Youth Orchestra
Peter Zlotnick, Music Director
Ensemble Description
Youth Orchestra is a challenging, collaborative, and creative environment for advanced orchestral playing. Youth Orchestra is open to woodwind, brass, percussion, and string players up through grade 12. Youth Orchestra performs standard and contemporary orchestral repertoire in concert in Greensboro, and features additional projects such as tours, recordings, and other special events. Tuition is $350 per year with additional cost in years with tours; scholarships are available for both merit and financial need.
Prospective Youth Orchestra members:
– demonstrate musical responsibility and dedication to prepare challenging music outside of rehearsal.
– demonstrate technical ability to play at the level of repertoire on recent Youth Orchestra concert programs - linked here
– have substantial experience playing and reading music in a variety of meters, keys, and tonalities.
– are in good standing with their school’s band or orchestra program.
String players:
– play three octave scales.
– demonstrate knowledge of bow strokes used in standard repertoire.
– read all clefs for their instrument found in standard repertoire, including tenor and treble clefs for cellos and treble clef for violists.
Woodwind and Brass players:
– learn and perform independent parts.
– read and play in keys, transpositions, and clefs applicable to their instrument in standard repertoire.
Percussionists:
– have experience on timpani, snare drum, keyboard percussion, and standard accessories.
Audition Requirements
Youth Orchestra auditions consist of two solos and one orchestral excerpts
Section Solo Requirement:
Please prepare a section from Contrapunctus I from J.S. Bach’s Art Fugue.
Choose a part as best fits your instrument! Prepare the bracketed section. Tempo is at the discretion of the performer.
Part 1: mm. 5-25 treble clef treble clef (Bb instruments)
Part 2: mm. 1-15 alto clef treble clef treble clef (Bb instruments) treble clef (F instruments)
Part 3: mm. 13-34 bass clef tenor clef alto clef treble 8va treble 8va (Bb instruments) treble clef (F instruments)
Part 4: mm. 9-28 bass clef
Combined: keyboard score (treble/bass) score (c-clefs)
Percussionists, please play on a mallet instrument. Keyboard applications, please play all parts, mm. 1-23. You may also create your own part! For example, upper string players and percussionists might play multiple parts combined.
Excerpt Requirements are updated for the 2026-2027 season auditions:
Please prepare “first” parts (Violin I, Flute I, etc.) unless listed otherwise. Clarinets and trumpets, please perform excerpts in the keys/transpositions of the original compositions; you may use alternate/transposed parts.
If you have any difficulty accessing the linked folders, please email us via education@greensborosymphony.org and/or rcarpenter@greensborosymphony.org. Please consider the audition preparation recommendations, available here.
Violin , Viola , Cello: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture: 1 before letter E to F, and Q to R
Bass: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture: 1 before E to the 4th bar of F
Romero - Fuga Con Parajillo: mm. 289-315
Harp: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture: J to K
Ravel - Mother Goose Suite, mvt. V: 2 bars before rehearsal 2 to 4
Flute , Oboe: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture: mm. 212 to letter J
Williams - Titan: letter B to F
Clarinet: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture: mm. 1-11
Romero - Fuga Con Parajillo: mm. 353-376
Bass Clarinet: Saint-Saëns - Danse Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah: mm. 56-103
Williams - Titan: letter E to the end
Bassoon: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture: 4th bar of letter F to G
Romero - Fuga Con Parajillo: mm. 9-40
Horn: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Overture: 3rd bar of letter Q to R
Romero - Fuga Con Parajillo: mm. 1-7
Trumpet: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, 5th bar of letter N to O
Williams - Titan, letter E to the end
Trombone , Tuba: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, letter S to U
Williams - Titan, letter E to the end
Percussion: Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Overture, Timpani, letter N to the 2nd bar of P
Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet Fantsy Overture, Cymbals, 2 bards before O to P
Solo Selection of Your Choice Requirements:
A short (one-to-two minute) selection of your choice. This can be a section of a longer piece, an additional excerpt, or something original - please choose something that represents your musical interests!
Percussionists, please communicate ahead regarding available instruments (plan to bring a snare drum, is using.)
If you play an additional instrument such as piccolo, English horn, saxaphone, or other, please prepare a secord short piece of your choise to demonstrate that instrument. You do not need to do a second full audition.