2012 Western States Honor Orchestra Festival
29th Annual Weekend for Strings
Union Colony Civic Center
Greeley, Colorado
November 1 – 3, 2012
We ask that each director nominate his/her high school string players that he/she feels would most benefit from participation in the festival.
Audition Recording Procedures
1. Use a separate tape/CD or for each instrument type (i.e. one recording for all of your violins, one for your violas, etc.). Links to the required audition materials are listed in the Resources Section.
2. Make certain that both the director’s name and the name of your school are clearly marked on each cassette/CD and case along with each student’s name and instrument. If this step is neglected, the students on the recording will not be considered.
3. IMPORTANT: Announce each student’s name and instrument on the recording before he/she performs.
4. Recordings will not be returned until the festival in November. If you need the tape for other purposes, please make a copy for yourself.
5. You can email MP3 recordings to WSHOF@unco.edu. Please make sure the file name includes the student’s last name and instrument. If your file size is larger than 10 mega bytes, you will need to split up the recording and send each piece separately. Please send only one audition per MP3 file.
Application Forms and Fees
1. Include a completed application form and the $25.00 audition fee for each student that auditions with the audition tape/CD. You will need to mail this in separately if you are submitting an MP3 recording. Please type or print application forms, as they are used for program information. Make checks payable to UNC Orchestras.
2. Each director or teacher may include recommendations for the section (1st or 2nd) for which each violinist would be best suited. Indicate this on the application form.
3. The student’s director or private teacher, the school principal, and a parent/ guardian must sign all application forms.
Required Recorded Audition Materials
VIOLIN:
1) B major scale and G melodic minor scale, three octaves, dotted quarter note=80
2) Orchestral excerpt from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, dotted half note = 60
3) Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limitVIOLA:
1) G major scale and E melodic minor scale, three octaves,
dotted quarter note=80
2) Orchestral Excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, 1st Movement, quarter note = 100
3) Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limitCELLO:
1) B-flat major scale and E melodic minor scale, three octaves,
quarter note = 40
2) Orchestral excerpts from Debussy’s La Mer (top line, 2 measures before [9] to 6 measures after [9], Beginning to [9], quarter note = 76, [9] to end, quarter note = 86 AND Bach’s Suite No. 2, Badinerie, quarter note = 120.
3) Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limitDOUBLE BASS:
1) C major scale and A melodic minor scale, two octaves, as specified, dotted quarter note= 70
2) Orchestral excerpt from Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian,” dotted quarter note = 120-144.
3) Solo piece of your choice, please no orchestral or ensemble bass excerpts, 2 ½ minute time limitHARP:
1) Harp etude, quarter note = 72.
2) Orchestral excerpt from Danse Macabre, dotted half note = 72.
Application Deadlines and Address
1. The audition recording and completed application forms must be postmarked by WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2012. Hand-delivered entries must be received in the Orchestra Office by 4:00 PM, FRIDAY, September 14, 2012. Any recordings or applications received after this date will not be eligible!
2. Please send the recordings as soon as possible to avoid possible ineligibility from postal delays.3. Mail the audition recordings with completed applications to:
University of Northern Colorado
Western States Honor Orchestra Festival
501 20th Street, Campus Box 28
Greeley, CO 80639
Results
1. Audition results will be posted to the WSHOF website by 5:00 pm on Monday, October 1st.
2. We regret that we are unable to provide evaluations of each student, nor are we willing to repeat the process in order to possibly reconsider a student's audition. All judges’ decisions are final.