How does a musician become a member of a symphony orchestra?
All musicians in the orchestra must pass an audition. Typically, when an opening occurs in an orchestra, it is advertised nationally and applicants submit their resumes for review. In some cases, an applicant must also submit a recording of specific orchestral excerpts before being invited to a live audition. For the audition, a musician prepares at least one solo work (usually a concerto) and several contrasting selections from the orchestral repertoire. Occasionally, sight-reading (playing music that was not on the audition repertoire list) is required. In order to guarantee anonymity and to prevent favoritism, the candidates play from behind a screen. The music director, with assistance from an audition committee comprised of orchestra members, selects the player believed to be most qualified for the job. Auditions are very competitive; as many as three hundred applicants from around the world may send in their resumes for a single position in a major symphony orchestra. The Honolul
