Auditions
Welcome to the audition information page for the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis.
Thank you for your interest in the orchestra. Our mission is to foster an enriching experience for musicians and audiences of the Twin Cities by presenting music at the highest level of any non-professional ensemble. Performances for our regular season take place from October to May, and we have a summer concert, usually in July.
Rehearsals usually take place on Tuesday nights at 6:45 pm at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 4801 France Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55410.
The Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis announces auditions for the following positions:
Principal Horn Auditions
The auditions for principal horn will be scheduled for later this year. They will be held at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd on a date or dates to be announced.
Use the Contact Us form at the bottom of the page to express interest, raise questions about the position or the orchestra, and to supply your contact information. To be considered for an audition, you also must email a resume detailing your musical training and performance experience to our orchestra manager, Rachel Hest, at rachelhest@gmail.com.
The audition will consist of the following:
A 5’ unaccompanied solo of your choosing
Orchestral excerpts as listed below
Beethoven, Symphony 6 – Movement III (mm. 132-161)
Beethoven, Symphony 7 – Movement I (mm. 86-110)
Brahms, Variations on a Theme by Haydn (Variation VI)
Mendelssohn, Midsummer Night’s Dream – Nocturne (mm.1-34)
Tchaikovsky, Symphony 5 – Movement. II, (mm. 9-28)
R. Strauss, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche – Beginning until 1
Sight reading
A PDF of the audition excerpts can be found here.
Excerpts and recordings can also be found at https://www.hornsociety.org/hornexcerpts-org.
Principal Viola Auditions
Auditions will be held at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd on September 5, 2023 from 6:30-8:30 PM.
Use the Contact Us form at the bottom of the page to express interest, raise questions about the position or the orchestra, and to supply your contact information. To be considered for an audition, you also must email a resume detailing your musical training and performance experience to our orchestra manager, Rachel Hest, at rachelhest@gmail.com.
The audition will consist of the following:
A 5’ unaccompanied solo of your choosing
Orchestral excerpts as listed below:
Mozart, Symphony 35 – Movement IV (mm. 134-181)
Beethoven, Symphony 5 – Movement II (mm. 1-10)
Mendelssohn, Midsummer Night’s Dream – Scherzo (m.17 till D)
Brahms, Symphony 4 – Movement II (mm. 64-80)
Vaughan Williams, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis – (letter I)
Sight reading
A PDF of the audition excerpts can be found here.
Excerpts and recordings can also be found at http://orchestraexcerpts.com/viola/.
Section String Auditions
Section string auditions will be held at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd on September 5, 2023 from 6:30-8:30 PM.
Use the Contact Us form at the bottom of the page to express interest, raise questions about the position or the orchestra, and to supply your contact information.
For the audition, please prepare a 3 octave D Major scale played slowly and a 5-minute piece of your choice. The audition will also include sight reading.
Section string auditions can also be arranged anytime during a concert season. Although not required, we typically will first invite you to join us for a rehearsal so you can try us out as you consider becoming a member. Following this rehearsal, you will be asked to schedule an audition.
Though any and all string players are invited to audition, the orchestra is particularly in need of basses and violas.
Substitute/Extra Players
From time to time, the Civic Orchestra requires substitute players in all sections in either rehearsal or concert. As repertoire requires, we also expand our forces, especially in the brass, woodwind, and percussion sections, though extra strings are certainly welcome as well. To be considered for our sub list or as an extra feel free to contact us via the form below.
For more information and to schedule an audition time, please fill out the form below. Please be sure to include information about what instrument you play, and any other details which are pertinent to your situation.
Thank you for your interest!