Durham Symphony Orchestra
William Henry Curry, Music Director
Auditions for the 2023-2024 Concert Season
are now closed.
Please contact the Durham Symphony Orchestra
Personnel Manager
at auditions@durhamsymphony.org
with any additional questions on future audition opportunities.
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
Viola:
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
Rossini: La Gaza Ladra Overture, Allegro in 3/4 (listed under G, www.imslp.org) Tchaikovsky:
Serenade for Strings, 2nd and 3rd movements
Cello:
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
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
Beethoven: Symphony #5, Scherzo and Trio
Beethoven: Symphony #9, 4th movement, recitatives
Flute:
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf
Bach: 2nd Orchestral Suite, last 2 mvts
Brahms: 4th Symphony, 4th mvt
Stravinsky: 1911 Suite from “The Firebird”
Piccolo:
Bizet: 2nd L’Arlesienne Suite 1st and 4th movements ONLY ( Pastorale and Farandole)
Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever, solo section
Tchaikovsky: 4th Symphony, 3rd mvt
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)
3rd Horn:
Rossini: Semiramide (2nd Horn , 6/8 introduction, with our principal)
Stravinsky: 1911 Suite from “The Firebird”
Schubert: Symphony no. 9 (2nd Horn, 1st mvt. introduction )
Beethoven: Symphony no. 9 (3rd mvt. 4th horn, famous solo passage )
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