Winds, Brass, and Percussion Auditions

Majors are not offered and auditions are not heard in classical saxophone or euphonium.

Notes for Applicants:

  • All applicants must submit a screening audition for review via the Audition and Screening Dropbox on your Applicant Portal.
  • Screening recordings and recorded auditions must be audio/video recordings. Audio-only recordings will not be accepted. 
  • Screening deadline: December 4. 
  • Final audition recordings deadline: February 1.
  • When choosing repertoire to satisfy requirements of your choice, we encourage exploring the works of Black and other underrepresented composers, or other works that you find personally meaningful or diverse. Choosing repertoire is an opportunity to showcase works that best reflect your culture, gender or other forms of self-identity. Check the Oberlin Conservatory Library webpage Diversify your Repertoire for ideas to get started.

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Flute Audition Dates

Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Thursday, January 26, 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023

Screening Requirements

  • Applicants choice between: Faure's Morceau de Concours for flute and piano;  Movement 1 Lin-Fa or Movement 3 Gaia from Legends for flute and piano by Valerie Coleman; or Here's One by William Grant Still, playing the vocal line with piano 
  • Minimum of one additional piece of applicant's choice

The piano accompaniment is required for Faure's Morceau de Concours, but the other piece(s) may be submitted without piano accompaniment. If live accompaniment is not possible, we recommend using this recorded piano accompaniment for your video submission or invite you to upload a short recording (no more than three minutes) of yourself in a previous performance with piano or in a chamber ensemble.

Final Audition Requirements

  • Two or three selections, including movements from sonatas, concertos, and other solo pieces, of contrasting styles from standard repertoires

It is recommended that the piece required for screening, Faure's Morceau de Concours, not be one of the final audition pieces chosen. Compositions chosen should demonstrate the applicant's ability in phrasing, sustained playing, and technical facility, including legato and staccato at varied tempi.  While not required, orchestral excerpts are welcomed and encouraged.

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Oboe Audition Date

Saturday, February 18, 2023
Sunday, February 19, 2023

Screening Requirements:

  • One or more pieces of the applicant's choice, totaling approximately ten minutes of playing

Audition Requirements:

  • Two or three selections, including movements from sonatas, concertos, and other solo pieces, of contrasting styles from standard repertoires
  • Barret's Sixteen Grand Studies, any one of the applicant's choice 

Compositions chosen should demonstrate the applicant's ability in phrasing, sustained playing, and technical facility, including legato and staccato at varied tempi. 

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Clarinet Audition Dates

Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Thursday, January 26, 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023

Screening Requirements

  • One piece of the applicant's choice, no more than ten minutes of playing

The selected work should demonstrate the following criteria to the best of your ability: creativity, lyrical playing, technical facility and the passion for the instrument and repertoire you have chosen to perform. Please announce your name and the title of the piece at the beginning of the video.

Final Audition Requirements:

Two required works:

  • Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, first movement, exposition only: m. 57-m. 155
  • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Clarinet Quintet Op.10, second movement, begin at 5th bar of letter O and end at 3rd bar of Letter P

One of the following works:

One orchestral excerpt:

Bb or A clarinet is acceptable for any work. If you would like to perform a solo or excerpts on the bass clarinet or E-flat clarinet, it would be in addition to the requirements above. Piano accompaniment is optional. Please announce your name before performing.

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Bassoon Audition Dates

Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023

Screening Requirement:

  • Movement or exposition of 1st and 2nd movements of a solo piece of the applicant’s choice

Final Audition Requirements:

  • Fast/technical movement of a standard solo of applicant's choice, such as Weber or Mozart concerto 1st movement.
  • Lyrical movement (or piece) of applicant's choice. Encouraged to include a work by an underrepresented composer such as but not limited to Ulysses Kay Sonata or Adrienne Albert Serenade,   Wilson Dance Suite, Siqueira: Drei Etuden
  • Two excerpts of applicant's choice
  • Etude of choice
  • Email Professor Pattison with questions drew.pattison@oberlin.edu

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Horn Audition Dates

Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023

Screening Requirements:

  • First movement from Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 2, 3, or 4
  • First movement from Strauss' Concerto No. 1
  • Orchestral excerpts:
    • Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel, first horn solo (two calls in F)
    • Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, second movement solo
    • Brahms' Symphony No. 3, third movement solo

Final Audition Requirements:

  • Strauss' Concerto No. 1, op. 11, beginning to twenty-three measures before letter D
  • Thelonious Monk's Straight No Chaser
  • Excerpts:
    • Paquito D'Rivera's Aires Tropicales for wind quintet, "Contradanza," entire movement
      Oberlin understands that music is an inclusive art form that can be learned, appreciated, and accessed in a variety of different ways. We are providing sheet music for Paquito D’Rivera’s second movement of Aires Tropicales for use in auditions. There is a link below to a recording for immediate reference. Should a vision impaired student need access to an alternate format of this piece, please contact the Office of Conservatory Admissions at conservatory.admissions@oberlin.edu.
    • Nielsen's Wind Quintet, solo: begin ten measures after letter A for eight measures
    • Strauss' Don Juan, begin one measure before letter O to letter P
    • Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, op. 47, first movement, begin three measures after rehearsal #17 to #21

For Straight No Chaser, transpose the part down one step (also known as Horn in Eb) and repeat the entire page once. For the movement from Aires Tropicales, only play the second endings, do not play first endings.

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Trumpet Audition Dates

Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023

Screening Requirements:

  • One solo piece of applicant's choice, such as the first movement of Kennan's Trumpet Sonata and the second movement of Hummel's Trumpet Concerto
  • One étude; such as Charlier, Étude #2 or Arban, Characteristic Study #1.
  • Orchestral excerpts:
    • Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, "Promenade"
    • Stravinsky's Petruschka, "Ballerina Danse"
    • Respighi's Pines of Rome, offstage solo
    • Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2 and No. 3, trumpet calls
    • Mahler's Symphony No. 5, opening call

Final Audition Requirements:

  • Two solo pieces of applicant's choice of contrasting styles, such as the first movement of Kennan's Trumpet Sonata and the second movement of Hummel's Trumpet Concerto
  • Orchestral excerpts:
    • Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, "Promenade"
    • Stravinsky's Petruschka, "Ballerina Danse" 
    • Respighi's Pines of Rome, offstage solo
    • Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 2 and No. 3, trumpet calls
    • Mahler's  Symphony No. 5, opening call

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Trombone Audition Dates

Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023

Screening Requirement:

  • One or more pieces of the applicant's choice, totaling approximately ten minutes of playing

Audition Requirements:

  • A Rochut/Bordogni étude of the applicant's choice
  • A contrasting technical étude of the applicant's choice
  • A solo or concerto movement from the standard repertoire
  • Major scales (two octaves where practical) and sight reading may be asked for in the live audition.
  • Orchestra excerpts are welcome, but not required

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Trombone Audition Dates

Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023

Screening Requirement:

  • One or more pieces of the applicant's choice, totaling approximately ten minutes of playing

Audition Requirements:

  • A Rochut/Bordogni étude of the applicant's choice
  • A contrasting technical étude of the applicant's choice
  • A solo or concerto movement from the standard repertoire
  • Major scales (two octaves where practical) and sight reading may be asked for in the live audition.
  • Orchestra excerpts are welcome, but not required

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Tuba Audition Date

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Screening Requirements:

  • One étude
  • Wagner's Die Meistersinger Overture, beginning to downbeat of letter A
  • One, two-octave scale

Final Audition Requirements:

  • One technical and one lyrical étude
  • One solo piece of applicant's choice
  • Berlioz' La damnation of Faust, "Hungarian March", rehearsal 4 to the fourth bar of rehearsal 5
  • Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries
  • Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony, first movement, begin at rehearsal #3 to eight measures after rehearsal #5
  • Wagner's Die Meistersinger Overture, beginning to downbeat of letter A and rehearsal J to rehearsal L

2022 - 2023 On-Campus Percussion Audition Dates

Thursday, January 26, 2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023
Saturday, February 18, 2023

Note: The Percussion Audition includes demonstration of all three areas listed below.

Below you will find the screening and final audition requirements for each of the three required areas, followed by examples. 

Percussion education can take many paths. Professor Karre is committed to an open and inclusive environment, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or LGBTQ+ status, where all approaches are valid and young artists can build rewarding lives as creative musicians and thoughtful collaborators. If the examples below are unfamiliar to you, Professor Karre would still like to hear you play and understand your goals as a percussionist.

Recommendation: When choosing music for your audition select works that are slightly below your technical level, so that your interpretation is clear and expressive. 

Keyboard (Marimba, Xylophone, Vibraphone)

Screening Requirements:

  • One composition, or movement with four mallets
  • One composition, or movement with two mallets

Final Audition Requirements:

  • One composition, or movement with four mallets
  • One composition, or movement with two mallets

Example works:

2 Mallet
J.S. Bach - one movement from Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
J.S. Bach - one movement from Six Suites for Solo Cello

4 Mallet
Keiko Abe - Dream of the Cherry Blossoms
Pius Cheung - Etude in E-minor
Joanne Metcalf - Floating and Grooving
Kaori Okatani - Three Colors
Gordon Stout - Two Mexican Dances
Toshimitsu Tanaka - Two Movements for Marimba
Errolyn Wallen - Remember, Marimba
Andrea Venet - ​Strobilanthes  

You may perform passages from orchestra, wind ensemble, band, marching band (front ensemble) which include 2 and 4 mallet playing on xylophone, marimba, or vibraphone.

Snare Drum

Screening Requirements:

  • Two études of diverse styles demonstrating musicality as well as technical ability

          Or

  • You may perform passages from orchestra, wind ensemble, band, or marching band that include drums performed with sticks. 

Final Audition Requirements:

  • Two études or compositions demonstrating musicality as well as technical ability

Example works: 
Anthony Cirone - Portraits in Rhythm
Jacques Delécluse - Douze Études pour Caisse Claire
John S. Pratt - 14 Modern Contest Solos
Charles Wilcoxon - Modern Rudimental Swing Solos

Timpani

Screening Requirements:

  • There are no timpani screening requirements.

Final Audition Requirements:

  • One composition or movement from a composition 
  • Demonstration of tuning ability 
  • You may perform passages from wind ensemble, band, or marching band (front ensemble) that include timpani.

Example works:

Raynor Carroll - Exercises, Etudes, and Solos for the Timpani
Richard Hochrainer - Etüden für Timpani 1-3
Nick Woud - Symphonic Studies for Timpani

Notes

If you're having difficulty accessing the percussion instruments required for your screening or final audition recordings, please contact the Office of Conservatory Admissions at conservatory.admissions@oberlin.edu.

Auditions and Interviews Overview