The art of auditioning

Janet Krause

ABSTRACT Main subject: Violin Research Supervisors: Kathryn Cok Martine van der Loo Title of Research: The Art of Auditioning Research Question: What aspects should be considered in preparation for a successful violin audition? Summary of Results: An orchestral audition, and specifically to this paper, a violin audition, is possibly the least musically satisfying experience of one’s life. However, it is a necessary part of the path leading to a fulfilling life as an orchestral musician. The preparation for an audition certainly has specific aspects which need to be considered. This paper discusses these aspects, based in large part on my experiences as a Principal in The Hague Philharmonic and as a committee member at auditions for many years. As a violin and chamber music teacher as well as the teacher of the orchestral classes at the conservatoires in The Hague and Amsterdam, I have collected a wealth of experience training students to be successful at auditions. Besides the aspects of how to apply for an orchestral audition, which repertoire needs to be prepared, (including many orchestral excerpts which I have bowed and provided with fingerings myself), how to prepare effectively and what to expect on the actual audition day, there is a large section devoted to the research I have performed concerning mental and physical preparation. Developing mental skills to withstand the stress associated with auditions is an important part of audition preparation. Finally, I have researched, by means of a series of questions online and live and Skype interviews, how experts and candidates experience auditions. This has put me in contact with leaders of orchestras from around the world. How the two groups have responded to similar questions has put me in the position to draw some conclusions as to what committees expect at auditions and how this differs from the candidates’ viewpoints. In analyzing this research, and recognizing similarities in what I written from my own research and personal experience, I am able to draw some conclusions and make recommendations about how candidates could prepare better and be more successful at auditions. Biography: Janet Krause is Principal Second Violinist in The Hague Philharmonic and also a violin, chamber music and orchestral studies teacher at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. She is also teaching orchestral studies at the Conservatoire in Amsterdam. Born in Canada, she completed her Bachelor of Music in Performance at the University of Toronto, having studied with Lorand Fenyves. Moving to the Netherlands, she completed her solo-diploma at the Conservatory in Amsterdam, studying with Davina van Wely. She was a member of the Salzburger Solisten for many years and. primarius of the Dufy Quartet. Presently she is also Principal of the Solistes Européens in Luxembourg.

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ABSTRACT Main subject: Violin Research Supervisors: Kathryn Cok Martine van der Loo Title of Research: The Art of Auditioning Research Question: What aspects should be considered in preparation for a successful violin audition? Summary of Results: An orchestral audition, and specifically to this paper, a violin audition, is possibly the least musically satisfying experience of one’s life. However, it is a necessary part of the path leading to a fulfilling life as an orchestral musician. The preparation for an audition certainly has specific aspects which need to be considered. This paper discusses these aspects, based in large part on my experiences as a Principal in The Hague Philharmonic and as a committee member at auditions for many years. As a violin and chamber music teacher as well as the teacher of the orchestral classes at the conservatoires in The Hague and Amsterdam, I have collected a wealth of experience training students to be successful at auditions. Besides the aspects of how to apply for an orchestral audition, which repertoire needs to be prepared, (including many orchestral excerpts which I have bowed and provided with fingerings myself), how to prepare effectively and what to expect on the actual audition day, there is a large section devoted to the research I have performed concerning mental and physical preparation. Developing mental skills to withstand the stress associated with auditions is an important part of audition preparation. Finally, I have researched, by means of a series of questions online and live and Skype interviews, how experts and candidates experience auditions. This has put me in contact with leaders of orchestras from around the world. How the two groups have responded to similar questions has put me in the position to draw some conclusions as to what committees expect at auditions and how this differs from the candidates’ viewpoints. In analyzing this research, and recognizing similarities in what I written from my own research and personal experience, I am able to draw some conclusions and make recommendations about how candidates could prepare better and be more successful at auditions. Biography: Janet Krause is Principal Second Violinist in The Hague Philharmonic and also a violin, chamber music and orchestral studies teacher at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. She is also teaching orchestral studies at the Conservatoire in Amsterdam. Born in Canada, she completed her Bachelor of Music in Performance at the University of Toronto, having studied with Lorand Fenyves. Moving to the Netherlands, she completed her solo-diploma at the Conservatory in Amsterdam, studying with Davina van Wely. She was a member of the Salzburger Solisten for many years and. primarius of the Dufy Quartet. Presently she is also Principal of the Solistes Européens in Luxembourg.
Janet Krause - The art of auditioning - 2020
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am very grateful to colleagues in The Netherlands and abroad who have been very helpful in sharing their insights on auditions with me. It has been a wonderful experience for me to have had contact with leaders of great orchestras around the world, who have been so open and willing to cooperate in this research. I am also very grateful to (former) students who have been willing to answer my questions candidly about their audition experiences.

My computer skills have certainly vastly improved by writing this paper. I would like to thank Casper Schipper and Karst de Jong from the Conservatoire in The Hague for their patience.

Savas Tubbing has provided me with extra knowledge and help needed regarding sound registration and editing of audio and video materials.

I thank Toula Liasi for casting her artistic eye on the layout of my paper.

Martine van der Loo’s expertise as an orchestral musician and psychologist has been invaluable.

The advice and support which I have received from Kathryn Cok, my supervisor, has been a guiding light throughout my writing and I thank her for her commitment and positivity towards my work.

Certainly not meant as an afterthought, I thank my children for putting up with their mother’s constant talk about her paper and the genuine support and actual help in the writing which they have enthusiastically and patiently given.

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