Auditions for the season take place immediately before classes begin. Students accepted into the program are enrolled for the season, i.e. Fall and Spring semesters.

Students should prepare 5-6 minutes of contratsing music (technical and lyrical) of their own choosing. A single piece with contrasting sections or two separate excerpts that fulfill the technical and lyrical requirement are both acceptable options. Selected major and minor scales may be asked, and a basic sight-reading excerpt will be provided. Students are evaluated on the basis of tone quality, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, musicianship, expressiveness, and reading ability.

DO NOT WORRY IF YOU FEEL ‘OUT OF SHAPE’ BECAUSE OF THE SUMMER BREAK!
Everybody has a multitude of things to do particularly before arriving on campus. The purpose of the audition is to assess your potential with the understanding that, as with any other Emory performance or academic class, every student progresses. Also, remember that true to the spirit of the liberal arts environment, the 100-member orchestra draws its membership from not only the Department of Music but from all disciplines across the campus. You do not have to major or minor in music in order to participate; also private lessons are available to non-majors in all of the orchestral instruments. Take a look at the roster and alumni pages to get a sense of the breadth of majors that populate the orchestra.

IMPORTANT ADVICE ON NOT WAITING TO AUDITION
A few students audition during their senior year of high school; the majority wait until they have arrived on campus. Sometimes students wait until the second semester of their freshmen year to try and audition; we would strongly recommend against this as a viable strategy. There are rarely places available in the middle of the season and orchestra members accepted in the Fall play for the season (Fall and Spring). It is an extremely positive reflection on the program that most students participate for all four years of their undergraduate career. Therefore, waiting until your sophomore year to audition is also highly inadvisable. You would be competing against all of the returning members as well as the incoming class of freshmen, in addition to not having played for a year.

Please email Annie Carey at acarey@emory.edu in order to reserve an audition time.

Any and all general inquiries including questions concerning audition requirements can be directed to Dr. Richard Prior at 404.712.8625 or richard.prior@emory.edu. Remember to check your LearnLink e-mail accounts to stay informed and on top of important correspondence during orientation.