Prepared piece or study: "A piece that best demonstrates your current ability level..." does not mean the most difficult work that you can "sort of" play right now. Be realistic about the music you will play at your audition. Your choice of piece will not affect which ensemble you are placed (or not placed). There is no reward in presenting poorly played renditions of difficult works, nor it does any good to spend three months trying to learn a work that is beyond your ability level. The goal of the audition is to demonstrate that you can play your instrument at a high level, demonstrating strong proficiency in the technical ability, tone quality, and musical demands of the music that you choose to present for him/her.
Please be sure you know the full name of your private teacher! It is quite shocking to a conductor when a student comes in, having studied an instrument for several years, and the student has absolutely no idea whatsoever who their teacher is! If you have not provided the full name of your private teacher on your audition form, please be sure to update your audition form and email it to CYSAuditions@cys.org.
When you receive your audition results, please know that we do not make decisions about placement without thoroughly considering every aspect of your skills and the number of openings we have or may offer. Based on what you have presented, we will recommend that you join the ensemble where you will have the best opportunity to succeed, should spaces allow.
Please do not ask for a re-audition (i.e. submitting a new video after the deadline has passed) as this is not permitted. Understand that it is impossible for our conductors to re-audition students. TIP: Take several takes of your entire audition and choose the best recording!
If you have been placed on the waiting list, please understand we still need to wait several weeks before we can figure out the true disposition of the ensembles (i.e. who is not returning, who accepts positions, etc.) before we can review or discuss any possible advancements.
