The art of auditioning
(2020)
author(s): Janet Krause
published in: KC Research Portal
ABSTRACT
Main subject: Violin
Research Supervisors: Kathryn Cok
Martine van der Loo
Title of Research: The Art of Auditioning
Research Question: What aspects should be considered in preparation for a successful violin audition?
Summary of Results:
An orchestral audition, and specifically to this paper, a violin audition, is possibly the least musically satisfying experience of one’s life. However, it is a necessary part of the path leading to a fulfilling life as an orchestral musician. The preparation for an audition certainly has specific aspects which need to be considered. This paper discusses these aspects, based in large part on my experiences as a Principal in The Hague Philharmonic and as a committee member at auditions for many years. As a violin and chamber music teacher as well as the teacher of the orchestral classes at the conservatoires in The Hague and Amsterdam, I have collected a wealth of experience training students to be successful at auditions. Besides the aspects of how to apply for an orchestral audition, which repertoire needs to be prepared, (including many orchestral excerpts which I have bowed and provided with fingerings myself), how to prepare effectively and what to expect on the actual audition day, there is a large section devoted to the research I have performed concerning mental and physical preparation. Developing mental skills to withstand the stress associated with auditions is an important part of audition preparation. Finally, I have researched, by means of a series of questions online and live and Skype interviews, how experts and candidates experience auditions. This has put me in contact with leaders of orchestras from around the world. How the two groups have responded to similar questions has put me in the position to draw some conclusions as to what committees expect at auditions and how this differs from the candidates’ viewpoints. In analyzing this research, and recognizing similarities in what I written from my own research and personal experience, I am able to draw some conclusions and make recommendations about how candidates could prepare better and be more successful at auditions.
Biography:
Janet Krause is Principal Second Violinist in The Hague Philharmonic and also a violin, chamber music and orchestral studies teacher at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. She is also teaching orchestral studies at the Conservatoire in Amsterdam. Born in Canada, she completed her Bachelor of Music in Performance at the University of Toronto, having studied with Lorand Fenyves. Moving to the Netherlands, she completed her solo-diploma at the Conservatory in Amsterdam, studying with Davina van Wely. She was a member of the Salzburger Solisten for many years and. primarius of the Dufy Quartet. Presently she is also Principal of the Solistes Européens in Luxembourg.
. I don’t want to be unnecessarily tough on you but I feel the paper is a bit too basic. I know you ran out of time but it would be great to add something about vibrato in relation to modern music practices. I think this was your plan as I understood it but you just ran out of time to think it through properly. Just to say modern day violinists use vibrato a lot is a bit too basic. You mention once that it is possible to play non vibrato, but what does this do to the sound. poco vibrato? How do contemporary composers regard the use of vibrato And incorporate this in their works. I think it would be a great addition if you could get your hands on that paper by Johannes Leertouwer. Do you not know anyone at AMsterdam Conservatory? Otherwise you could send him an email asking if you can read it. Even if I didn’t know that you had run out of time, I would still feel the paper has more possibilities. Your bibliography is unclear. Put the books in a clear list, one below the other. Tlitle the footnotes. I think you can easily expand it a bit more to make it more interesting. Now, it reads as a book about the history and types of vibrato. The conclusion should include more your reflections on the process of writing the paper as well. What do you think you have contributed to the violin world? You wrote a bit about yourself and what you have learned but that could be more. Are you pleased with the paper? etc. Unfortunately, you were so short of time, there was no possibility for me to read the conclusion before you submitted it.You don’t have to list the contents of the chapters In it, just a general synopsis of what you have learned.So, I think a few more hours of work will upgrade the paper a lot.
You need to rewrite the section about bow vibrato. This is not clear.
All in all, I cannot approve the paper as it stands at the moment.