Perspective: The person signing your checks in "gigland" is not a trombonist
So you want to win an audition, or plan a great concerto performance? Maybe you just want to knock your next recital out of the park. I want you to consider one thing: THE BETTER YOU GET, THE LESS OFTEN YOU PERFORM FOR JUST TROMBONISTS.
For the next audition, consider what instruments will be represented on your audition committee. Given the fact that audition committees contain many members of the rest of the orchestra, with one or two low brass present, I'd love for you to occasionally solicit feedback from colleague musicians you admire who DO NOT play trombone (or even brass instruments for that matter). Other instruments hear just as well as your trombone colleagues and will often have delightful musical insight and agenda that you may not access otherwise. Moreover, they will likely expect your excerpts to be musically convincing without patience or care if a phrase is physically or technically challenging.
The highest paid members of the ensemble are typically those with the most artistic say. Music Director, Concert Master, Principal Oboe, Principal Trumpet, Principal Horn - all non trombone players with typically significant artistic clout. If you're taking a section position like both of the auditions indicated in the Union Paper this month linked to this article, it goes without saying that the Principal Trombone will have a significant influence as well, but you must see that their desires will likely not be unilateral in nature.
Every orchestra is different and audition votes can be weighted in ways that are impossible to anticipate. Sometimes the Music Director has final say or even the only say. Sometimes the affected section has final say or can veto the committee or even the Music Director. In any case, it must be obvious that any potential candidate should perform their mock auditions for more than just trombonists and a recording device.
For more information on successful audition tips, please check out the article by Douglas Rosenthal who won two auditions (including the Utah Symphony) in one weekend in the link here. Adam Rainey has also contributed his wonderful strategies in this linked article here. You can also utilize my 3 step approach to audition practice in my video below. Subscribe for more!!
