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.
Jauvon Gilliam of the National Symphony Orchestra will be playing this position next season. Cheers to him!
The 4 semi-finalists were Jeremy Epp, Leo Soto, Zubin Hathi, and Colin Hartnett.
Only 2 of them studied at CIM, actually.
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....