I am just getting started on taking auditions. Took my first two recently and used a lot of the advice offered on these forums which definitely helped. I really appreciate some of the really wonderful input many of the professionals submit on myauditions.

While the input is great, I found it difficult getting post-feedback from the audition committee. Not looking for the world, just some general feedback. Contacted the PM's as some of you had suggested. They said they would try but made no promises. So far, I have heard nothing back from them.

So, I am wondering if there is any service out where audition committees can offer feedback on audition candidates? Is myauditions doing this? If not, does anyone think they should?

I really think this would be such a great service to have. Does anyone think the same?

Thanks so much!

While comments can be helpful, they do require quite a bit of time on the part of the committee member who volunteers to provide such. Personally, I try to request them only if I've made it to the semis or finals in an audition.

After our principal trumpet audition in Charlotte last year, I volunteered to have my number given out to give comments, and I think nearly half of the 90+ people who showed up called me for feedback. No joke. I enjoyed speaking to these folks, but then my cell phone bill came! (actually, some were via email too). Anyway, now I understand why some folks are reluctant to "share", (but I'll probably still offer to give comments in the future. That's just what a nice guy I am!).

The thing is, with very few exceptions, I was giving the same feedback for nearly every person, (i.e., record yourself more and be honest about what you're hearing). Furthermore, alot of folks also conceded right off the bat that they didn't play well - why do you need someone on the committee to confirm that for you? The most productive conversations I had were with finalists or semi-finalists who understandably wanted a more nuanced idea of what they were presenting to us. Indeed, comments from my first round notes were often just "bad time" "fuzzy sound" or simply "no". Who would find that helpful?

Whether you're looking for a little feedback or a lot, playing for people who's opinion you value BEFORE the audition is of far greater help than comments that come after. I think we're told all the time that we should get comments, but I think there's a greater chance of them being worth something if you were actually close to getting the job.

Hope I don't sound like a ****, Jack. I don't mean it that way. I wish you the best with the process!

Hey, thanks for the feedback! Really great you responded but perhaps audition committees could provide feedback for only those who make it to the semi-finals or finals and were turned away.

I would think that the pool here would be quite small, leaving the committee members to take the time to respond to the smaller number, the ones that really could use the input. Whaddya think?

Well, ultimately the feedback has to be sought out by the player. It wouldn't be worthwile, I don't think, to just post feedback for players who maybe don't want it.

The thing about no response is that you can't really expect a committee member to be willing to share feedback. It's arduous enough judging an audition, and sometimes once the decision is made, many members of the committee don't want to think about it anymore, frankly.

It never hurts to ask, though. There will always be the possibility of no response, but usually someone on the committee is willing to share their notes. In this case, I don't see much point in reinventing the wheel.

I think that you need to find someone who is really terrific to coach with and stick with that advice. There is such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen. Certainly,comments can be useful, especially if you are making glaring errors in tempi, character, rhythm etc. But why are you showing up to an audition making those kind of mistakes? There is a lot to be said for having one or two people with big jobs who know what it takes to win a position.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: louie,

From the other side of the Atlantic: More and more orchestras here are adopting the policy of saying nothing at all to anyone. Sometimes one person is chosen to tell about the jury's impression as a whole, and not only for himself.

Especially, this is valid for the actual audition winner. I have been on an audition committee where we hired a player against an important person's vote. The only people who know this are the people who were on the comittee that day. Our new colleague doesn't know. I prefer it that way.

As somebody else said: get the feedback from good players before the audition. Play for people who already have bigger jobs than the one you apply for. Play for experienced concertmasters who have been on lots of committees. Play for conductors. That's the kind of people you play for in the audition.