra, always sensitive to the abilities of the musicians, yet lifting them to their highest potential.

We do wish the rehearsal time could be longer, but it was not feasible. Even with the ½ hour rehearsal time, we have the orchestra scheduled from 8 am to Noon. This will be a long morning for them, so it is important to keep to the schedule!

Thank you again for your time and talents! I am looking forward to meeting you. I know it will be an enjoyable and interesting morning.

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435.723.8262
LincolnYouthSymphony.blogspot.com