PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings

January 26 - 27, 2012

Our Guest Conductor,
Harvey Felder

Described by The Milwaukee Sentinel as "a thoughtful and sincere musician, with a stylish, poised podium presence", Harvey Felder is currently the Music Director of the Tacoma Symphony.  The Tacoma News Tribune has said of his leadership, “ . . . Felder has instilled a high level of ensemble discipline and energized the musicians." Equally at home with repertoire ranging from Bach and Mahler to Gershwin and Ellington, Mr. Felder leads the Tacoma Symphony in a season of subscription, family, education, outreach and pops concerts.

Also active as a guest conductor, Harvey Felder made his Carnegie Hall debut during the 1991 "Carnegie Hall at 100" celebration, leading the American Symphony Orchestra in a series of young people's concerts. These appearances launched a guest conducting career which has included engagements with the National, Omaha, Baltimore, Seattle, San Antonio, Pittsburgh, American, Delaware, Honolulu, New Jersey, Baton Rouge, Wheeling, Wyoming, Quad City, Santa Fe, North Carolina, Indianapolis, Madison, Missouri and Grant Park Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Kansas City, Rochester, Dayton, Orange County, Boise and Boulder Philharmonics, the Concord Chamber Orchestra, the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia and the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra.  He conducted the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in outreach, education and family concerts, as well as a holiday concert that was nationally televised on PBS.  With the Chicago Symphony, Mr. Felder has led family and education concerts, as well as a nationally televised concerto competition concert on PBS.

Outside of the U.S. Mr. Felder has appeared with the Osaka Telemann Chamber Orchestra (on two occasions), the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estados de Mexico, the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Costa Rica, the Mikkeli City Orchestra of Finland and the New Japan Philharmonic.  He has collaborated with such distinguished artists as Alicia de Larrocha, Sarah Chang, Jeffrey Siegel, Jennifer Koh, Claude Frank, Pamela Frank, Ida Kavafian, José Feghali, Nathaniel Rosen, Leon Bates and pops artists Doc Severinson, Maureen McGovern, the Dallas Brass and Marvin Hamlisch.

Mr. Felder begins a new position this season as Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Connecticut. In prior positions, Mr. Felder was Assistant Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony, Artistic Advisor to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the St. Louis Symphony and Music Director of the Fox Valley Symphony.  He received his B.M. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and his M.M. from the University of Michigan, and continued his studies with Gennady Rozdestvensky, Elizabeth Green, David Zinman, Michael Tilson Thomas, Max Rudolf and Zdenek Macal.

How to Get Involved:

Acceptance in the PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings requires two steps:

1. Nomination by a high school or youth symphony director, evidenced by the nomination form. Click here to make nominations: Director's Nomination Form
2. A digital recording submitted by each student including the material listed below.

• Recordings, in MP3 format, may be submitted by uploading files to the drop box on the Northwest Honor Orchestra site or by mailing a disc or other digital media to the address below.
• Multiple auditions from your school or orchestra may be sent on a single disc.
• Please label the files with the name of your school and your last name.

https://sites.google.com/a/plu.edu/northwest-honor-orchestra

Important Dates:

• October 29, 2012: High school directors' nomination deadline
• November 19, 2012: Notification of acceptance will be sent to the nominees and their directors.
• January 7, 2013: Registratration and non-refundable fees are due.
• January 14, 2013: Audition recordings must be submitted. Otherwise seating will be assigned at the discretion of the organizers.
• January 26, 2013: An additional onsite audition will determine the principal players in each section. Accepted members are not obligated to take part in the principal chair audition. Only those who wish to be considered for section leadership should do so.

Excerpts for the entry auditions music may be found on our website at https://sites.google.com/a/plu.edu/northwest-honor-orchestra. Excerpts for the principal chair auditions will be chosen from the programmed works, but will not be published prior to the audition.

IMPORTANT: See specific audition requirements on the "Auditions" before making your recording.

General PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings

Audition Requirements:

1. An audition etude (provided at the website listed below) from the literature to be performed by the orchestra.
2. Scales in the key specified below for your instrument.
3. Find Audition resources here: https://sites.google.com/a/plu.edu/northwest-honor-orchestra

• Three octaves
• Quarter note = 80 bpm
• Once slurring four eighth notes under each bow
• Once playing Spicciati sixteenth notes
• Keys: Violins – A Major; Violas and Cellos – D Major; Basses – E Major
• 1. MP3 format; may be submitted by mailing a disc or other digital media to: PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings; Department of Music; Pacific Lutheran University; Tacoma, WA 98447, or by uploading files to the drop box on the Northwest Honor Orchestra site.
  2. Multiple auditions from your school or orchestra may be sent on a single disc.
  3. Please label the files with the name of your school and your last name.

• Audition Excerpts:

  Excerpts for the entry auditions music may be found on our website at https://sites.google.com/a/plu.edu/northwest-honor-orchestra. Excerpts for the principal chair auditions will be chosen from the programmed works, but will not be published prior to the audition.

  Important Dates:

• • October 29, 2012: High school directors' nomination deadline
  • November 19, 2012: Notification of acceptance will be sent to the nominees and their directors.
  • January 7, 2013: Registration and non-refundable fees are due.
  • January 14, 2013: Audition recordings must be submitted. Otherwise seating will be assigned at the discretion of the organizers.
  • January 26, 2013: An additional onsite audition will determine the principal players in each section. Accepted members are not obligated to take part in the principal chair audition. Only those who wish to be considered for section leadership should do so.

Important Dates:

• October 29, 2012: High school directors' nomination deadline
• November 19, 2012: Notification of acceptance will be sent to the nominees and their directors.
• January 7, 2013: Registratration and non-refundable fees are due.
• January 14, 2013: Audition recordings must be submitted. Otherwise seating will be assigned at the discretion of the organizers.
• January 26, 2013: An additional onsite audition will determine the principal players in each section. Accepted members are not obligated to take part in the principal chair audition. Only those who wish to be considered for section leadership should do so.

Excerpts for the entry auditions music may be found on our website at https://sites.google.com/a/plu.edu/northwest-honor-orchestra. Excerpts for the principal chair auditions will be chosen from the programmed works, but will not be published prior to the audition.

Important Links:

The links listed below provide you with important information about the PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings.

• General information
• Directions to PLU,
• List of hotels near PLU,
• 2013 Honor Orchestra Schedule
• Chair placement audition information - see Auditions tab
• Honor Orchestra Registration Form

Confirmation and Acceptance:

Please complete the registration form above, print it, and mail it with your remittance to PLU by January 7th. Thank you.

• Participant fees: $95 (non-refundable)
• Concert CD: $20

NOTE: To achieve appropriate instrumentation, it is extremely important to notify PLU if a student is not able to attend.

After participant's check in on January 26th, chair placement auditions will be held in various rooms in the Mary Baker Russell Music Center. Please open and print the pdf version of your part for your instrument and practice prior to the January 26th check in.

 

PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings:

The Concert

January 27, 2013 at 4:30pm

Lagerquist Concert Hall

Mary Baker Russell Music Center

Featuring

PLU Honor Orchestra for Strings and the Regency String Quartet with Maurice Clubb.

Free Admission / No Tickets.

This concert will be for the family and guests of the participants. Seating is first come, first served.