Auditioning the Audition Process
Robert Levine wrote:
As a music director, wouldn’t you rather spend more time upfront on making a good initial decision than to have to rectify a bad decision by a termination?
I’m a bit uncomfortable citing “case law”, even anonymously, but in 12 years in my current position, and many auditions, the one audition winner who did not make past the first year of their probationary period had (I’ll use the contract’s word) deficiencies that only presented themselves gradually over the course of a season. Had a week (or even a couple of weeks) of playing in the orchestra been part of that process, the “bad decision” would still have been made.
In a “standard audition”, it can be obvious in a few seconds who’s not a suitable candidate. But a musician’s overall strengths and weaknesses often reveal themselves only over a long period of time.
Though it’s not explicitly stated as such, the probationary period is, in effect, an extension of the audition process in which the orchestra invests a considerable amount of time, effort, and money in confirming the results of the “12 minutes”.
Another thought on the good/bad decision issue: Some of the absolutely best hires we have made at the DPO are musicians who “bombed” an important excerpt or two in their audition, and who could easily have been bounced for doing so. And we’re all glad that someone on the audition committee thought to say, with encouraging tone, “Would you like to try that one again?”
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