Western States Honor Orchestra Festival
We’re excited to invite high school string students to campus for this year’s festival on November 6-8, 2026.
Each year, we host the Western States Honor Orchestra Festival on campus. High school students (9th-12th grade) both in and outside of Colorado are invited to audition by submitting recordings. Successful applicants are placed into either a conductorless Chamber Orchestra led by UNC faculty or a larger Symphony Orchestra with UNC wind players. The three-day festival includes master classes, sectionals, lectures and rehearsals in UNC Campus Commons. A finale concert caps off this exceptional musical experience!
2025 Repertoire
Check out the festival experience.
Audition Materials
- Submit the registration form by Friday, September 26, 2025. (Registration coming late summer, 2025.)
- Upon submission, you will be redirected to the portal, where you can pay your $35 audition fee and upload your recording.
- Audition Recording Requirements:
- The audition file (mp3 file) must be labeled: LastName_FirstName_School_Instrument.mp3
- All required audition material must be included in one file in the following order: Scales, Orchestral Excerpts, Solo Selection. Only one file including all audition requirements should be submitted per applicant. An announcement of the student name and instrument is NOT required at the beginning of the recording.
- Audition recordings must be recorded without accompaniment. Recordings must also be unedited with no added “overdubs” or reverb.
- Mp3 files must be compressed at a bit rate of no more than 256 kbps. Files larger than 20MB will not be accepted. Consider that the quality of the audition recording may reasonably affect the perception of the adjudicators.
- Scales: E Major, G Melodic Minor, Chromatic. (Tempo as marked.)
- Excerpts
- A Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limit
- Scales: D Major, F Melodic Minor, Chromatic. (Tempo as marked.)
- Excerpts
- A Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limit
- Scales: B Major, G Melodic Minor, Chromatic. (Tempo as marked.)
- Excerpts
- A Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limit
- Scales: F Major, E Melodic Minor. (Tempo as marked.)
- Excerpts
- A Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limit
Meet Our String Faculty
Jubal Fulks
Professor of Violin, Head of String Area
Stacey Brady
Adjunct Faculty, Violin
Sarah Off
Associate Professor of Violin & Music Business, Center for Arts Entrepreneurship Director
Stephanie Mientka
Adjunct Faculty, Viola
Romina Monsanto
Assistant Professor of Cello
August Ramos
Adjunct Faculty, Double Bass
Andrés Felipe Jaime
Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Orchestra