Washington National Opera - Kennedy Center shame on you.

[Ken Crawford]

I did not audition for this position but what happened at this "audition" was a sham and represents everything that is wrong with the audition process. Everyone should know that these things happen.

The Kennedy Center held an "audition" this week. A winner was selected but nobody that auditioned won! You read that right. Everyone was eliminated and then a pre-selected "winner" was installed in the "final round." All of you that spent tons of money on flights, hotels and rental cars wasted your money because you were never going to win. Shame on you Washington National Opera - Kennedy Center.

[bort]

Name names.... who won? Who else were the finalists?

[joshlee]

I feel inclined to comment on this since I am quite close with one of the members of the low brass section in this orchestra. While the outcome of this audition may look suspicious I can assure you there was absolutely no malfeasance on the part of the committee during this audition. It is true that nobody was passed from the semifinal round to the final round, but that was not the desired outcome. From what I understand the lists were fair and people were given ample opportunity to play their best. It’s not the committees fault if that did not happen. The person that won was indeed alone in the final round, but only because there were others invited that did not show up. To cause speculation about the outcome of this audition is not fair to the people involved or the winner. My friend in this orchestra is one of the most ethical, trustworthy, and fair musicians I have ever met. Anyone who has doubts about the outcome of this audition can drop the speculation and give the winner of this audition his due credit for the outcome.

[Ken Crawford]

The person that won was indeed alone in the final round, but only because there were others invited that did not show up. To cause speculation about the outcome of this audition is not fair to the people involved or the winner. My friend in this orchestra is one of the most ethical, trustworthy, and fair musicians I have ever met. Anyone who has doubts about the outcome of this audition can drop the speculation and give the winner of this audition his due credit for the outcome.

I don't hold the new tuba player at fault. He simply took full advantage of a corrupt process that was handed to him. In an ethical world, you can't win an audition without competing. It is unfortunate that the new tuba player was unable to prove his worth in a fair process.

[Ken Crawford]

Wait... Josh said others were invited to the finals and they didn't show up. Is there a reason you don't buy this?

Protecting some players from the rigors of the process is unethical. Nobody should be "invited to the finals." If they're that good then they'll make it based on their playing. Right? If an organization does invite people to the finals, how can you have a competitive round if nobody else showed up? You can't seriously defend the winning of an audition when the winner didn't play a note.

[John DiCesare]

Wait... Josh said others were invited to the finals and they didn't show up. Is there a reason you don't buy this?

Protecting some players from the rigors of the process is unethical. Nobody should be "invited to the finals." If they're that good then they'll make it based on their playing. Right? If an organization does invite people to the finals, how can you have a competitive round if nobody else showed up? You can't seriously defend the winning of an audition when the winner didn't play a note.

He played an entire round.

[Ken Crawford]

Wait... Josh said others were invited to the finals and they didn't show up. Is there a reason you don't buy this?

Protecting some players from the rigors of the process is unethical. Nobody should be "invited to the finals." If they're that good then they'll make it based on their playing. Right? If an organization does invite people to the finals, how can you have a competitive round if nobody else showed up? You can't seriously defend the winning of an audition when the winner didn't play a note.

He played an entire round.

Hilarious. I suppose you'd be fine if you went to an audition, didn't make it to finals, and then somebody that didn't play against you (or anyone) was given the job.

[John DiCesare]

Hilarious. I suppose you'd be fine if you went to an audition, didn't make it to finals, and then somebody that didn't play against you (or anyone) was given the job.

To address your original response, every time I’ve not made the final round I’ve given them a reason to not advance me.

Now to this question - of course I’d be pissed. I’m pissed every time I lose an audition, as is everyone else. It’s also easy to blame someone other than yourself in that scenario.

I’m not really “picking a side” here. I just wanted to correct you when you said he didn’t play a note. He played a final, solo, multiple things over/different.

[itai]

Edit: thank you bloke for your inspiring insights, and congratulations to the winner.

[Seth Horner]

Seth Cook is a great player who deserved to win. He played a nice long screened final round. Ken you can make your complaint to afm if you’re serious but this type of thing isn’t that uncommon anymore. Also this player had really been auditioning for his chair every day for the 6 years or so he has been playing the position. Think about it that way.

[Ken Crawford]

Seth Cook is a great player who deserved to win. He played a nice long screened final round. Ken you can make your complaint to afm if you’re serious but this type of thing isn’t that uncommon anymore. Also this player had really been auditioning for his chair every day for the 6 years or so he has been playing the position. Think about it that way.

I'm sure Seth Cook is a fantastic player, this isn't really about him or this audition alone. In the bigger picture it's about a broken system. I am a little surprised at the apparent apathy toward this kind of practice. All auditioning musicians should complain to afm about unfair hiring practices. But I guess if musicians don't mind spending what little money they have travelling the country to rigged auditions that's up to them. Good luck out there!

[Kory101]

Do Olympic athletes get auto-advanced to finals just because they've been successfully running/swimming/jumping/throwing for several years? Pretty sure they participate in all the heats.

Upsets happen.

[tmz1m]

Do Olympic athletes get auto-advanced to finals just because they've been successfully running/swimming/jumping/throwing for several years? Pretty sure they participate in all the heats.

Upsets happen.

I think that’s an interesting comparison, and I agree “upsets happen.” But it’s kind of a different scenario where the thing you’re competing for is a long-term gig, rather than a short-term test of athleticism that doesn’t have any ongoing implications (setting aside being on the cover of a Wheaties box).

That being said, I do agree with the overall sentiment in this thread: if an ensemble wants to automatically move certain players to the finals, they should be able to do so, but should tell all other applicants that’s what they intend to do upfront. If certain players knew that the guy who has been playing with the ensemble for the past six years was still in the running for the job and that he was not competing earlier in the competition, I think some people may have chosen to sit this one out and not incur the cost of auditioning. Only those players that felt they had a real chance of beating the incumbent would have shown up, and likely everyone would be better off.

(I have no dog in this fight, I’m just a hack, I’ll never audition for anything.)

[Seth Horner]

Bloke makes the most salient point. These groups don’t owe us anything. Congratulations are due to Cook and it’s unfortunate that some pearl clutching has spoiled what should be a moment of affirmation.

[cjk]

Is this in the ballpark of what happened?

• * Some number of players who were passed straight to the finals round based on prior experience.
  * Others had to submit resumes and tapes, then go to the prelim auditions.
  * Then no one got to finals from the prelims.
  * Then only one person showed up who was passed straight to finals.
  * That person played in finals and was found to be acceptable (or even awesome!) to the committee and was offered the job.

[joshlee]

^^Yes^^

[Sasha Johnson]

What I believe hasn’t been mentioned so far in this thread is that any given orchestra’s hiring process is determined in their individual C.B.A., and they are contractually bound by this. Some orchestras have a clause to appoint, whereby if they already have a candidate who fits well and has been playing the job to the level they want, they can save everyone the trouble of an audition. Alternatively, other orchestras have no provision for appointment, or even a “Bye” to the semi-finals or finals, which requires everyone to start on an equal footing from the beginning. While on paper this might seem to some people a fairer system, it discounts any prior experience a player and an orchestra have with each other, and can potentially knock out a candidate who has proven themselves qualified for the job, often for years.

I didn’t play this audition, so I don’t have a direct comment on their process. My opinion from the descriptions above is that it seems entirely reasonable to hear a large pool of candidates, while advancing someone you deem qualified, and then having them play a good long final round to prove that they are in that stressful context. I have known Seth Cook and his playing for years and I have no doubt he played his audition at a level that would win in any context, with any number of competitors. (Congratulations to him, btw. Fantastic result and well earned!!!)

I’ve played auditions literally all over the world, and have found myself on the wrong end of such procedures many times. It is heartbreaking to spend so much time, money and emotion and advance to finals, only to have the local person parachuted in at the end. Sometimes that’s just how it goes. Regardless of the country or the system, if you take part in the audition process, you need to acknowledge that it is on some level flawed and subject to circumstance. As one of my colleagues put it recently, you play only the one fair audition in your life, and it’s the one you win.

Sasha Johnson
Principal Tuba, National Ballet of Canada

[Ken Crawford]

Why should any private entity (whether for-profit or non-profit) be ~required~ to conduct interviews or auditions to fill a position?
If some private entity decides it wishes to hire Bill Blah-blah (for ~whatever~ reason/s, and whether-or-not 99% of everyone's else opinions are that Bill Blah-blah is the best person for that job), that entity (simply) should be able to offer a job to Bill Blah-blah.
To me, that is "fair".

That would be totally fair. So if that is the intent, say so. Don't give hope to dozens of musicians, enticing them to increase their credit card balances in order to travel to your charade of an audition.

[Aubrey Foard]

There are multiple problems with OP's argument:

1.) You don't really know what went on at the audition. You never will know unless you were behind the screen. To call into question - without evidence - the professionalism of those working behind the screen is a fool's errand. You can't prove anything and you end up burning your bridges in the professional community.

2.) You can always play better at an audition. I have taken many, many auditions where there was an opportunity for me to question the integrity of the audition process. I never have because I can always play better. Unless I genuinely felt that I played an objectively flawless audition and every teacher on earth would be cheering for my audition at the top of their lungs, there's always room for improvement. You have no idea what the committee hears in your playing, all you can do is try to improve the next time. I have "lost" 40 professional auditions and "won" 5. I have never walked away from any of those auditions feeling I couldn't do better.

3.) Complaining about the process on social media / online forums accomplishes nothing. The process is not perfect and it probably never will be, but the process is the process. If you want real change, go for it. Write a dissertation surveying the way orchestras around the world conduct auditions and then make suggestions based on what is deemed most effective by musicians, statisticians, and numerous other professionals involved in the process. Present your paper at conferences, both industry conferences like LOA and ICSOM, but also at IDRS, ITG, ITEC, etc. I'm serious - it could actually do the orchestra world some good.

[Ken Crawford]

You can't prove anything and you end up burning your bridges in the professional community.

I am free to speak my mind. I don't have a horse in the race. I'll speak for all the musicians who live in fear of retribution.