Concerto Competition?

[EuphoniousJoy]

So Colorado State University holds a concerto competition every year. I have never done it, but I have been thinking about doing the competition this year.
I play the Euphonium.

What type of music should I look at for this type of competition? I have never done anything like this before, so I'm not sure what type of music to look for either. Please help!
thanks!

[Eupharitone]

The Cosma




...

Kidding aside, it depends on several factors. I've won 3 different concerto competitions while I've been in college and I did it through methodical planning and selection as much as playing the snot out of the pieces during the competition. First of all, does the winner get to perform with a band or orchestra? The Euphonium has the unusual circumstance of having a modest sized solo rep with orchestra without being a member of the actual orchestra itself. That said, the number of solos with orchestra is still relatively small. It would suck to win and as the orchestra director prepares your solo to be played with the orchestra, realizes there's no actual published version of your solo for orchestra.

You should also try to pick your rep based on what you think the judge(s) would prefer to hear, if at all possible (ie. what the receiving conductor would like to program). I won a concerto/soloist competition for Wind Band using a piece by Philip Sparke (Fantasy for Euphonium) as I knew its very catchy tune would resonate with the down-to-earth small town faculty who I knew would be judging the college's competition. The clarinetist who lost to me for that competition I felt gave a much better technical performance than me, but her solo choice was boring and wasn't what the conductor wanted to program. Here at Sam Houston State however (a different college), if I were to try out for a concerto competition for band here (sadly they don't offer any form of concerto competition) I would pick something with a little more meat and potatoes to it; perhaps the Ponchielli Concerto for Bass Flugelhorn, Fantasie Originale, possibly something by Herbert Clarke, or maybe the Jan Bach Concert Variations, as the faculty here are much more artsy-fartsy and....well, they want to hear something "profound". I don't even feel like the faculty here would take anything in the Euphonium rep seriously enough to even consider accepting me for an orchestra-based concerto competition...unless my performance of it was nails.

Actually, I just thought of an ace-in-the-hole: Use the singing qualities of the Euphonium to their fullest by picking a tenor aria. If your panel is for an orchestra competition and the judges are arthouse types, pick an aria from a familiar opera composer but have it be one of the composer's more obscure ones that they've probably never heard of. You'll win points just for being original and "indie" as it were. If they're more down-to-earth then you should play Nessun Dorma by Puccini. If the competition is for band there's a published version of Nessun for band, if it's for orchestra you can use the original opera orchestra parts if you win. Read the tenor line straight from the score and then milk the heck out of it with the Euphonium's vibrato through and through. You can't lose! unless of course you suck.....or you fold....or if one of the piano majors enters with a 30 minute full blown concerto.....in 4 movements, and rocks out. Arias tend to be a little short in length.

Hope my suggestions help. Planning is the key to success.

[Biggs]

If the rules don't stipulate that the work has to be originally for your instrument, look into Mozart's Bassoon Concerto (k 191). It'll further legitimize your playing the in eyes of the judges who likely have heard very few, if any, of the major euphonium concertos by largely obscure composers.

[mikehorsford]

If the rules don't stipulate that the work has to be originally for your instrument, look into Mozart's Bassoon Concerto (k 191). It'll further legitimize your playing the in eyes of the judges who likely have heard very few, if any, of the major euphonium concertos by largely obscure composers.

The Mozart may help and hurt.

A euphonium player at Ithaca College made it to the finals with this piece. I know I may be biased but I believe that he gave a better performance than some of the competition winners (they choose 3). I can't help but think it had to do with a woodwind player on the panel thinking "What is he doing playing this music on that bastard instrument?"

I've never tried out for a concerto competition, let alone been successful in one, but I think as long as you play music that you love to play and play the crap out of it, you will be fine. You can drive yourself crazy trying to guess what the judges want to hear so unless you know them really well, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Biggs]

fwiw, I'd stay away from Mozart anything composed for another instrument in a concerto competition.

This POV is equally legitimate. A pitfall of well-known music is that it is well-known; the more popular a piece, the more likely your audience (in this case, music professors) will have intimate knowledge of the score and be able to detect (or perceive, in comparison to their own interpretations) errors.

That being said, I stand by my name-recognition theory, if only due to anecdotal evidence.

[Arkietuba]

If possible, find out who your judges are ahead of time...

I did one here at UCA and the judges were all string players from the Arkansas Symphony (which there is nothing wrong with that) and I played my piece pretty well (1st mvt of the Gregson). The judges liked my playing and they even commented that I played all the lyrical stuff superbly well. They all comented that I "wasn't unique enough compared to the rest of the field" and I was the only low-brass musician and 1 of 4 brass musicians in a field of 20+ contestants that were mainly vocalist and string players... I'm not saying I played good enough to win it all but to say I wasn't unique enough???........................

You have to pick something that will impress them...not necessarily something ridiculously hard but something that separates you enough from everyone so you don't sound the same as everyone else.

[djwesp]

So Colorado State University holds a concerto competition every year. I have never done it, but I have been thinking about doing the competition this year.
I play the Euphonium.

What type of music should I look at for this type of competition? I have never done anything like this before, so I'm not sure what type of music to look for either. Please help!
thanks!

As is the norm, i will break away and say something quite off the wall.

PLAY WHAT YOU WANT TO PLAY. Who cares? Let's be honest with ourselves.

1. Tuba and Euphonium players rarely win these. (and yes, i say that having won one this year at a state university as well as knowing blaine cunningham did an exceptional job at Iowa as well...)

2. Tuba and Euphonium players are at a HUGE stereotypical disadvantage, before playing a note.

3. It will most likely go to a Clarinet, Violin, Trumpet, or Flute player.

4. You will sound best on what you like playing.

5. Even if you do blow them away, play something unexpected, and play better than your competition you probably still won't win!


Pick something you enjoy playing, make a list of what you consider your strongest facets as a player, seek out showing them, and have a good time. If you do those things, you have just as much chance as any.

[fenne1ca]

It's not exactly on topic, but I recommend the Grondahl Trombone Concerto. It's accessible to listen to, fun to play, challenging (tenor clef, sheesh), and has a lot of opportunity for personal interpretation. I've been working on it for a couple of months, and it's a blast!