Auditions
Audition Dates / Dates d'audition
Moncton: April 7th starting at 11:00am, Université de Moncton Music departement, Salle Neil Michaud 001B
Sackville: April 8th starting at 11:00am, Mount Allison Music Conservatory, Band room 004
Saint John: May 5th starting at 11:00am, Saint John High School, room 203
Bathurst: May 6th starting at 11:00am, École secondaire Népisiguit, music room
Fredericton: May 10th starting at 7:00pm, University of New Brunswick, Marshall D'Avray Hall room 120
Moncton: June 2nd starting at 11:00am, Queen Elizabeth School (Sistema) room 227
Other cities may be added where there is demand.
To schedule an audition or for more information about audition requirements, please contact Joey Roy at joeyroy@nbyo-ojnb.com or (506) 229-4918
Audition Application 2012-13
Audition Material
Pour demander une audition ou pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements à propos des exigences d’audition, veuillez comminiquer avec Joey Roy à joeyroy@nbyo-ojnb.com ou au (506) 229-4918
Our Music Director Antonio Delgado leads NBYO’s musical programme. We are fortunate to have several distinguished faculty members to cover each section of the orchestra, and who are responsible for leading sectional rehearsals.
The Audition
An Audition Panel consisting of three professional musicians will hear your audition. In addition, the audition will be recorded to allow the panel to evaluate and discuss your audition, and to allow for the possibility of the absence of a panel member at an in-person audition.
Eligibility
To be considered for membership in NBYO:
1. you will be required to demonstrate at an audition, either in person or through a recording, your ability in playing an orchestral instrument; and
2. you should be a resident of New Brunswick during the NBYO season (although occasional exceptions from a neighbouring Province could be made to fill a key position for which there is no qualified player residing in New Brunswick).
Note, there are no set age limits for membership, nor is it required that members be students at educational institutions. Neither are there any particular grade levels required in your musicianship, but a high standard is expected (your teacher can probably advise you whether you are ready to audition). Typically, our players’ ages range from 11 to the early 20s and most (if not all) attend school, college or university in New Brunswick.
Members must be sufficiently mature to deal with the demands of full weekends away from home. If lack of maturity is an issue with an otherwise successful candidate, the candidate’s parents will be contacted prior to the start of the season to discuss the matter in order to come to an agreement. For instance, in the event that a talented (but very young) musician should successfully audition, he or she may be admitted, but a parent may have to commit to accompanying the youngster to NBYO events.
Audition Requirements
The audition consists of three components:
1. Candidate’s choice of a prepared unaccompanied short work, appropriate to your level of proficiency. The work should be a single work or a portion thereof, and include contrasting fast and slow portions OR two separate shorter studies, one fast and one slow.
2. Sight-reading a short passage provided by the audition panel.
3. An excerpt to be learned prior to the audition.
The entire audition takes about 10 minutes.
Selection process
You should bear in mind that, since the audition is competitive, lots of practice before the audition is important. All positions in the orchestra are open every year. The Audition Panel has discretion in choosing players and establishing placement in sections based on your audition performance and their judgement of the candidate’s talent and aptitude. The Music Director has the final say, should there be any disagreement among the panel members.
The high quality of music instruction we are fortunate to have available in many parts of New Brunswick ensures that, in a given year, many more talented young musicians might qualify for the NBYO than can be admitted, due to the limited number of orchestra positions. However, we always encourage any young musician to audition, as the process in itself is a valuable and educational experience and will be of benefit to all who participate. You should take heart in realizing that we have had many young musicians who did not succeed on the first try (or even the second), yet eventually, with persistence, successfully auditioned.
After all auditions have been evaluated, candidates will be notified by email, probably in June, in which category they have been classified, which are:
1. those offered a regular place in the NBYO;
2. those requiring more development to reach NBYO standards, or who are impossible to place in the Orchestra because of an excess of qualified candidates for a particular instrument.
Note that, in the initial notification of acceptance, section positioning will not be indicated; tentative positioning will be determined by the Music Director and Faculty when all replies from successful candidates have been received, and final positioning will take place after the initial rehearsals of the season.
Those who are unsuccessful, might later be offered a regular place in the event of another musician who is unable to accept our offer of a place.
Other Important Details
Orchestra Fees: In addition to the $20.00 audition fee, there is a programme fee for full members. Each member pays a $400 registration fee but has the option of soliciting donations in the form of Adopt-an-Instrument (for more information on this fundraising effort, please visit http://www.nbyo-ojnb.ca/support/adopt-instrument). These fees contribute in part to the season costs of auditions, music purchase or rental, instruction, and other operational expenses. Member fees account for only about 10% of the total operating cost of NBYO with the balance coming from generous donors, concert ticket sales, CD sales and other sources. Note that there could be additional fees charged for essential materials.
Financial Aid: Each year the NBYO foundation offers bursaries to players with financial need. If you are not able to afford the fees associated with playing in NBYO, please write a cover letter stating the reasons for financial help (including various projected costs of the year). Send this letter, along with a current CV to joeyroy@nbyo-ojnb.com or mail it to Financial Aid Committee, NBYO, P.O. Box 6249, Saint John, NB, E2L 4R8.