I was reading the union paper and the SF ballet principal clarinet is listed for Oct 19-23. Do groups list a date range like this to have the flexibility to shorten it in the future? Have any of us experienced an audition for one spot that in fact took 5 full days? It seems quite unreasonable, especially for those traveling from far away.
Hi everyone,
I'm looking to get a certificate in the world of Music Business / Arts Management, but it seems so many schools only offer degrees in the field. I'm just finishing my Masters right now so I'm not looking to start another degree, but a certificate I can do. Does anyone have an recommendations on where to get this, or have any experience/advice in this field they can offer?
I took classes through the UMass Amherst extension program. You can take the classes for credit, or participate for a certificate. I never even got the certificate but I did find the classes to be extremely helpful!
In 2024, a principal audition was held and resulted in a no-hire. The position was then given on an acting basis to a section member who had also served on the audition committee. For reasons that are unclear, the audition process was delayed for two years, effectively extending that individual’s role as acting principal.
The audition has now been reposted and is scheduled to take place in summer 2026. However, it appears that the same section member may again serve on the committee.
Given the orchestra’s already questionable reputation with auditions and sub hirings, this raises concerns about whether the process will simply result in another no-hire or be fair. More importantly, since this is a unionized orchestra, it brings up a potential conflict of interest: is it appropriate for a section member who benefits from the outcome to participate in committee decisions that could lead to another no-hire?
Ultimately,…
“Given the orchestra’s already questionable reputation with auditions and sub hirings, this raises concerns about whether the process will simply result in another no-hire or be fair.”
This is a somewhat disingenuous question; no hires suck, but they happen in fair auditions all the time. It’s entirely possible for this audition to be fair and still end with a no hire.
Why the hell do orchestras list auditions with no information on pay, salary, or even services or service minimums/maximums? How am I supposed to know if I want to apply for this job??? For all I know it could be 20 services $40/service 🥀
This is a genuine question if someone has any insight
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An orchestra audition taking place over several days is not uncommon, and is usually due to any number of behind-the-scenes factors that are not always obvious. For example, the music director may only be available on Friday; the hall may only be open on Thursday for a handful of hours; there may already be 2 or more services booked on Wednesday and Tuesday, etc. Any combination of things can add up to an audition taking many days, even if there aren’t many candidates, and even if in theory it could’ve been a 2-3 day audition during a free week.
That said, if you’re traveling from far away or have other scheduling restrictions, it may serve you well to contact the orchestra and ask if they’re able to accommodate specific audition times. For example, if prelims are Mon-Wed, you can ask to be scheduled for a Wednesday time so that you’re not paying for a hotel to do nothing for several days in between rounds. With enough notice, most orchestras are happy to accommodate, but of course could also refuse.
Something else I’ve seen work for a colleague was: for a particular audition, they were unable to attend any of the prelims days, but already held a comparable ICSOM position, and so asked to be auto-advanced to semis. They were approved, but this may only work with orchestras whose CBAs allow for this kind of audition advancement.