Heard this one was a no-hire today. 4 semifinalists, all hold positions with major US orchestras, and fun fact, 2 of them studied at CIM. None advanced to finals.
This follows the Assistant Timpani audition in November, which also ended in a no-hire. Womp womp.
The 4 semi-finalists were Jeremy Epp, Leo Soto, Zubin Hathi, and Colin Hartnett.
Only 2 of them studied at CIM, actually.
Jauvon Gilliam of the National Symphony Orchestra will be playing this position next season. Cheers to him!
I’ve heard conflicting reports about whether the second round at this audition was called a “semi” or a “final.” The distinction is kinda meaningless, since it was an unscreened round with only 4 candidates, and the Music Director was present for it. Cleveland seems to have some unique audition procedures, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that most other orchestras would call that a “final“ round.
A friend told me that there were fewer than 20 candidates present at prelims, and it was a virtual “who’s who” lineup of big-name principal timpanists from around the US. If they are hoping for a more qualified candidate, they surely won’t find one.
Now if I was a betting man for the upcoming section audition....