Bienen School of Music - Northwestern University

Brass Audition Information

Bachelor of Music: Trumpet

Prescreening required: video prescreening

For Prescreening:

• 1 etude of applicant’s choice from Charlier, Brandt, Arban Characteristic Studies or equivalent.
• 1 short standard solo piece (Enesco Legend or equivalent), or the first movement of a standard concerto or sonata of applicant’s choice (Haydn, Hummel, Hindemith, Kennan or equivalent.) No piccolo trumpet solo allowed.
• Choose contrasting works that will display your highest level of achievement musically and technically.

For Final Audition:

• 2 contrasting etudes of applicant’s choice from Charlier, Brandt, Arban Characteristic Studies or equivalent.
• 2 contrasting solos or movements from a standard concerto or sonata of applicant’s choice. One piece must be the first movement of a standard concerto or sonata.
• 3 contrasting standard orchestral excerpts 

Bachelor of Music: Tenor Trombone

Prescreening required; must be video recording. Video should be shot from left side so mouthpiece is clearly visible.

For Prescreening and Final Audition:

All repertoires required. No substitutions.

• Solo Selection: Saint-Saëns, Cavatine Op.144

Orchestral Excerpts:

• Berlioz, Hungarian March (second trombone)
• Mozart, Requiem “Tuba Mirum” (second trombone)
• Ravel, Bolero
• Saint-Saëns, Symphony No.3 in C Minor, slow movement
• Wagner, Die Walküre “Ride of the Valkyries”, B Maj. section

Bachelor of Music: Bass Trombone

Prescreening required; must be video recording. Video should be shot from left side so mouthpiece is clearly visible.

For Prescreening and Final Audition:

All repertoire required. No substitutions.

• Solo Selection: Lebedev, Concerto

Orchestral Excerpts:

• Berlioz, Hungarian March
• Haydn, The Creation
• Mahler, Symphony No.7, first movement
• Schumann, Symphony No.3, fourth movement
• Wagner, Die Walküre “Ride of the Valkyries”, B Maj. section

Bachelor of Music: Tuba

For Final Audition:

Perform up to 3 minutes of any etude or solo piece of your own choice. Also, the following orchestral excerpts:

• Berlioz: Hungarian March; Begin at rehearsal #20, end 4 measures after rehearsal #21
• Gershwin: American in Paris; Tuba solo beginning at rehearsal #67
• Mahler: Symphony No. 5; Scherzo movement beginning 13 measures before rehearsal #16, ending at rehearsal #17
• Revueltas: Sensemaya; rehearsal #2 through rehearsal #8
• Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5; Begin at rehearsal #3, end 8 measures after rehearsal #5
• Strauss: Ein Heldenleben; Begin at rehearsal #62, end after rehearsal #65
• Wagner: Overature to “Die Meistersinger”; First 27 measures

Bachelor of Music: Horn

Prescreening Required: Video Preferred

For Prescreening:

• One solo movement demonstrating style tone, range, rhythm, and technique, such as Strauss Horn Concerto No.1, first movement and Hindemith Sonata in F, first movement
• One étude from: Maxime Alphonse Book No.3

Required Orchestral Excerpts:

• Beethoven, Symphony No.6
• Brahms, Symphony No.3
• Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel

For Final Audition:

• Two contrasting solo pieces demonstrating style tone, range, rhythm, and technique, such as Strauss Horn Concerto No.1, first movement and Hindemith Sonata in F, first movement 
• One étude from: Kopprasch Book No.1 and Maxime Alphonse Book No.3

Required Orchestral Excerpts:

• Beethoven, Symphony No.6
• Brahms, Symphony No.3
• Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel

Also: major scales and sight-reading

Bachelor of Music: Euphonium

For Final Audition:

Perform up to 3 minutes of any etude or solo piece of your own choice. Also, the following orchestral excerpts:

• Holst: Second Suite for Military Band
• March - Beginning to letter B, pickup to letter E through bar 5 of letter G
• Song without words - entire movement
• Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever (complete, no repeats)
• Mendelssohn arr. VF Safranek - First 5 lines, B-C
• Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition - Bydlo
• Strauss: Ein Heldenleben - 1 before 3-4, 8-7th bar of 13, 62-75, 79-80

Updated on 09/05/2018