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Ensemble Placement and Audition Information FALL 2008

Please review the material below for important dates, locations, audition requirements and sign-up procedures for orchestras and ensembles.


OPERA STUDIO AUDITIONS
Gordon Ostrowski, Assistant Dean of Opera
gostrowski@msmnyc.edu or 917-493-4534

Auditions for the Manhattan School of Music Opera Studio are open to undergraduate juniors and seniors (if their class schedules allow) and all master’s and Professional Studies students (if their class schedules allow). YOUR CLASS SCHEDULE MUST BE FREE FROM 9:30 AM TO 12:30 PM, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. Freshman and Sophomores Undergraduates may not audition for the Opera Studio.

If you are interested in auditioning for the Opera Studio, please email Caren France at cfrance@msmnyc.edu no later than June 16, 2008. Please note that inquiries for Opera Studio auditions received after the June 16th deadline may not be guaranteed an audition spot. Audition times will be emailed to those students who have returned their Intent to Enroll Form and their $500 Confirmation Fee for Fall 2008. Emails will be sent no later than June 30, 2008, so once you have registered your interest, please be patient. Note: the Opera Studio Office will be closed from June 30, 2008 through August 15, 2008.

If you are given an audition time you must prepare an aria in English (not a translation), an aria in a foreign language, and a musical theater song. You must also present a résumé and photo at the time of your audition. The photo does not need to be a professional headshot. An accompanist will be provided for your audition. Your first aria must be no longer than four minutes.

General auditions may be followed with a callback, either for the opera or the opera scenes program. You may be asked to audition one to three times. The number of auditions you give does not guarantee that you will be accepted. All Opera Studio members will be assigned a role, as this is a performance ensemble. All Opera Workshop members will be assigned to a class. You may be cast as a cover, chorus member, or principal performer. Please note that you may not register for the Opera Studio class unless you are assigned a role.

Productions for the 2008-2009 academic year will be:

  • Opera Scenes - November 21 and 23, 2008

  • Fall Main Stage Opera - December 10, 12, and 14, 2008
    LATER THE SAME EVENING by John Musto

  • Dona Vaughn's Opera Workshop* - TBA**

  • Spring Main Stage Opera - April 2009
    DIE FLEDERMAUS by Johann Strauss

  • Spring Outreach Training Program - TBA**

*Dona Vaughn’s Opera Workshop is a year-long class for talented students who are not ready for the work of the Opera Studio. Many students who complete this class are taken into the Opera Studio at a later date.

**Auditions for the spring semester Opera Studio take place in December after the fall semester has ended. The other component of the spring semester, the Outreach Training Program, includes three to four performance opportunities.

Please note that students must be available for all of the audition days!

The audition dates for the Opera Studio are as follows:

  • Tuesday, August 26, 11AM - 7PM General Auditions Borden Auditorium

  • Wednesday, Aug. 27, 11AM - 7PM General Auditions Borden Auditorium

  • Thursday, August 28, 11AM - 7PM Opera Callbacks Borden Auditorium

  • Friday, August 29, 11AM - 7PM Opera Scenes Callbacks Borden Auditorium

  • Saturday, August 30, 12 noon Results posted Opera Board

The Opera Office will be open for business on Monday, August 15, 2008. If you have additional questions, please call Gordon Ostrowski, Assistant Dean of Opera, at 917-493-4534, or email gostrowski@msmnyc.edu until June 16, 2008 or after August 15, 2008.



MUSICAL THEATER AUDITIONS
Carolyn Marlow, Director
momsmarlow@aol.com (please type “Musical Theater Ensembles” in the subject line).

There are two musical theater ensembles offered at the Manhattan School of Music: The American Musical Theater Ensemble
and Musical Theater Lab. Students are selected for these ensembles during the same audition, and both are taught by the same faculty.

The American Musical Theater Ensemble is a vocal performance ensemble. The time commitment for this ensemble is one full year. The first semester is a “teaching” semester in which members learn the style of musical theater performance, audition technique and repertory, scene technique, practical aspects of the business, etc. The second semester is entirely devoted to the spring production and consists of rehearsals only. The "show" will be a musical revue performed with lights, sound, choreography, a band, etc., in Borden Auditorium, usually in middle May. Some past revues include Side by Side by Sondheim, The Rhythm of Life (Cy Coleman), And the World Goes ’Round (Kander and Ebb), September Songs (Kurt Weill), numerous pastiches, etc. There are three performances—no double casting. The ensemble is open to all classical and jazz voice majors, usually consists of ten members, and is represented by students with varied interests: those who are definitely headed for a career in musical theater; opera and jazz singers who wish to improve their acting skills; and those who have not quite decided which path to choose. Former members of AMTE have appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours, regional theater, films, TV, etc.

Musical Theater Lab meets for two hours per week during the fall semester only. This ensemble is in format very similar to the first semester of AMTE with the main goals being that students learn solid musical theater technique and build their musical theater repertory. However, there is no large performance included. There will be a small studio performance at the end of the semester. This ensemble is geared to students who may not be quite ready for AMTE, whose talents may not have been suited to the current AMTE production, who may not wish to be involved in a large performance, or who are unavailable during the spring semester.

The audition will occur during the fall (date TBA), and there are two main parts. They include:

- a singing audition

- a dance/movement audition.

For the singing audition, students must prepare two contrasting pieces from musical theater: one ballad (slow song) and one up-tempo (fast or lively song). Operatic arias will not be accepted. Songs from an operetta will be considered. All songs must be memorized. In some instances a vocal callback might be required. If you have a resume and photo, please present them at the time of the audition. An accompanist will be provided, though you may feel free to bring your own.

The main callback is a dance call during which the choreographer judges the student’s ability to move or actually dance. Dance is not a requirement for admission to this ensemble, and people should still consider auditioning even though they might not have dance training. Many students who cannot dance have been taken into the ensemble, but dance ability is obviously a plus.

If you have any questions about the musical theater ensembles, please feel free to email Carolyn Marlow at momsmarlow@aol.com (please type “Musical Theater Ensembles” in the subject line).



CHAMBER MUSIC AND ENSEMBLES
Lynne Normandia, Manager of Chamber Music and Ensembles
lnormandia@msmnyc.edu or 917-493-4433

Every semester, nearly 400 students at Manhattan School of Music are placed into Chamber Music and Ensembles, if required by credit, by their department chairs in collaboration with the manager of ensembles. Over ninety chamber groups are coached weekly by renowned faculty specializing in chamber music. Appropriate chamber groups are given the opportunity to perform in our winter and summer Chamber Music Festivals and compete in the Fuchs Chamber Music Competition.
Instrumental groups vary from the classic piano trio, string quartet, and woodwind or brass quintet, to the contemporary TACTUS or Claremont ensembles. Adventurous instrumentalists and singers can join guitar or harp groups or form larger ensembles to perform such major works as Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat. Pianists may also play in four-handed or two-piano teams or accompany vocal ensembles. Singers can audition for opera and musical theater or select from any number of ensembles ranging from Baroque to contemporary.

Before each semester, students may request the type of groups into which they want to be placed by filling out an Individual Request Form, found in Room 201. In addition, if students have formed their own groups, they can submit a Group Request Form for instrumental chamber music. We do everything possible to honor requests; however, we cannot guarantee them.

For vocal ensembles, graduate students may fill out a Vocal Request Form to study in a variety of vocal classes and ensembles without auditioning. (See descriptions below.) American Musical Theater and Opera Workshop hold auditions at the beginning of the fall semester; those accepted work together for the entire year. Opera Studio holds auditions before each semester. If students are selected to participate in Opera Studio or American Musical Theater, they will not need to take additional ensembles. Musical Theater Lab takes place only in the fall semester.

Small Ensemble Voice Class Descriptions

  • French Vocal Chamber Music with Gait Sirguey

    French vocal chamber music for 2, 3, or 4 solo voices, a cappella, as well as with instrumentalists, encompassing the entire spectrum of the melody period from the 19th century to the present. Major emphasis is on the French performance style as well as the individual interpretation of composers.

  • Songs of the Romantic Period: Vocal Accompanying with Raymond Beegle

    A performance class focusing on German, Russian, and French songs for solo voice and piano. Songs in other languages are also welcome. Rehearsal techniques, diction, style, and ensemble issues will be presented in a way to prepare both singer and pianist for future professional collaboration.

  • Vocal Performance Class with Cynthia Hoffmann

    A master class designed to enhance performance skills and communication through music, acting, and stage movement principles. The Alexander technique is also applied. Opera arias and song repertoire will be performed.

  • Baroque Aria Ensemble with Kenneth Cooper

    The Baroque Aria Ensemble offers instrumentalists and vocalists a unique opportunity to work together, exploring the repertoire of 18th-century opera, cantata, oratorio, concerto, and chamber music. In addition to vocal and instrumental coaching, Dr. Cooper provides instruction in diction and acting, guidance in performance practices of the Baroque and Classical styles, improvisation, ornamentation, and ensemble skills in preparation for professional work in this field.

Other Vocal Opportunities

Voice with guitar, harp, or contemporary music with TACTUS—please see Lynne Normandia (see contact information below) if interested!

Every vocal coach schedules a final class performance at the end of each semester. Baroque Aria and Cynthia Hoffmann’s class performances may occur outside of the school.

Winter/Spring Chamber Music Festivals—Students participating in Vocal Chamber Music classes will have the opportunity to perform on our weekend celebrations in December and April.

*** Attention All Students Enrolled in Chamber Music and Ensembles ***
A general meeting will be held in early September in Borden Auditorium to update students on innovative performing opportunities for the academic year.

Please visit the chamber music office in Room 201 to speak with Lynne Normandia, Manager of Chamber Music and Ensembles, email Lnormandia@msmnyc.edu, or call 212-749-2802, extension 4433 with any questions or concerns



JAZZ ENSEMBLE PLACEMENT AUDITIONS
Mark Micklethwaite, Coordinator of the Jazz Arts Program
mmicklethwaite@msmnyc.edu
212-749-2802, extensions 4517 or 4724

Jazz Ensemble Placement Auditions will take place on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. You will receive an audition time via email in early August from the Jazz Office. These auditions are mandatory for all jazz students. No Exceptions! Put this date on your calendar.

These auditions are for placement in small combos as well as the Jazz Orchestra, Concert Jazz Band, Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, Chamber Jazz Ensemble, and Jazz Philharmonic.

JAZZ AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:

  1. Prepare five standard tunes of various keys, tempos, and moods to be performed unaccompanied. You will be asked to play the melody from memory and improvise on the chord changes. The audition panel will select one or two of the five tunes.

  2. Sight-reading

For more information, please contact Mark Micklethwaite, Jazz Arts Program Coordinator, at 917-493-4517 or mmicklethwaite@msmnyc.edu




ORCHESTRAL PLACEMENT AUDITIONS
Kathryn Shirilla, Orchestra Manager
kshirilla@msmnyc.edu
917-493-4503

(Note: excludes Contemporary Performance Program students, who must contact Dr. Marjorie Merryman, Dean of Students, directly for Fall 2008 information)

On behalf of Maestro David Gilbert, Resident Conductor, and the orchestral staff, we welcome you to Manhattan School of Music!

At the beginning of each semester, auditions are held to determine placement in the Manhattan Chamber Sinfonia, the Manhattan Symphony Orchestra, or the Manhattan Philharmonia Orchestra. Every student playing an orchestral instrument is required to take one of these auditions, without exception. Auditions are held throughout the building and adjudicated by members of the faculty, many of whom are members of the New York Philharmonic or the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Auditions are held behind a screen, ensuring the anonymity of both the adjudication committee and you. A monitor is present at the audition to communicate (if necessary) with the committee for you. Auditions for Fall 2008 are scheduled for September 2, 3, 4, and 5, 2008. Individual audition times and days will be available in the middle of August. Please contact the Office of Orchestral Operations to receive your time before you arrive at Manhattan School of Music. The phone number is 212-749-2802, extension 4503 or email kshirilla@msmnyc.edu.

**All students involved in the classical orchestras must attend a mandatory orchestra meeting in Borden Auditorium on Wednesday, September 10 at 10:00am.

Orchestral placement audition repertoire for all instruments is available by June 1 and listed below. At the actual audition, the adjudication committee will select the excerpts or sections of excerpts you will be asked to play from the list.

String players: please note that there will be a second round of unscreened auditions, by invitation only, for principal chairs immediately following the first round of auditions. All audition materials except for concertos (for those instruments requiring a concerto) will be distributed via e-mail.

  • To obtain audition materials via e-mail, please e-mail the Performance Librarian, Manly Romero, after June 1, at mromero@msmnyc.edu or 917-493-4510.

  • For questions regarding audition times and locations, contact the Orchestra Manager, Kathryn Shirilla, after August 22, at kshirilla@msmnyc.edu or 917-493-4503.

  • For all other matters pertaining to orchestra auditions, contact the Director of Performance Operations, Heidi Stubner, at hstubner@msmnyc.edu or 917-493-4557.



Fall 2008 Orchestra Placement Audition Repertoire


Flute  (all excerpts from Baxtresser book)
Mozart, W. A.        Concerto in G Major (Mvt. I: exposition)
Bach, J. S.          St. Matthew's Passion
Brahms               Symphony No. 4 in E Minor
Hindemith            Symphonic Metamorphosis
Prokofiev            Peter and the Wolf
Rossini              Overture to William Tell

Oboe
Brahms               Symphony No. 3 in F Major
Berlioz              Symphonie fantastique
Debussy              La Mer
Rossini              Overture to La scala di seta
Stravinsky           Symphony in C
Prokofiev            "Classical Symphony" (No. 1 in D Major)
Bartok               Concerto for Orchestra

Clarinet
Mozart, W. A.        Concerto for Clarinet
Beethoven            Symphony No. 8 in F Major
                         III. (Menuet) bar 48 to end, with repeat
Berlioz              Symphonie fantastique
                         II. #35 for 18 bars;
                         III. #43 to #44
Mendelssohn, Felix   Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream (Beginning to G)
Rachmaninoff         Symphony No. 2 in E Minor
                         III. Opening solo to #47
Rimsky-Korsakov      Scheherazade
                         II. Cadenza
                         III. #D to #F
                         IV. #I to #K
Strauss, R.           Till Eulenspiegel's lustige Streiche: #27 to #29; #30 to #32
Tchaikovsky           Symphony No. 4 in F Minor
                         I. Moderato Assai to #F
                         III. #E to #G
Weber                 Overture to Oberon: Solo, bar 64 to 72

Bassoon 
Mozart, W. A.         Concerto for Bassoon (Mvt. I beginning to 1st Fermata)
Mozart, W. A.         Overture to The Marriage of Figaro (recap, for 16 bars)
Ravel                 Bolero (solo)
Rimsky-Korsakov       Scheherezade (Mvt. II: Solo & Cadenzas)
Tchaikovsky           Symphony No. 4 in F Minor (Mvt. 1: excerpts; Mvt. 2: Solo, 274 to end)
Tchaikovsky           Symphony No. 6 in B Minor (Mvt. I: opening)
Stravinsky            Suite from The Firebird (1919): Introduction and Berceuse


Horn
Brahms                Symphony No. 1 in C Minor
                         II. Horn I solo (bar 90 to 105/ 1 before E to F)
                         IV. Horn I solo (bar 30 to 38)
Ravel                 Piano Concerto in G (Movement I solo, #25 to #26)
Shostakovich          Symphony No. 5 in D Minor
                         I. (Horn I) low unison, #17 to #21
Strauss, R.           Ein Heldenleben  (Horn 1, Opening to 5 after #1)
Strauss, R.           Till Eulenspiegel's lustige Streiche  (Horn 1, Opening call)
Tchaikovsky           Symphony No. 4 in F Minor
                         I. (Horn 2) opening to 6 after #A

Trumpet 
Bartok                Concerto for Orchestra
                         V. #211 to #249
Beethoven             Leonore Overture No. 3 (Off-stage solo)
Holst                 The Planets
                         IV. "Jupiter"
Mahler                Symphony No. 3 in D Minor
                         Posthorn solo
                         VI. Chorale
Strauss, R.           Ein Heldenleben (1st E-flat Trumpet) #49 to #55
Tchaikovsky           Symphony No. 4 in F Minor (1st Movement; opening)


Tenor Trombone
Bartok                The Miraculous Mandarin
                         Trombone I: 1 before #60 to 6 after #61;
                         Trombone II: #71 to first bar of #74
Copland               Appalachian Spring: #59 to #64
Saint-Saëns           Symphony No. 3: #Q to 3 after #S
Strauss, R.           Also Sprach Zarathustra: 4 before #16 to #16; 
                         7 after #50 to 1 after #51
Strauss, R.           Till Eulenspiegel's lustige Streiche: #31 to #32; 
                         4 before #36 to 4 before #38
Wagner                Overture to Tannhäuser: 1 before #M to End

Bass Trombone
Bartok                The Miraculous Mandarin
Berlioz               Hungarian March
Schumann              Symphony No. 1 in B-flat Major
Schumann              Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major
Strauss, R.           Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme(Der Bürger als Edelmann)
Wagner                Siegfried - Act II, Scene ii


Tuba
Berlioz               Requiem
                         No. 7: #66 to 67
                         No. 9: #86 to End
Holst                 The Planets
                         IV.  9 before #1 to 3 after #1
                         "     pickup to #3 to #4
                         "     8 before #7 to #8
                         "     4 after #11 to #12
                         "     8 before #17 to Presto
                         VI.  5 before #3 to #3
Mahler                Symphony No. 2 in C Minor "Resurrection"
                         I. 6 before #2 to #2
                         "  #20 to Tempo I
                         V. #10 to #11
                         "  #25 to #27
Stravinsky             Petrouchka (1911 vers.) 
                          Solo, bar 121-122, as written and down the octave
Wagner                 Siegfried: #A to #D
Wagner                 Das Rheingold: 
                          #4 for 20 bars
                          #11 for 15 bars (Dragon solo)
                          #18 for 11 bars

Harp

Donizetti              Lucia di Lammermoor
Tchaikovsky            Swan Lake (Cadenza)


Violin
First Round
Brahms                 Symphony No. 4 in E Minor
                          I. 2 before #Q (bar 392) to End
Mendelssohn, Felix     Symphony No. 4 in A Major ("Italian"): Mvt. I (complete)
Mozart, W. A.          Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major: 
                          II. (exposition and development)
Schubert               Symphony No. 2 in B-flat Major 
                          I. Allegro vivace to first G.P.
Schumann               Symphony No. 2 in C Major
                          II. Scherzo (exposition w/repeat)

Second Round (for principal chairs)
Bach, J. S.             B-minor Mass: Mvt. 5 "Arie" solo
Rimsky-Korsakov         Capriccio Espapgnol (all solos)
Strauss, R.             Ein Heldenleben (solo)
Tchaikovsky             Suite No. 3 (solo)


Viola
First Round
Beethoven               Symphony No. 5 in C Minor
                           II. Beginning to bar 37
Brahms                  Symphony No. 3 in F Major
                           I. #E to #G
Britten                 The Young Persons' Guide to the Orchestra (Variation F)
Mozart, W. A.           Symphony No. 40 in G Minor
                           IV. bar 147(#C) to bar 205
Second Round (for principal chairs)
Rossini                  La gazza ladra (bar 88 to #C)
Kodaly                   Suite from Hary Janos: Andante: to #1 (solo)
Strauss, R.              Don Quixote (bar 142 to 176)

Cello
First Round
Brahms                   Symphony No. 3 in F Major (Mvt. 1, #L to #M)
Debussy                  La Mer (Top line of cello divisi passage)
Mozart, W. A.            Symphony No. 40 in G Minor
                            I. 20 bars before #C to #C
                            I. 34 bars before #E to #E
Prokofiev                Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major
                            Mvt. IV, #79 to #80-top line only of divisi passage

Second Round (for principal chairs)
Beethoven                 Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (Mvt. II, bar 1 to #A)
Rossini                   Overture to William Tell (Top line of solo passage)


Double Bass
First Round
Beethoven                 Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major ("Eroica") 
                             III. bar 14 to #B
Mendelssohn, Felix        Symphony No. 4 in A Major ("Italian")
                             I. bar 41 to bar 90
                             I. bar 261 to bar 330
Mozart, W. A.             Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major
                             I. bar 14 to bar 21
                             I. bar 40 to #C
                             IV. bar 104 (double bar) to #C
Prokofiev                 Suite from Lieutenant Kije
                             Solo 8 before 16 to 16; solo at last bar

Second Round
TBA (based on season repertoire when available)


Percussion

Xylophone:
Gershwin Porgy and Bess-Introduction (Goldenberg)
Kabalevsky Colas Breugnon (Goldenberg)
Shostakovitch Polka (Goldenberg)

Bells:
Dukas                Sorcerer's Apprentice (Abel)
Mozart                Magic Flute (Goldenberg)
Respighi           Pines of Rome

Snare Drum:
Bartok                Concerto for Orchestra
Prokofiev           Peter and the Wolf (Goldenberg)
Prokofiev           Lt. Kije- Birth of Kije and Burial
Ravel                Bolero
Rimsky-Korsakov      Scheherazade - 3rd and 4th movements (Goldenberg)

Cymbals:
Tchaikovsky           Romeo and Juliet (Goldenberg)
General crashes at varied dynamics

Tambourine:
Dvorak                Carnival Overture (Goldenberg or Payson)
Demonstrate shake and finger roll skills

Triangle:
Brahms                Symphony No. 4
Demonstrate roll and single note skills

Timpani:
Beethoven           Symphony No. 5 (Goldenberg or Hinger)
Beethoven           Symphony No. 9 - 1st and 2nd movements
Brahms                Symphony No.1 - opening and 4th movement
Hindemith           Symphonic Metamorphosis - 2nd movement
Stravinsky           Rite of Spring - Danse Sacrale (Hinger)
Tchaikovsky           Symphony No. 4 - 1st mvmt (Goldenberg or Hinger)



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