Audition Dates and Times

• Monday, August 25, 2025, from 9:00 am to 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, August 26, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Audition Location

Orchestra Rehearsal Room
Hendrie Hall, 2nd Floor
165 Elm Street

To Reserve an Audition Slot:

1. Complete the audition sign-up form.
2. Receive a link at the end of the form to the sign-up sheet
3. Follow the link to select your audition day and time

N.B.: Please do not sign up for an audition slot without first filling out the sign-up form

Open Positions

• Woodwinds: 4 Flutes, 4 Oboes, 4 Clarinets, 4 Bassoons 
• Brass: 6 Horns, 4 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, 2 Tubas 
• Strings: 16 First Violins, 14 Second Violins, 12 Violas, 12 Celli, 6 Bass 
• 1 Piano, 2 Harps (seating as required by repertoire)
• Timpani and 4 Percussion
• Assistant Conductor: Conductors will be auditioned separately. View the Assistant Conductor application and guidelines page. 

Audition Details

All auditioning students must prepare:

• A 2-minute portion of a solo work with contrasting elements
• ALL of the excerpts for the instrument(s) they wish to audition on (see below)

Excerpts are from Brahms Symphony No. 1, Berlioz “Symphonie Fantastique,” Bartók Concerto for Orchestra and Debussy “La Mer.” Audition excerpts are not an indication of this season’s repertoire.

Click on instrument titles below to download PDFs of the excerpts.

Players will be selected for principal roles based on their auditions. Only musicians who indicated interest in being a Principal on their audition form will be considered. 

Please understand that you may be asked to stop before finishing your excerpt or solo, in order to respect the audition time available. This is no indication of the quality of your audition.

Additional Audition Notes

Please arrive fifteen minutes before your scheduled audition time. Late arrivals will be accommodated as is possible, but another audition slot is not guaranteed.

All musicians must audition in order to be considered for the YSO. This includes returning students.

Students from all divisions of Yale University are invited to audition. However, priority for positions in the YSO goes to undergraduate students of Yale College. 

The YSO will carry a reserve list.

Successful auditioners in the fall semester do not need to re-audition for the spring semester.

If places are available for the spring semester auditions will be held in early January.

The Music Director’s decision is final.

Special Note: Any cellists that are unsuccessful in obtaining a position in the cello section of the YSO are welcome and encouraged to join our contrabass section. Those interested will be supported with instruments and bows that can be borrowed, and will receive regular contrabass lessons.
 

Audition Excerpts

Violin

• Berlioz - 1st Mv’t: Rehearsal No [1] to [2] & Upbeat 12 Measures after Reh No [5] to [6]
• Bartok - Finale: Measures 21 to 47
• Debussy - Movement II: [19] to [20], Movement II: [33] to 6 measures after [38], and Movement III: [47] to 2 measures before [48]
• Brahms - Movement II: mm. 90-128

Viola

• Berlioz – 1st Mv’t: 7 Measures after [8] to 5th Measure after [9]. 2nd Mv’t: 6 Measures after Reh No [36] to End.
• Bartok – 3rd Mv’t: Measure 62 to 73. Finale: Measure 418 to 449
• Debussy - mvt i, 4m before reh [3] (modere) - reh 6; mvt ii, reh [33] - 2m before reh [39]
• Brahms - mvt i, reh [D] - m 130 and m 157 -m 186; mvt 4, m 61 Allegro - m 78

Cello

• Berlioz – 4th Mv’t: 3 Measures after [50] to [53]
• Bartok – Finale: Measures 408 to 444
• Debussy - Movement I: 2 measures before [9] to 6 measures after [9]
• Brahms - mvt iv, reh [D] - reh [E], mvt iii, opening - reh [A]

Double Bass

• Berlioz- 2nd Mv’t beginning to [22], 4th Mv’t 23 before [51] to [53]
• Bartok – 1st Mv’t 51-67
• Debussy - mvt i, 2m before reh [11] - 4m before reh [13]; mvt iv, opening - reh [44]
• Brahms - Movement I: mm. 161-191, Movement II: mm. 46-60, Movement IV: [A] to [B], Movement IV: mm. 257-268 (prepare 2 of the four excerpts, your choice)

Flute

• Berlioz – 1st Mv’t Rehearsal No [2] to [3]
• Bartok - 2nd Mv’t Measures 60 to 84
• Brahms - Movement IV: mm. 38-46 link here
• Debussy - Movement III: 6 measures after [54] to 8 measures after [55]

Oboe

• Berlioz - 1st Mv’t: Rehearsal No [16] to [18]
• Bartok - 2nd Mv’t: Measure 25 to 45. Mv’t 4 Beginning to 13
• Brahms - Movement I: mm. 25-33, Movement II: mm. 17-23, Movement II: mm. 38-43
• Debussy - Movement II: [17] to [18], Movement II: [25] to 5 measures after [25], Movement II: 2 measures after [34] to [35], Movement III: 6 measures after [54] to 8 measures after [55] (prepare 2 of the four excerpts, your choice)

Clarinet

• Berlioz – 1st Mv’t: Rehearsal No [2] to [3]
• Bartok – 2nd Mv’t: Measure 45 to 58
• Brahms - mvt ii, m 42-48; mvt iii, opening - m 23
• Debussy - mvt i, 2m before reh [30] - 2 m before reh [33]; mvt ii, 2mm before reh [48] 5 m after reh [51]

Bass Clarinet in A

• Ravel “La Valse” - [4] to 2 measures after [4], 2 measures after [6] to 4 measures after [6], 5 measures before [9] to [12], 2 measures after [58] to 4 measures after [58]

Bassoon

• Berlioz – Mvt. IV 15 measures before [51] until [53], Movement V: 8 measures after [63] until 5 measures after [64], Movement V: 4 measures after [83] to [84]
• Bartok – 2nd Mv’t: mm. 8 to 24, mm. 164-180
• Brahms - 1st Mv’t: mm. 161 to 189, 4th mv’t: mm. 94 to 114

French Horn

• Berlioz – 4th Mv’t: Reh Number [53] to [55] 
• Bartok – 1st Mv’t: 342 to 396. Finale: Opening 5 Measures.
• Brahms - (in E, parts 1 and 2) Movement II: Pickups to [E] to 1 measure after [F], (in C, parts 1 and 2; part 3 in E) Movement IV: [B] to 3 measures before [C]
• Debussy - mvt i, reh [3] - 2m before reh [4], reh [11] - reh [12], reh [14] - end

Trumpet

• Bartok - mvt 2, m 90-121
• Berlioz - mvt 2, reh 31 - animato (cornet)
• Brahms - (in E, parts 1 and 2) Movement II: mm. 122-end
• Debussy - (in F) Movement I: 3 measures before [1] to 6 measures before [2]

Tenor Tro​mbone

• Bartok - mvt 5, m 543-572
• Berlioz - mvt 2, reh 31 - animato (cornet)
• Brahms - Movement IV: [C] to 14 measures after [C]
• Debussy - mvt i, reh [14] - end; mvt iii, 12m before reh [61] - 1m after reh [61]

Bass Trombone

• Bartok - mvt 5, m. 543 -573
• Berlioz - mvt 5, reh [81]-[82]
• Brahms - Movement IV: [C] to 14 measures after [C]

Tuba

• Bartok - mvt 2, m 123-159
• Berlioz -mvt 4, reh 56-6 after reh 5

Percussion

• Berlioz - (Campane) mvt v, 21m after reh 65 - 8m after reh 66
• Berlioz - (Gran Tamburo) mvt v, reh 85 - end
• Debussy - Glockenspiel

Timpani

• Brahms - mv I, reh A - 9m after reh A and 25m after reh O - reh P; mvt iv, 9m after reh Q - m 398
• Berlioz - (timp 1) mvt iv, 2m before reh 54 - 5 m after reh 55; mvt v, 9 m after reh 85 - end

Harp

• Bartok - mvt. 3, m. 66-83
• Berlioz - mvt. 2, reh 21 -22; 10 after reh 28 - 4m after reh 29
• Debussy - La mer Mvt. 1, 4 before reh. [3] to reh. [6], Mvt. 1, reh. [14]-[15], Mvt. 2, opening to reh. [19]

Piano/Celesta

• Ravel Tsigane - Celesta solo
• Select one excerpt from the following linked list: Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (“Mambo”)