Audition for an orchestra...

In My Humble Opinion
1

I used to play in a youth orchestra when I was in high school (I play the violin), and now, in college, I’m thinking of joining the college’s orchestra.

Anyway, I’ve been wondering, if you’re auditioning with a piece that has a medium or long rest period in the middle (like, say, in a concerto, when the orchestra is thundering on and you take a little break), what do you do? And, if you’re gonna skip ahead, how long do you wait before you start playing? It always seems really awkward to me to just skip ahead to the next section because in my mind I’m hearing the orchestra playing, and I find it difficult to just start playing again.

2

Skip long rests. I was the principle percussionist in college and I always skipped the really long rests. The judges will most likely know the piece and are aware that the rests are there. If it’s a faster piece, count out the rests up to 4 measures or so. Otherwise, skip them. The best thing to do would be to ask your teacher’s advice, though. Also, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to inform the judges before you begin if you plan on skipping the rests.

3

Hmm… I guess it’s too bad that I don’t have a teacher anymore! I should have asked my teacher while I still had one.