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Having been asked to audition recently, and no specific guides given for what to play , I am struggling with what to pull out . Old school classics ? Judas Maccabeus or something newer ? Don Haddads Suite for Tuba ?
I m not breaking out Fnugg ...any suggestions ?

I've played a lot of auditions lately and the Vaughn Williams and the Gregson concertos seem to be quite popular.

bloke wrote:II could make some specific suggestions, but I might like to be the first to play those specific pieces on the tuba.

Pssst...I'm gonna beat you to the Goossens Concerto.

I just did my college ensemble placement auditions yesterday with no specific material listed. I called and the answer was just what I expected, two contrasting pieces, so I just prepared a technical Tyrell etude and a lyrical Bordogni/Rochut etude (like what I did for entrance auditions). This was a short audition (I knew that from asking), so those two etudes were more than enough playing for them.

I will always give a phone call or send an e-mail to whoever is holding it, but when I don't see any specific material asked for for an audition, I prepare a technical etude and a lyrical etude.

Todd S. Malicoate wrote:

bloke wrote:II could make some specific suggestions, but I might like to be the first to play those specific pieces on the tuba.

Pssst...I'm gonna beat you to the Goossens Concerto.

Bloke- , Todd , etals...., thanks for the brilliant suggestions. I am all over it !
Todd, you're going to ruin your reputation if you continue to be so helpful !
Thanks again - js

bloke wrote: Ralph Vaughan Williams composed some great music, but how often to you see his oboe concerto (oboe and string orchestra) billed on a concert...or "The Lark Ascending" (violin and orchestra) billed on a concert? Though R.V.W. wrote some great music, oboists and violinists have stronger material from which they can pull...Yet R.V.W. is THE strongest name from which TUBA players can pull.

What is billed on a concert is not necessarily the best possible music. RVW is in my opinion a fantastic and much underrated composer, and even though his tuba concerto is one of his most performed works, I would say that it is far from his best work. RVW is probably the strongest name that has written a solo work for tuba, but isn't that simply because there are no strong names around now when the tuba is more or less "accepted" as a solo instrument? His tuba concerto was the first concerto for tuba, and is very well suited for auditions. That is probably why it is performed a lot. That doesn't necessarily mean that it is THE best piece for tuba. I think that in a 100 years or so, when this generations composers have become "strong names", there is going to be more to choose from than just RWV.

Back to topic. If you want to play a concerto, both Gregson and RVW are good pieces that can demonstrate many of your qualities as a performer. If you plan on doing more auditions in the future, you might as well start working on RVW since it is asked a lot. Jackson's suggestion is also good. A technical and a lyrical etude together is often enough.

bloke wrote:

Todd S. Malicoate wrote:Pssst...I'm gonna beat you to the Goossens Concerto.

It's too dang hard...I have a couple of other ideas (which are ALSO too dang hard.)

You're right...it's very hard. But I'm still doing it in February. I'm leaving out some of the crazy arpeggios in the final "cadenza" and the rest seems reasonable enough.

Prayers and well-wishes are welcome.

I duno. A solo from here.


Hard stuff.

k001k47 wrote:I duno. A solo from here.


Hard stuff.

you must have mad skills- too tough for me....

jamsav wrote:
you must have mad skills- too tough for me....

Why thank you, kind sir!