Durham Symphony Orchestra
William Henry Curry, Music Director
The Durham Symphony Announces Auditions for the 26-27 Season
for the following positions:
Violin
Viola
Double Bass
Third Flute/Piccolo
Principal Clarinet
Principal Horn
Second Trombone
Auditions will also be heard for substitute players in all sections.
Auditions will be held on Saturday, August 1st, and Sunday, August 2nd, 2026
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–Start at Letter E (bar 141) and play up to and including the 4th bar of letter F (163)
Mozart: Symphony #39 – 1st movement, Allegro (measure 26) to letter C
Beethoven: Symphony #5, Scherzo and Trio
Beethoven: Symphony #9, 4th movement, recitatives
Flute:
Mendelssohn: Scherzo from Midsummer Night’s Dream – 2 m. before [P] to the end
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 – Mvmt. IV – m. 89 – 105
Beethoven: Leonore Overture – m. 326 – 360
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun – beginning – [3]
Prokofiev – Peter and the Wolf – [2] – [4]
Piccolo:
Rossini: Semiramide Overture – [G] – [H] and [T] – [U]
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 – Mvmt. III, [E] – [G]
Ravel: Mother Goose – Mvmt. II, [7] – [8] and Mvmt. III, [1] – 4 before [4]
Ippolitov-Ivanov – Caucasian Sketches, Suite No. I – Mvmt. IV, m. 3 – [B]
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:
Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche m. 6 to the bar before reh. 1
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, Mvt. I, 25 mm. before [C] to [C]
Brahms: Symphony No. 2, Mvt. I, [M] to m. 477
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite- Berceuse Horn solo in B major
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, 2nd mvt, m. 8 to 25
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 )
2nd Trombone:
Wagner: Tannhauser Overture m. 38-53
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries upbeat to reh. 4 to 3 bars after reh 7
Mozart Requiem: Tuba mirum
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture- letter M to N
Brahms: Sym No. 4, Mvt. 4, m. 113 to 131
Schubert: Sym No. 9, Mvt 1, m. 199 to 240 and m. 517 to 558
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