[img]541|left|||no_popup[/img]I have fallen flat on my face in auditions more times than I can count. I dropped my bow out of nervousness during the opening chords of the Dvorak Cello Concerto and the playful Scherzo of Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream on two separate occasions. My endpin that anchors my cello to the ground has slid out from underneath me at least half a dozen times. And then there were all the memory slips, wrong notes, sloppy phrasings…I will stop the memory train there.
I could write novels about these audition mishaps. However, I am not alone. The reason I rehash these memories now is to give hope to those I heard this weekend.
The Other Side of the Curtain
This past Sunday, I was asked to adjudicate string auditions for a local orchestra. Young musicians were asked to perform a movement of a concerto and a few orchestral excerpts.
I heard everything from solidly prepared and executed material to what sounded like near sight-reading. The most challenging auditions for me were those that were somewhere in between. From behind the curtain (where I sat as a judge), I could not tell if the missed notes, overplaying, and incorrect rhythms were due to lack of preparation, nervousness, or a fluke.
While these performances were not such to allow the musicians entry into the orchestra, I found myself wanting to offer some sort of feedback to these anonymous applicants. I have always personally felt insecure with the stoic “thank you” at the end of an audition.
Honoring my request, the committee allowed me to interact with these applicants, offering encouragement on their strengths, asking them to repeat passages focusing on specific musical issues, or asking pointed questions as to why they had not prepared the required material as stated in the application.
I do not know if anything I said had an impact on these applicants. I hope, however, that at least one or two had a positive audition experience and took away something they can use to prepare for their next audition.
Ms. Dewberry, an accomplished cellist, completed her DMA in Chamber Music Performance from UCLA in December 2005. She received her MM in Cello Performance from UCLA in June 2002 and her B.M. in Cello Performance from Western Michigan University in April 1998. She also holds a B.A. in French with a minor in Women's Studies and Philosophy.
Ms. Dewberry is celebrating the release of her new album, “Origins.”
Her website is www.carterdewberry.com
She may be contacted at carter@carterdewberry.com
