Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

John Whitener · Post by **John Whitener** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:06 pm

I am going to the Royal Philharmonic audition next Saturday and the repertoire is simply Bach Cello Suite No. 1, Minuets 1 and 2, and sight-reading. Auditions are to be 10 - 15 minutes long. I've never taken an audition in England, or anywhere in Europe for that matter and therefore I am unsure what might be entailed in "sight-reading". I understand that by the nature of "sight-reading" you aren't supposed to know what it is, but in the US it would most likely be excerpts from the standard rep. Would this be different in England? Would it most likely be etudes? Some impossibly hard solo written by someone whose name I can't pronounce? What has historically been given for sight-reading in English/European auditions?

Any ideas on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance,

John Whitener

MikeMason · Post by **MikeMason** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 12:36 pm

I'll venture a guess: select excerpts from anything ever written that has a tuba part...

Chuck Jackson · Post by **Chuck Jackson** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:05 pm

What has historically been given for sight-reading in English/European auditions?

Would hardly be sight-reading if they told you, would it.

That being said, there is this guy Vaughn-Williams, an English guy who wrote 7 symphonys. Most of them have tuba parts, most are are stupid hard, especially the 4th, which is harder than almost anything written. Watch out for "In the South (Alessio)" by Elgar, "Cockaigne Overture" by Elgar, and if memory serves me correctly, some of Tippet's stuff is off the charts, too. Good luck, and remember, if you can't play it, fake it with conviction.

Chuck

joshwirt · Post by **joshwirt** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:41 pm

Vaughan Williams wrote 9 Symphonies......and yes, watch out for the 4th.....its a BEAR!

Also.......In The South, Cockaigne and Elgar 1 and 2 are ones to prepare as well as the usual suspects of what we play here.

Be mindful of your sound......the American sound isn't necessarily the same as what the Royal Phil may be looking for. They use the EEb for a lot of stuff, so be mindful of what sound the committee have in their head.

Good luck to ya!

-Josh

joebob · Post by **joebob** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:55 pm

Sorry to hijack this thread, but are Americans allowed to take this audition or be offered this job? How does that work? Also, what does this job pay? I'm just curious.

WoodSheddin · Post by **WoodSheddin** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 8:18 pm

MikeMason wrote:I'll venture a guess: select excerpts from anything ever written that has a tuba part...

Come on people. This is not an episode of Family Feud. "Name 10 pieces you think an RPO audition would ask for?

John asked for insights, not smartass guesses. Many responses in this thread are exactly why TubeNet has become useless to many people. Spam postings.

If you have genuine first hand insights then help the guy out.

MikeMason · Post by **MikeMason** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:07 pm

Sean,it's your site,but, it seems someone auditioning for a serious job,where no excerpts are specified,better know them all.The auditioner is certainly free to work on those few,mostly British works if he chooses.Good luck,and please report back when its over...

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:47 pm

WoodSheddin wrote:Come on people. This is not an episode of Family Feud. "Name 10 pieces you think an RPO audition would ask for?

But in a sense, that's exactly what he's asking for, primarily from Continental tubists.

To get there, he's no dummy. I've sat on US committees. And what I'd do, is have on hand and ask the opposite of any candidate's experience. You've got to assume that they've got resume's at hand, or brass people that can hear a compensating horn or a little F. You don't ask for the 'cello suite first unless you want to separate the wheat from the chaff, quickly. And given that piece, I'd say it's all about interpretation.

If the candidate seems British, or British Brass Band, I'd want to hear German, French, Russian and American stuff to make sure that he can project the proper affect to these pieces. If it's a Yank, I'd want to see if he can cover the British classics with the proper 'tude, and the pieces mentioned would certainly fall under that heading.

I will say that I have never auditioned in England, so take this for what it's worth. May be spam, as the webmaster suggests, or they may have another plan altogether. But the author asked for "Any ideas on the matter", as well as personal experience. And he sounds to me like a smart enough guy to take it for what it's worth.

Mike Keller
Principal Tuba Emeritus
The Delaware Symphony

joebob · Post by **joebob** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:07 am

Any news on this audition? What was the sightreading?

AndyCat · Post by **AndyCat** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:03 am

I've heard Ben Thomson got a trial, BBC Radio 2 Young Musician of the year. Don't know about anyone else though!

joshwirt · Post by **joshwirt** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:16 am

Way to go, Ben!!! Great guy who can play the heck out of a tuba!