| Author |
Subject |
Sorefingers
Registered User
(1/31/01 7:05:48 am)
Reply |
Auditions for a community orchestra
Hi all.
I would appreciate some
info from all of you. I have searched the archives with no returns -
so now I must turn to my fellow CBNr's.
My community
orchestra (currently consisting of 80 members) has been in existence
for 16
years as a volunteer group - "come as you are", come
play, learn, have fun and make some music for all ages
and
abilities.
Within the past year we have been lucky enough to
hire
a "REAL" conductor, and have worked long and hard
to
elevate our repetoire from Hal Leonard arrangements to
works by Schubert, Suk, Gounoud, etc. Our string
section
meets for rehearsals twice a week making a total of 7 hours a week -
EVERY WEEK, national holidays included. We give a 2 night concert
every 6 weeks - year round.
Since last April ...
Our
violin section has grown from 10 musicians to 45, the violas from 2
to 6. The Bass section has remained steady at 4. The cello section
has been mutating with the seasons. I joined the organization in
April 2000 - we have gone from 6 cellos, to 3, to 1 (that's me), and
now to 5 with 4 of them able to play to the middle of Suzuki book
II. We are in big trouble right now as far as cellos are concerned -
Schubert's "Symphony No.8" to put it into my Maestro's terms " she
ez painful !" The concert is next week.
Because of this
delimma - the orchestra board members are considering instituting
auditions before our next concert in March. The rest of the
orchestra for the most part is ready to advance to more difficult
pieces and this particular cello section is holding the group back.
It has caused a major rift among the other orchestra members because
they see it as defeating the purpose of this volunteer group. They
also foresee 4 cellos being put up for sale very soon.
What
situations do you all experience ? Have you found groups that
require auditions to join them to be better off in the long run? I
just have to wonder - I mean, when I started back in April, I hadn't
played my cello for 3 years - if the group had not been patient with
me until I could get up to speed, they would not have their
principal cellist now.
All info you can supply will be
helpful for me to take back to my committee. Thank - you.
Edited by: Sorefingers
at: 1/31/01 7:05:48 am
|
Dorie
Straus 
Moderator
(1/31/01 6:01:52 am)
Reply |
Re:
Auditions for a community orchestra
I don't know if I can help. My
orchestra has a problem getting violins! There are no auditions. In
my immediate area there are at least 3 other well established
serious community orchestras. We don't rehearse as much as your
group does, we do 3 concerts/yr. Perhaps, you need to split your
group into different levels - have an advanced orchestra for your
concerts. Have fewer concerts for the less experienced players; of
course someone would have to volunteer to direct the other group.
This is sounding like a fiasco, though.
|
ruthann
Registered User
(1/31/01 9:52:05 am)
Reply |
Re:
Auditions for a community orchestra
It's a slippery slope for sure. I
wish we had your string section! We went through this some years
back. The conductor requested the auditions, so that he would know
what the overall skill level of the group was. Lovely man, I miss
him. He did on at least one occasion tell someone they were not
ready for the orchestra. And for a while we had a chamber group,
which was kind of "baby" orchestra, led by another good man. The
orchestra conductor retired after 5 years. The chamber orchestra
conductor has passed away. I keep thinking that if only we had a
decent conductor, all our problems would be solved.
We've
gone through the decreasing and expanding cello sections too,
although we never had people playing at Suzuki book 2 level. One
doesn't typically stay at that level very long. If you are older
than say 10 you usually blow through book 2 pretty fast. So
hopefully your section is improving by leaps and bounds.
My
advice to your board would be to go ahead and hold the auditions,
but for information and possibly placement. Then, perhaps, music can
be chosen which gives the cellos a break, slowly increasing in
difficulty. We used to start each year with Mozart and Haydn and
finish with some full blown romantic pieces. If you have cellists
who can't handle the I IV V I lines in the classical composers, then
perhaps they shouldn't be there.
Good luck!
cello_suttonr@hotmail.com
|
Bobbie
Registered
User
(1/31/01 9:59:49 am)
Reply |
Re:
Auditions for a community orchestra
Our community college community
orchestra used to be open to any string players who showed up and
wanted to play. A few years back we combined with the state college
orchestra which had also become primarily a community orchestra. At
that time the conductor (long time) started holding auditions. As
far as I know only one cellist who has auditioned has been told "no"
and she was a pretty poor cellist who never practiced (by her own
admission) at all as she didn't have time. Several of us (myself
included) were "grandfathered" in as we were already playing in both
orchestras when they merged.
Long explanation over! The point
is, I don't think the quality of the orchestra has improved with
auditions, at least, not much. But we never had more than one or two
people in each section who were struggling to play at all, and those
people didn't drag the section down because they (we, some of the
time!) tended to play softly and not at all in difficult
passages.
Having four extremely weak players would be a major
problem. But if there are no other cellists auditioning, are you
going to go down to two cellists? One option might be to hold
auditions and then have someone simplify the parts for the less
experienced players. It would help a lot to have fingerings marked
and to have difficult passages omitted (just mark "do not play" or
"two celli").
|
Sorefingers
Registered User
(1/31/01 10:17:38 am)
Reply |
Re:
Auditions for a community orchestra
Thanks Bobbi, We have done that -
simplified the parts, marked the bowings & fingerings, held
weekly section rehearsals, PLUS the usual regular 7 hours. And, my
Maestro is a cellist that played in the Paris Conservatory (sp?) -
he is wild about teaching, just loves it and is has the patience of
Job.
The cellists in question are for the most part adult
beginners - some returning from a LONG hiatus after playing in high
school and are in their middle years. I can't go into too much
detail - they might be listening and I've revealed far too much
already. I've done everything I can think of to help as far as
coaching and don't want them to give up, so that's why I have
posted.
They continue to make the same mistakes week after
week, can not or will not find time to practice etc, etc. I just
don't know what to do.
They do not know about the audition
issue.
Edited by: Sorefingers
at: 1/31/01 10:17:38 am
|
PaulFM
Registered User
(1/31/01 10:19:51 am)
Reply |
Re:
Auditions for a community orchestra
I play in two orchestras. The first
requires auditions the other does not. The first allows students to
play with them for experience and is run similar to a student
orchestra with attendance taken. Two absences and you don't play the
concert. Harsh, but its only fair to the players that attend
rehearsals. The other is a medical center orchestra, no students,
and no attendance, but basically good players.
I have mix
feelings concerning audition in a community orchestra. First, most
people rarely play their best in an audition, second it can
discourage some potentially good players not to join and they are
not fun. On the other hand auditions are part of playing an in an
orchestra, can make you feel that you have accomplished something,
will discourage less experienced players and there is some control
over who plays.
I do not have a good answer to your dilemma.
The idea of two groups is good. If you don't have enough winds and
brass, form a string orchestra and grow the less experienced
players. You will still have to find cellos for the upper orchestra.
Why did the other good players leave? Too many rehearsals?
Scheduling conflicts? Find out what it would take to bring them
back. The first orchestra had only one cello when I joined. We now
have a section of five. Three of them are students and fairly good.
One just made all-state. Students can be a great resource.
In my son's orchestra when the students can't play a cello
part they give the troubled players a base part which they can play.
Is there any way to help the cellist's progress quicker? Sectionals.
One orchestra paid for a professional to give a sectional to help
out.
I hope some of my ramblings help. Let us know how it
turns out.
PaulM
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