Your audition video should be in this order:String Orchestra: G major scale, C minor scale, solo piece, Hoe Down excerpt

Philharmonic Orchestra: F major scale, C minor scale, solo piece, Slavonic Dance excerpt

Repertory Orchestra: F# major scale, arpeggio, Ab minor scale, arpeggio, solo piece, Brahms excerpt, L’Histoire Du Soldat excerpt

Symphony Orchestra: F# major scale, arpeggio, Ab minor scale, arpeggio, solo piece, Brahms excerpt and Mendelssohn excerpt, L’Histoire Du Soldat excerpt

1. Scales & technique. All required scales must be memorized. Automatically play the corresponding arpeggios to a scale, if auditioning for Repertory or Symphony.

STRING ORCHESTRA: G major scale in 2 octaves; C minor scale in 1 octave, harmonic or melodic. Technique: Must have a basic understanding of shifting and be able to demonstrate the following bowings on demand: staccato, spiccato and detaché.

PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: F major scale in 2 octaves; C minor scale in 3 octaves (STUDENTS MAY CHOOSE EITHER melodic or harmonic). Technique: Students must know the following bow techniques: spiccato, detaché, martelé and staccato. Must demonstrate an understanding of 1st through 5th positions, a basic understanding of the treble clef, and must produce a continuous vibrato and a clear, full tone.

REPERTORY & SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS: F# major scale in 3 octaves; Ab flat minor scale in 3 octaves (STUDENTS MAY CHOOSE EITHER melodic or harmonic) and corresponding arpeggios in 3 octaves. Technique: Must have a solid understanding of 1st through 7th positions, play with a continuous vibrato and produce a clear, full tone. Must know the following bowing techniques: ponticello, detaché, ricochet, martelé, spiccato, chords and hooked bowings. The scales should be performed two eighth notes to a beat at a quarter note equals 100, with full legato bows, either separate bows, or incorporating slurs.

2. Solo piece. Prepare a polished, recital-ready, solo piece (do not include piano accompaniment) that demonstrates your technical ability. A slow, non-technical solo must be contrasted with a faster, more technical solo. You may play any work of your choice. Remember, it is not what you play that matters most but how well you play. Your solo piece need not be memorized but the entire piece should be performance-ready.

3. Excerpts. Prepare the excerpt(s) included in this packet for the orchestra closest to your ability level (choose one level: String, Philharmonic, Repertory or Symphony). If you are unfamiliar with the excerpts, consult with your private teacher or a coach who is familiar with them. It is recommended that you also listen to a recording or live performance of the piece in order to give yourself proper tempo and musical context. As with your solo piece, the performance of your excerpt(s) should be an accurate representation of your technical and artistic ability. All tempo markings are a suggestion and it is recommended that students take a tempo to best represent themselves. The rhythmic excerpts for Repertory and Symphony are equally important and it is suggested that you bring it to your lesson as well.

4. Orchestra placement. Student placement is competitive and is ranked in order of artistic quality. Those qualities include superiority of tone, intonation, vibrato (as appropriate), dynamic range, musicality and general accuracy. Although a student may be able to perform all the requirements for a particular orchestra, he or she may still not qualify based on the level of competition in a given year. Prior participation in the Minnesota Youth Symphonies is no guarantee of placement.

FOR ADDITIONAL AUDITION TIPS, REFER TO THE AUDITIONS PAGE AT WWW.MNYOUTHSYMPHONIES.ORG.Questions? Call (651) 699-5811 or e-mail mys@mnyouthsymphonies.org.

2020-2021 Video Audition Information Viola

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Repertory and Symphony Rhythm Excerpt L’Histoire Du Soldat by Stravinsky

Instructions: In your video audition, please sing the rhythm of this excerpt (pitch does not matter, only

the rhythm; for example, you may sing on the syllable “ta”) with a metronome at quarter note = 120 or

an eighth note = 240. The best way to learn this rhythm is to start slow and increase your speed over

time.