Durham Symphony Orchestra
William Henry Curry, Music Director
The Durham Symphony Announces an Additional Audition for the 25-26 Season
for the following positions:
Violin
Viola
Cello
Double Bass (multiple positions)
Second Bassoon
Section Percussion
Auditions will also be heard for substitute players in all sections.
Auditions will be held on Saturday, September 6th, 2025
at the Durham Arts Council.
Please submit an audition request and resume to the Durham Symphony Orchestra Personnel Manager
at auditions@durhamsymphony.org
The audition will consist of a solo of your choice, excerpts as posted on the list below, and sight reading.
Durham Symphony Audition Excerpts
Violin:
Mozart: Symphony #39, Last Movement, Beginning – Bar 41
Mendelssohn: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Beginning – Bar 99
Beethoven: Symphony #9, 3rd Movement, Bars 99 – 114
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet – Start at letter E (bar 141) and play up to and including the 4th bar of letter F (163)
Viola:
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet – Start at letter E (bar 141) and play up to and including the 4th bar of letter F (163)
Rossini: La Gaza Ladra Overture, Allegro in 3/4 (listed under G, www.imslp.org)
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings, 2nd mvt -from 4th bar of letter D to 2nd bar of letter E (8th note passage.)
3rd mvt-starting upbeat to letter B (largamente)_to 10th bar of B
Cello:
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet – Start at letter E (bar 141) and play up to and including the 4th bar of letter F (163)
Beethoven: 5th Symphony, 3rd movement (scherzo and trio)
Beethoven: 9th symphony, 4th movement (1st two pages)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, 3rd movement, 1st two pages
Double Bass:
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
Mozart: Symphony #39 – 1st movement, Allegro (measure 26) to letter C
Beethoven: Symphony #5, Scherzo and Trio
Beethoven: Symphony #9, 4th movement, recitatives
Flute:
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf – Complete work
Bach: 2nd Orchestral Suite, last 2 mvts
Brahms: 4th Symphony, 4th mvt, Bar 97 through 128
Stravinsky: 1911 Suite from “The Firebird”, L’oiseau de feu et sa danse. From Rehearsal no. 7-through 5th bar of no. 18
Piccolo:
Bizet: 2nd L’Arlesienne Suite 1st and 4th movements ONLY ( Pastorale and Farandole), ALL OF IT
Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever, THE FAMOUS SOLO IN THE TRIO
Tchaikovsky: 4th Symphony, 3rd mvt, 1st excerpt: Meno Mosso Section starting 2nd bar of Rehearsal letter E through Letter G. 2nd excerpt: from 4 bars before letter I through the end of the movement.
Oboe:
Stravinsky: 1911 Suite from “The Firebird”
Richard Strauss: Don Juan (lyrical solo in G major)
Rossini: Overture to La Scala di Seta, solos (listed under S,www.imslp.org )
Bizet: Symphony in C, 2nd movement
Bassoon:
Stravinsky: 1911 Suite from “The Firebird”
Beethoven: The Consecration of the House Overture, 1st two pages (listed under W, Der Weihe
des Hauses, www.imslp.org)
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, 2nd movement solos
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Clarinet:
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnole, Op 34 – I. Alborado and III. Alborado
Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream- Scherzo movement
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op.35, Mvt 3, cadenza-like sections
Brahms: Symphony #3 – 1st and 2nd mvts
Trumpet:
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3, 1st Trumpet, off-stage trumpet calls
Stravinsky: Ballerina’s Dance from Petrouchka (listed at www.imslp.org ,1st cornet, rehearsal
number 69-70. The player may choose to play this excerpt either on trumpet or cornet)
Brahms: Academic Festival Overture
Mahler: 5th Symphony, 1st movement/opening solo
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite, 1919 version, 2nd section (Variation; Dance of the Firebird, 6/8)
Horn:
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 – 3rd Mvt., Trio, ms. 163 – 202 (2nd horn)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 – 3rd Mvt., ms. 83 – 100 (4th horn)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 – 1st Mvt., [17] to [21] (2nd horn)
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote – Var. VII (2nd horn)
*Rossini: Overture to Semiramide – [B] to 2 after [C] (2nd horn)
*to be played with our principal
1st Trombone:
Schumann: 3rd Symphony “Rhenish” , 4th mvt.
Stravinsky: 1911 Suite from “The Firebird”
Mahler: 3rd Symphony, 1st mvt solos
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture (2nd Trombone recitative solos )
3rd Trombone:
Stravinsky: 1911 Suite from “The Firebird”
Brahms: 1st Symphony 4th mvt
Rossini: William Tell Overture, 1st Allegro
Liszt: Les Preludes (Bar 405 to the end, Allegro maestoso)
Tuba:
Liszt: Les Preludes ( Bar 405 to the end, Allegro maestoso)
Stravinsky: 1911 Suite from “The Firebird”
Wagner: Die Meistersinger Overture
Franck: Symphony, 4th mvt
Harp:
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, 2nd mvt.
Britten: Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Harp Variation and Fugue
Tchaikovsky: Cadenza-Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers,The Nutcracker.
Percussion:
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture – SNARE meas. 77 (reh. C) through meas. 91; meas. 124 (8 meas.
after reh. E) through meas. 135. TAMBOURINE meas. 207 (reh. H) through meas. 215; meas. 299
(reh. M) through meas. 303.
Xylophone:
Gershwin: Porgy and Bess
Glockenspiel:
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Timpani:
Beethoven Symphony No. 9:
Mvt. 1 – Opening through Letter A Mvt. 1 – First 12 bars at Letter K Mvt. 1 – Bar 387 to bar 414
Mvt. 2 – Letter F through bar 283
Mvt. 4 – Opening 8 bars
Mvt. 4 – Letter M through bar 563
Mvt. 4 – Letter T to End
Brahms Symphony No. 4:
Mvt. 1 – 2 before Letter R to End
Mvt. 2 – Bar 84 through 87
Mvt. 3 – Opening to Letter A
Mvt. 3 – Bar 2Mvt. 3 – Bar 257 through 307
Mvt. 4 – Opening to Letter A
All music can be downloaded free at www.imslp.org