Here's something I've been wondering about for a while. What typically goes on with audition committees behind "closed doors", especially between rounds? Does the committee discuss the candidates, or do they just turn in their votes & see how they turn out, then possibly discuss them? I'm guessing there has to be some discussion when there's time waiting after the last candidate of a round (esp. for semis & finals), but then sometimes there is no time to discuss when there are a lot of players (like prelims). I'm just curious what different orchestras do.

It varies widely, not only from orchestra to orchestra, but even from committee to committee. Our audition committees are allowed to set their own rules within a standard framework (for instance, our cellos don't use a screen for any round,) so some committees are allowed to discuss candidates, while others just vote up or down. There are reasonable arguments for doing it both ways, I think...

Dear Orchdork,
I don't know how trustworthy this story is, but... I heard from a friend in a certain smaller orchestra that during an audition for their orchestra a candidate was playing so poorly that someone on the panel mooned them (behind the screen, of course) while they played! Ouch!

When I served on a recent audition here in Charlotte we did take the time between rounds to discuss who we wanted to advance since we didn't always agree. Mostly though people were concerned about going to the bathroom and getting a snack or drink.

We're required to cast our votes for the next round (yes or no) before discussing the candidates. After the results of the vote are tallied, then we can discuss (and hold another vote if anyone changes their mind).

quote:

Originally posted by smackemup:
Dear Orchdork,
I don't know how trustworthy this story is, but... I heard from a friend in a certain smaller orchestra that during an audition for their orchestra a candidate was playing so poorly that someone on the panel mooned them (behind the screen, of course) while they played! Ouch!

HAAA!

I would usually just draw a hook, the type used in Vaudeville when an act was "pulled" off of the stage.

I knew one guy who would read the paper while people played. Others would eat. As far as discussions, they were fairly staid and rarely got heated.

In one situation, a local player was put into the semi-finals. That player bombed quite badly and it was painfully unacceptable. What was amazing was when we got to voting for "#5", and watching some committee members put down their heads and vote "Yes". It was behind a screen too, but we all knew who it was. I was very embarrassed to serve on that committee, it was a total mockery of the audition process.

In one audition I took, there were 8 of us in the final round. The deliberation after we all played took just over an hour. They offered me the job, and later, I asked the conductor if he had any specific comments, since obviously it must've been a difficult choice in candidates. I was told no -- they had unanimously voted for me to have the job. All the discussion was about whether to declare a runner-up or not.