Double Bass Principal of Alabama Symphony

[anonymous12251111]

It seems that a lot of people on Talkbass have had a big problem with the way I was posting: not really contributing anything to conversations and being antagonistic and cocky. I wanted to apologize to all of you on here for any of my posts that you may have had a problem with as I understand how opinions can get misconstrued and blown out of proportion on the internet.

I just wanted to clarify that it was never my intention to belittle anyone or downplay their opinion as less than valid. I was sincerely just trying to defend the integrity of the musicians that made the final round in this audition as I know from first hand knowledge that their playing is nothing but superb.

So in short, I am sorry.

 

[¡bassballbill!]

apology accepted dawg

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

After an straight up apology, I just had to delete a troll post that, by the letter of the forum rules, should have warranted an infraction. The next anonymous tough guy post I see here wins a free vacation from these forums. Now, can we please try to stay on topic and talk about the audition in the OP, or failing that, topics related to orchestral auditions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Don Higdon]

The problems described in Jeff Weisner's very interesting blog simply do not exist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, one of the finest in the nation. I’m sure you all know that the auditions are completely blind. But there are more differences. For one thing, at the Met, the music director’s vote is not weighted. It counts for no more than any other committee member’s vote. I learned this from a friend who was a principal in the Met Orchestra and a member of the audition committee, before leaving to be a principal in another ‘top 10’ orchestra. We had this revealing exchange:

(Him,)”Yes at the Met the conductor’s vote is one, and he follows the same rules as everyone else (no discussion, no abstention). It’s so much more civilized than here. Here, if he shows up for the finals (which is not often), the committee has only an advisory vote.”
(Me)The Met system seems too simple to be true. Yet, it is so successful that I don't understand why every orchestra doesn't do it.
Don

(Him)”I get so pissed off when people here tell me how it just won’t work to have no discussion and majority vote with the winner always hired. I keep telling them that I lived it, and it was easy, and those guys aren’t chopped liver.”

 

[bobbo630]

Listening to a day of auditions is enormously exhausing and sometimes downright painful, even when we hear great playing and find someone we're thrilled with. It is very frustrating indeed to listen to a field which all seem unable to perform with a consistent high level of technical execution and committed musicianship.

If you're only willing to lambaste every committee or condescend to every orchestra that fails to offer you a job, then you may never get one, but it'll only be your own fault. You're just piling the chips on your shoulder instead of developing wisdom. No orchestra owes you or anyone else a job. What people in your town or school think of you doesn't matter. You've got to earn it that day on that stage in that audition. We have all been through it.

Read well what Casalini has written. An audition is a performance. The committee is your audience. You wanna win the job, you've got to command the stage and capture that audience like any other performance. The committee is no more hostile than any other audience. We are dying to hear and to hire a player who can make us sit up and listen to the music. If you can succeed in doing that, even for half the excerpts, your chances of winning an audition will have increased almost infinitely.

There was no mention of level of playing as the reason no one was hired. The sole reason was that we were all young and none of has yet had a full time job. The ASO deserves much worse than some complaining on talkbass after this audition.

 

[Prescott33]

I can't speak for the committee since I wasn't on it, but there are plenty of frustrated musicians in the ASO because no one was hired. Saying that, I can assure you that no one on the committee wants to sit through one more audition than they have to. Our budget is much lower than many orchestras which does mean we don't generally get the same level of talent at auditions than say Boston or Philly. But just because we're underpaid doesn't mean we should be willing to just take anyone. From what I've heard about the finalists, we should have picked one. I think the lack of experience issue is silly, that is what the probation period is for. But...that is just my opinion. It is easy to throw the "alabama" jokes around (even though not one member is from here) and assume we suck (which is a joke....ask Alex Ross). I really hope people like that stay home for the next one. Otherwise, I invite any of you who are interested to take the next audition. This is a fun group to play in and I'm betting the next audition has a different result.