Applications

Applications must be submitted no later than November 17, 2024 ONLINE

We accept orchestral instrument players between the ages of 18 and 30.

To apply, please kindly prepare your personal ID card/resident card/passport (scanned pictures of both sides).

You should prepare excerpts listed for your instrument. It is up to you to provide an accompanist. We accept online video auditions only. We require a video which you can send via your preferred file sharing service (Baidu Netdisk or Google Drive). Each video file must be renamed in English as “Instrument-Name-Excerpt Name”, for example “Cello-Zhang San-Beethoven Sym. No.5”. A single video file should not exceed 300 MB. After uploading, please paste the network disk link in the corresponding column in the registration form.

Instrument Categories

We will be auditioning for the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute (incl. piccolo), oboe (incl. English Horn), clarinets (incl. Eb and bass clarinets), bassoon (incl. Contrabassoon), horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion (cymbal, triangle and snare drums), harp.

Tape Audition Excerpts

Strings

Violin

Concerto: First movement of a classical or romantic violin concerto (own choice)
Orchestra Excerpts (all of them):
R. Strauss: First violin-Don Juan (Beginning to letter D)
Mozart: First violin – Symphony No.39 (Fourth Mvt exposition)

Viola

Concerto: Exposition of the first movement of Walton’s or Bartok Viola Concerto.
Orchestra Excerpts (all of them):
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Scherzo)
R. Strauss: Don Juan (beginning to fig. D)

Cello

Concerto: First movement of a classical or romantic cello concerto (own choice)
Orchestra Excerpts (all of them):
Beethoven: Symphony No.5 (2nd Mvt, beginning to fig. C)
Brahms: Symphony No.2 (2nd Mvt, beginning to fig. A)

Bass

Concerto: Exposition of the first movement of a romantic concerto. Chose between Bottesini, Koussevitsky, Rota.
Orchestra Excerpts (all of them):
Beethoven: Symphony No.5 (3rd Mvt, beginning to 5 after fig. A and Trio to 23 after fig. B)
R.Strauss: Ein Heldenleben (fig. 9 – 6 bars after fig. 12)
Mozart: Symphony No.35 (4th Mvt, bars 134 – 181)
Mahler: Symphony No.1 (3rd Mvt solo)

Woodwind

Flute

Concerto: Mozart: Flute Concerto G or D major – 1st Mov (exposition only)
Orchestra Excerpts (all of them):
Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (opening and figs.2 – 3)
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloé, Suite 2 (figs. 176 – 179)
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Scherzo)
Brahms: Symphony No.4 (4th Mvt, 13 after fig. D to 8 before fig. E)

Piccolo

Beethoven: Symphony No 9 (4th Mvt)
Ravel: Ma Mère l’Oye Suite, (3rd Mvt, figs 1 – 4, bottom line only)

Oboe

Concerto: Mozart: Oboe Concerto (first and second Movement)
Orchestra Excerpts
Choose one of the two:
Ravel : Le Tombeau de Couperin (Prelude and Menuet)
Rossini: Overture to La Scala de Seta (beginning to fig. 3)
Choose one of the two:
Brahms: Violin Concerto (2nd Mvt, beginning to bar 32)
R Strauss: Don Juan (figs. L – N)

Cor Anglais / English Horn(play both)

Dvorak: Symphony No 9 (2nd Mvt)
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major (2nd Mvt, figs.6 – 9)

Clarinet

Concerto: Mozart – Clarinet Concerto K622 1st Mov (exposition only)
Orchestra Excerpts (for Bb and A Clarinet, play all the excerpts)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 61) Mvt I – bars 474 to492 (in Bb) 2) Mvt II – bars 68 to 77 (in Bb) 3) Mvt III – bars 114 to 133 (in Bb)Kodály: Dances of Galanta – bars31-65 (in A)
Mahler: Symphony No. 11) Mvt I – 4 bars before fig. 17 untilfig. 19 2) Mvt II – figs. 8 until 9 3) Mvt III – 1 bar after fig.13 until fig. 17
4) Mvt IV – fig. 39 for 5 bars

Eb Clarinet [only students who want to play Eb, play all the excerpts]

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Mvt V – fig. 63 to 4 bars before fig. 65
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 1) Mvt II – fig. 49 tofig. 54 2) Mvt II – fig. 63 to 4 bars before fig. 64 &fig. 69 to fig. 70
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 1) Mvt III – 6 Bars after fig. 13 until fig. 17

Bass Clarinet [only students who want to play Bass Clarinet, play all the excerpts]

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1, Mvt II – fig. 23 to 13 bars after fig. 24
Mahler: Symphony No. 11) Mvt I–5th bar from beginning until 5 bars before fig. 1
2) Mvt I–6 bars after fig. 4 untilfig. 5

Bassoon

Solo Repertoire
Part1: select 1
Weber: Bassoon Concerto in F major, 1st Mvt,bars 41-118
Mozart:Bassoon Concerto in Bb major, 1st Mvt. bars 35-71
Part 2
Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in Bbmajor, 2nd Mvt, bars.7-20
Orchestra Excerpts (all of them):
Mozart: Overture, The Marriage of Figaro (bars 101 – 123 & bars139 – 171)
J.S. Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066 (Mvt 1,bars 49-71)
Ravel: Boléro (figs. 2-3)
Mahler: Symphony No. 1(3rd Mvt Satz, figs. 2-3)

Brass

Horns

Concerto: Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major – First movement (up to before the Recap).
Orchestra Excerpts (Pick 2 experts between)
Brahms: Symphony No.3 (3rd Mvt, figs. F – G)
R Strauss: Ein Heldenleben (beginning to 5 after fig. 1)
Beethoven: Symphony No.9 (3rd Mvt, bars 82 – 98, 4th horn)
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G (1st Mvt, figs. 25 – 26)
Mandatory for everyone:
Mahler: Symphony 1
1st horn: 1st mvt fig. 1-3 (first entrance after 1) and fig. 15 for 12 bars
4th horn: 3rd mvt – 4 after fig. 133 until (and including) 2 after fig. 14

Trumpet

Concerto: Joseph Haydn, Trumpet Concerto (1st movement, Exposition and development)
Orchestra Excerpts:
Choose one of the two:
Bizet: Prelude to Carmen
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition (Promenade, beginning to fig. 2)
Choose one of the two:
Schumann: Symphony No.2 (1st Mvt, first 13 bars (1st and 2nd trumpets)
R Strauss: Don Juan (figs. F to G)

Trombone

Concerto: First movement of David’s concerto (without cadence)
Orchestra Excerpts (all of them):
Ravel: Boléro (Solo First Trombone: figs. 10-11])
Wagner: Tannhäuser (Overture) (fig. A -47 bars after)
Mozart: Requiem (Tuba Mirum)
Rossini: Overture to William Tell (first entrance to 40 bars after)

Bass Trombone(play all)

Haydn: The Creation (No. 26) (beginning to fig. C)
Kodály: Háry János Suite (4th Mvt)
Respighi: Pines of Rome: II Pini presso una catacomba
Schumann: Symphony No. 3 (4th Mvt, beginning to 13 after fig. A)

Tuba (play both)

Prokofiev: Symphony No.5 (1st Mvt, figs. 3-6)
Respighi: Fontane di Roma: La fontana di Trevi al meriggio (figs. 11-14)

Timpani & Percussion

Timpani

Kruger : Etude No.45
Beethoven:Symphoy No.7 (1st Mvt, bars 315 to 388& bars 409 to the end)
Bartók: Concerto for orchestra: Intermezzo interrotto(bars 42 – 51)
Franck Martin: Concerto pour 7 instruments a vent (6 bars after fig. 18 to 7 bars after fig. 22)

Cymbals

Dvorak: Scherzo Capriccioso (fig. Q to end)
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 (3rd Mvt, figs. 32-33)

Triangle

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 (3rd Mvt, fig. I to end)
Liszt: Piano Concerto No.1 (figs. E to H)

Snare Drums

Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé Suite Symphonique (figs.1-2) (figs.8-9) (figs.13-14)

Harp

Harp (play all the excerpts)

Ravel – Tzigane, quasi cadenza
Tchaïkovski – Le lac des cygnes, cadence
Verdi – Overture to La forza del destino
Mahler – Symphony No. 5, Adagietto, beginning until fig. 2 “Fliessender”
Bartók – Concerto for Orchestra, 4. Satz: Intermezzo Interrotto

You can download the audition parts music by following this link:

 

Financial terms

Tuition fees and local accommodation will be provided throughout the 2025 YMCG; Travel expenses between student’s residence and Guangzhou are at student’s own expense.

A YMCG Scholarship will be awarded to a select group of accepted participants to provide a limited amount of round-trip travel support from their city to the city where 2025 YMCG will be held. We encourage applicants to upload any additional personal information that may be helpful to you in obtaining the scholarship.

Contact

If you wish to contact YMCG please email: ymcg@gso.org.cn