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Reading what horns land orchestra jobs. Was wondering if having a new instrument influences the panel. Has any one won on a tuba that is less then pristine?

brassbow wrote:Reading what horns land orchestra jobs. Was wondering if having a new instrument influences the panel. Has any one won on a tuba that is less then pristine?

As far as my knowledge goes most orchestra auditions are blind and purely based on sound until the probationary period where you play with the ensemble. Otherwise I assume as long as the instrument isn't too banged up it shouldn't influence much. Many players have raw brass instruments that can look "old"

Leto Cruise wrote:

brassbow wrote:Reading what horns land orchestra jobs. Was wondering if having a new instrument influences the panel. Has any one won on a tuba that is less then pristine?

As far as my knowledge goes most orchestra auditions are blind and purely based on sound until the probationary period where you play with the ensemble.

No.

You are a bit confused and misunderstand the typical orchestra audition process:

Auditions are typically only blind in the prelim and semi-final rounds. The screen comes down for the final round or the "super-final" round (if there is one). 99% of the time there is no "playing with the ensemble" during the audition phase...that happens AFTER a "winner" has been selected and offered the position. THEN the probationary period begins and typically lasts for a whole season, sometimes two. When the probation is over, there is a tenure review hearing and THEN you're either in with tenure or you're dismissed from the orchestra completely. This applies almost universally to the "major" orchestras as well as to the vast majority of others.

In the middle 1970's, Dan Brown (Dave Fedderly's predecessor) won the Baltimore Symphony with an unlacquered brass Alexander CC tuba. It looked brown from exposure to to hand acid for years. The committee is more interested in what comes out of your bell during the audition, not how much you polish the finish of your instrument. Though I do recommend that you keep your instrument in good working order, spend more time in the practice room and with your private instructor than you do making sure your tuba is shiney and looks pretty.

I honestly forget where it was...

...but I once had a director who said that excessively shiny tubas were "impolite" because they reflected the light and were too distracting.

I have an old King rotary which looks old and dented and sometimes people tell me that if I had worked harder, I could have had a Willson or Hirsbrunner.

bloke wrote:Brush your teeth and keep a good polish cloth on hand if you expect to play in a nice big orchestra someday.

Oops- I though it was the other way round... Though to be fair, most tubas love a good stiff brushing. And who amongst us has not enjoyed a firm polishing?