College Audition

MT VERNON BACH · Regular Member Joined: 19 Oct 2002 Posts: 85

I will be doing college auditions in mid-March and I am looking for suggestions on solo music. I need the usual 2 contrasting pieces, but I would rather not play well known or "famous" pieces (Hayden, Brandenberg, etc.) that have been played and critiqued too many times as is. Also, I'm not a speed god so superfast tongued sections are not ideal(Carnival of Venice, last var.)! Any suggestions?

william1 · Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2002 5:33 pm Post subject:

Some good peices are the Hindemith Concerto, the Neruda Concerto, Honegger's Intrada (this uses C-Trumpet) and Proclamation by Ernst Bloch (this is C-trumpet too). The Hindemith and the Neruda are probably more well-known than are the Bloch and Honegger. Another suggestion is Intrada by Otto Ketting - it is a nice unaccompanied peice that contains a variety of styles throughout the work. Good luck.

[ This Message was edited by: william1 on 2002-10-20 20:33 ]

trumpetnerd7 · Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2002 8:26 pm Post subject:

is artunian too famous and critiqued?

Brewblue1 · Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2002 4:22 pm Post subject:

MT VERNON,

the Haydn and Hummel are the two most pivotal and important concerti in our repertoire. They appear on EVERY orchestral audition and competition. Get used to playing them.

That being said, they might not be the best audition material for college auditions. While preparing for my graduate school auditions, many years ago, I had the ear of Ray Mase, who alerted me to the fact that the faculty at Julliard likes to hear perspective students play the 'big' trumpets ( Bb & C) not the small ones (Eb & picc). This is probably not a blanket attitude, as there are probably several teachers who would love to hear you play the Haydn or Hummel on Eb trumpet. Being a former college professor, I would have loved to have heard either of those concerti, but also understand the idea of hearing how the student plays the big trumpets.

I agree with william1 ideas about 'alternative' solo ideas, the Hindemith Sonata being an excellent audition piece. Some other ideas could be the Ewazen Sonata, especially the 2nd movement, which would show off you 'music chops'. Also the trumpet works by Bozza are good.

Alot depends on which schools you are auditioning for. Are they the big ones? (Julliard, Eastman, MSM, CIM, etc.) Or are they smaller programs? (Miami U, Florida St., Middle Tenn St.) Of course, the 'big' programs are going to want to hear the major repertoire. Some of the smaller schools might accept less difficult works. Having taught at a small program college, some of the works I heard for auditions were by Ropartz(Andante et Allegro), Balay(Petite Piece Concertante), Delmas(Chorale and Variations), Goedicke(Concert Etude), and Barat. The Arutunian 'Aria et Scherzo' is a great little piece that has both beautiful musical lines, and tricky technical spots that if pulled off sound impressive. 'Cantabile et Scherzetto' by Gaubert is another similar type work. Also check out the music of Joseph Turrin, as several of his works for trumpet are a blast to play.

Whatever you choose, make sure it is something that you can nail in the audition. You want to show the listeners what you CAN do, not what you can't. If tonguing is not your strong point, don't pick the Goedicke. If lyrical playing is your forte, try the Arutunian Aria, or Ewazen Sonata.

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!!!!

DarkerTrumpet · Regular Member Joined: 17 Nov 2002 Posts: 27

When it comes down to it, you can teach a monkey to press down valves fast, and most of the faculty at these schools know it. Whatever you choose to play, go in there and show off most importantly your sound, and you musicianship. Even if its a bad chop day, you can still be a good musician. That will show maturity as a player far beyond all other things, and is the most difficult thing to teach in the end. So take your piece, and study the hell outta it, every little nuance, phrase, the way each note is attacked and released, and listen to ten recordings of different people playing it if possible.

_trumpetgod_02 · Posted: Wed Nov 20, 2002 9:25 am Post subject:

DarkerTRumpet,

EXACTLY! know your audition piece better than anything that you have ever known. If you can make every phrase sound like it is the best one you have eve played. You WILL impress a lot of people.
_________________
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cronsell · Regular Member Joined: 24 Aug 2002 Posts: 65

I agree with the idea of not playing the small horns on your audition. Most of what you do at your university will be on large horns and usually adjudicator's will want to hear that most. Also play something that you can show your best attributes with. For a contrast to something really technical I like to play The Hollow Men by Persichetti. It's beautiful and has great opportunity to show off intonation, tone, musicality, and legato style. I have had the opportunity to adjudicate solo and ensemble events in the past and I noticed that 95% of the solos were too difficult for the soloist. I urge you to find something you can NAIL and play that. Remember, the adjudicators want to hear you at your best!