Ensemble Placement Auditions

Music Ensemble Placement Auditions

Mary Baker Russell Music Center

Instrumental Auditions

Location: Mary Baker Russell Music Center, Room 322

Auditions for all instrumental ensembles are held at the same time.  Auditions times are based on the instrument (see below).  Students will be assigned to an ensemble(s).  Results of the auditions will be posted on the back stage bulletin board in the Mary Baker Russell Music Center back stage area.  Students should then register for their ensemble(s) in the Music Office (MBRC 206).

First Year Student Orientation:
Incoming students should be aware of the new student orientation activities going on simultaneously with the Department of Music ensemble placement auditions.  Please do not schedule your audition time during one of these sessions. Click here to view the schedule of activities: New student orientation.

Audition Material:

Audition Schedule

Audition Repertoire (Brass, Winds, Percussion, and Jazz)

String Audition Repertoire (suggested)

Instrumental Ensemble Audition Form

Audition Schedule:

• Friday, August 31
  

Flutes (Piccolo)

Bassoons (Contra Bassoon)

Oboes (English Horn)

Clarinets (Bass Clarinet)

Harp and Keyboards

Timpani and Percussion
Note: All percussionists receiving a music scholarship must audition at this time if they also want to audition for the Jazz Ensemble. It is also highly recommended for non-scholarship percussionists.

Overflow auditions

• Saturday, September 1
  

Violins

Violas

Cellos

Basses

• Sunday, September 2: Orchestra, Band and Jazz Ensembles

Euphoniums / Baritones / Tuba

Horns

Trumpets

Trombones

Saxophones

Overflow auditions

• Wednesday, September 5:

Jazz Rhythm Section (keyboards, guitar, bass, drums)

Questions, please contact the PLU Music Department at 253-535-7602.

Audition Material

Flutes: A five-minute selection(s) of your choice displaying both lyrical/slow and technical/fast playing such as repertoire from the “Flute Music by French Composers” book, études, Solo and Ensemble repertoire, or a selection of several contrasting orchestral excerpts.

Oboes: Perform the following: 1) Ferling Etude No. 6, 2) excerpt from Bach Cantata No. 56, 3) excerpt from Brahms Symphony No. 2, Mvt. 3, 4) excerpt from Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, Mvt. 3.

Saxophones: 1) Perform one of the two orchestral excerpts provided: Bizet, m. 17-46, or Rachmaninoff, all.  2) Perform a solo work (movements or excerpts are acceptable) of approximately 3-4 minutes, or perform two contrasting etudes (one slow and one fast) from the Ferling Etudes. 3) Improvise two choruses of blues in a key of your choice if you wish to demonstrate your jazz capabilities.

Trumpets: Returning students: please perform the exposition (beginning up to measure 146) of the first movement of the Hummel Trumpet Concerto.  Parts for Hummel Bb and Eb trumpet are provided.  Please also perform at least one of the following excerpts: (1) Opening solo of Mahler’s 5th Symphony, (2) Opening Promenade from Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, or (3) the Lyric Solo from the second movement of Respighi’s Pines of Rome.  These excerpts may be played on a Bb or C trumpet, transposed or untransposed.

New students: please perform any of the above materials, or you may choose the Ropartz Andante et Allegro.

Trombones: 1) Felicity/Sinister March: Choose one. These exercises are to be performed against a Bb drone tone which will be present on audition day too. A link to the cello drone provided can be found here as a practice tool: https://youtu.be/UfY3u7xvgf8. 2) Perform #11, Adagio. Be sure to observe the sempre staccato marking, as it allows the performer to mask breaths along the way! Do not take the repeats; play the etude straight through. 3) Excerpt: Tannhauser by R. Wagner, rehearsal M to the end. Tenor trombonists play through to the last line, as printed. Bass trombonists, ignore the final line and skip to the added line at the bottom of the page. 4) 2-3 minute solo/etude of the player’s choice. 5) sightreading

NOTE: strings, please use the “String Audition Repertoire (suggested)” link above.

Jazz: sight-reading plus optional brief improvisation over a 12-bar blues in F concert.

Music Ensemble Placement Auditions

Mary Baker Russell Music Center

Choral Auditions

Location: Mary Baker Russell Music Center, Room 306.

Click here to go to the PLU Choral Audition Blog.  This link will give new students detailed information about the ensemble placement auditions that will be held in the Mary Baker Russell Music Center during the weekend before fall classes begin.

First Year Student Orientation:

Incoming students should be aware of the new student orientation activities going on simultaneously with the Department of Music ensemble placement auditions.  Please do not schedule your audition time during one of these sessions. Click here to view the schedule of activities: New Student Orientation.

Audition Material:

Sing a prepared song of your choice or choose a carol or hymn that is available at the auditions. The directors will then vocalize you to hear your range and ask you to sing some patterns by ear for tonal memory.

An accompanist will be provided for the audition.

Singers should be aware of taking care of their voices during dorm activities.

Schedule:

• Saturday, September 1:
  10:00 am – 3:00pm

• Sunday, September 2:
  2:00pm-6:00pm

• Monday, September 3:
  10:00am-6pm

• Tuesday, September 4-Thursday, September 6:
  Choral Call Backs-Tuesday through Thursday: Scheduled by Appointment.

The Choral audition schedule is tentative and may change.

Richard Nance, Director of Choral Activities
Brian Galante,  Associate Director of Choral Activities
James Brown, Director of Vocal Studies

Questions, please contact the PLU Music Department at 253-535-7602.

Ensemble Placement Results:

After the auditions have been held, ensemble personnel lists will be posted on the bulletin boards in the back stage areas of Mary Baker Russell Music Center. Please check this area often to determine which ensemble(s) you have been assigned too.

Ensemble Registration:

Once the ensemble placement result lists have been posted, all students must complete their ensemble registration in the Music Office (MBRC 206) by the first Friday of Fall semester.

Questions, please contact the PLU Music Department at 253-535-7602.