Seattle Symphony - 2nd Trombone

[Vegasbound]

Full details here


https://www.seattlesymphony.org/about/c ... d-trombone


Closing 17th August

[tromboneevan]

Did anyone else apply to this? I know Ko said there was 170 applications. I got the email last night saying I was invited to the recorded round. Curious if everyone got the same email or if they weeded anyone out on resume alone.

[Vegasbound]

Did anyone else apply to this? I know Ko said there was 170 applications. I got the email last night saying I was invited to the recorded round. Curious if everyone got the same email or if they weeded anyone out on resume alone.

Thanks for the update, and good luck!

I do sometimes wonder if people apply or not when I post these jobs.

[ATXBassBone]

I'm pretty sure they give *most* people who have something decent on their resume an option to submit. I submitted for bass prescreening, advanced thru but didnt take due to the admin situation of the orch. Seattle did just appoint their new principal bassoon as a 23 year old. They're open to younger players that can hang.

[Mikebmiller]

Wow, $122K with 7 weeks vacation. Pretty good job! Except that Seattle is now a really expensive place to live, so a lot of that would get eaten up in rent.

[octavposaune]

Median home prices in Seattle are ridiculous, near 1 mil at this part.... my house north of Seattle has nearly tripled in value in 10 years....

Benn

[Bach5G]

Nice of Seattle to provide PDFs of the excerpts.

[tromboneevan]

Nice of Seattle to provide PDFs of the excerpts.

They did provide pdfs....of all 43 excerpts. I think that's just a tad outrageous.

[tromboneevan]

Did anyone else apply to this? I know Ko said there was 170 applications. I got the email last night saying I was invited to the recorded round. Curious if everyone got the same email or if they weeded anyone out on resume alone.

Thanks for the update, and good luck!

I do sometimes wonder if people apply or not when I post these jobs.

I've noticed that there are several sites where openings are posted, but none have the format for comments and discussion. I'm new to this site, but greatly appreciate the opportunity for discussion on these posts.

[Bach5G]

Nice of Seattle to provide PDFs of the excerpts.

They did provide pdfs....of all 43 excerpts. I think that's just a tad outrageous.

Why?

[arich621]

43 is not insane, especially when you consider they use a new number for each excerpt within the same piece. Other times the packet just lists the different sections, and wouldn't list each excerpt within La Gazza Ladra as 3 different "excerpts". It's really 21 pieces plus 9 pieces that can be used in the section final round. That makes it seem a lot more normal...at least that's what I'm telling myself

[ATXBassBone]

The lists have been expanding over the years. Did anyone see how thick the list was for Tucson..... A 14k per year job!

Seattle is a great group with real demands. One dress rehearsal then three runs for something like Star wars is normal! They need a great player in the chair. That amount of excerpts seems fine.

[Burgerbob]

That amount of excerpts seems fine.

Yup, I'd expect a list like that for this job.

For the regional jobs they have been getting silly, though!

[Bach5G]

If anyone can point me to a similar list, where one can print off the pdf excerpts, for principal and bass, I’d appreciate it.

[arich621]

If anyone can point me to a similar list for principal and bass, I’d appreciate it.

Current list for Houston Symphony principal: https://houstonsymphony.org/wp-content/ ... e-2023.pdf

2 solo pieces, 17 pieces as solo excerpts, another 7 pieces for section playing. If you were to count every separate excerpt like the Seattle list, it'd be numbered at 37.

[CalgaryTbone]

Not to sound like the "old guy" even if it's true - there were ads for jobs back in the 70's where the list was a full page with just titles of complete works - no excerpts provided or any guidance as to which sections of the piece would be asked for. The more senior players back then were telling me that they had seen lists back in the day that just said - "the standard orchestral repertoire". Even earlier than that, my teacher told me about auditions where there was not a list, and there might not be music provided at the audition - the conductor would just ask the candidate to play something like the Ride of the Valkyries, and they would have to play it from memory. I'm really glad that lists/bar numbers/parts are usually provided these days, but realize that if an orchestra like Seattle has a long list, it's because they want someone who really knows the standard literature, and can play it at the drop of a hat. They go through a lot of repertoire in a year, and sudden changes can come up. Ko-Ichiro played a great recital at the ITF - what a sound! He deserves to have a great player sitting next to him! I'm sure they will find "that person".

Jim Scott

[GabrielRice]

Not to sound like the "old guy" even if it's true - there were ads for jobs back in the 70's where the list was a full page with just titles of complete works - no excerpts provided or any guidance as to which sections of the piece would be asked for.

The 1991 National Symphony audition for bass trombone was like that. 30 listings, many of them complete symphonies with no indication of specific excerpts. I even had trouble getting the music to some of it.

[mbarbier]

Not to sound like the "old guy" even if it's true - there were ads for jobs back in the 70's where the list was a full page with just titles of complete works - no excerpts provided or any guidance as to which sections of the piece would be asked for. The more senior players back then were telling me that they had seen lists back in the day that just said - "the standard orchestral repertoire". Even earlier than that, my teacher told me about auditions where there was not a list, and there might not be music provided at the audition - the conductor would just ask the candidate to play something like the Ride of the Valkyries, and they would have to play it from memory. I'm really glad that lists/bar numbers/parts are usually provided these days, but realize that if an orchestra like Seattle has a long list, it's because they want someone who really knows the standard literature, and can play it at the drop of a hat. They go through a lot of repertoire in a year, and sudden changes can come up. Ko-Ichiro played a great recital at the ITF - what a sound! He deserves to have a great player sitting next to him! I'm sure they will find "that person".

Jim Scott

I remember seeing the tuba list for the NYPhil when I was in school (when Alan Baer won) and list was three pages of mostly full parts and solos. I asked Ron Bishop why it was so long and got the response of "it's a job for someone who has already played it all and just needs to polish it." I always liked that one.

[RustBeltBass]

Did anyone else apply to this? I know Ko said there was 170 applications. I got the email last night saying I was invited to the recorded round. Curious if everyone got the same email or if they weeded anyone out on resume alone.

Thanks for the update, and good luck!

I do sometimes wonder if people apply or not when I post these jobs.

Very much appreciate you posting here. I think I am pretty well informed usually, but I recently applied for something based on seeing it here, that I might have missed otherwise.

[harrisonreed]

I remember seeing the tuba list for the NYPhil when I was in school (when Alan Baer won) and list was three pages of mostly full parts and solos. I asked Ron Bishop why it was so long and got the response of "it's a job for someone who has already played it all and just needs to polish it." I always liked that one.

Polish? I don't even know about that. For that job you should be able to crap complete scores out of your fourth point of contact, with corrected errata and full annotations.

[mbarbier]

I remember seeing the tuba list for the NYPhil when I was in school (when Alan Baer won) and list was three pages of mostly full parts and solos. I asked Ron Bishop why it was so long and got the response of "it's a job for someone who has already played it all and just needs to polish it." I always liked that one.

Polish? I don't even know about that. For that job you should be able to crap complete scores out of your fourth point of contact, with corrected errata and full annotations.

Totally! He meant it as someone who is so experienced with orchestral playing and auditions that it didn't involve learning any new excerpts- they're all pieces that have already been studied and played extensively. So the audition was just focusing in on stuff they already knew really. Alan Baer won that one, who already had a full time job and a really intense audition process (think he traveled with like 5-6 tubas for it).

Which also makes the young guy who just won the tuba spot in the LA Phil as a MM student really amazing.

Also- thank you so much for posting all these, Vegasbound! I stay pretty on top of listings but there's been a few I missed that you've posted. Recording a tape for one of them this afternoon! It's super helpful!

[CalgaryTbone]

There was a great interview with Alan around the time he won that job (and he won another - I think it was the National Symphony in DC about a week before). I can't remember if the interview was in print or some kind of video. He talked about all of his prep which included a detailed practice schedule, changes to his diet/exercise routine starting about a month before, practicing many excerpts on both F and C tuba to give him options if needed. I'm not sure how many tubas he brought, but he talked about having a chair (that could be broken down) that he brought along to fit his height/posture, and two tuba stands (one for F and one for C) that sit right in front of his chair and support the instrument in use at that time. All kinds of mental exercises in his practicing - different tempos, focus applied to different issues, etc. I just remember that I was exhausted after I heard all of the work he did! I was also inspired! Very impressive work ethic.

Jim Scott

[mbarbier]

There was a great interview with Alan around the time he won that job (and he won another - I think it was the National Symphony in DC about a week before). I can't remember if the interview was in print or some kind of video. He talked about all of his prep which included a detailed practice schedule, changes to his diet/exercise routine starting about a month before, practicing many excerpts on both F and C tuba to give him options if needed. I'm not sure how many tubas he brought, but he talked about having a chair (that could be broken down) that he brought along to fit his height/posture, and two tuba stands (one for F and one for C) that sit right in front of his chair and support the instrument in use at that time. All kinds of mental exercises in his practicing - different tempos, focus applied to different issues, etc. I just remember that I was exhausted after I heard all of the work he did! I was also inspired! Very impressive work ethic.

Jim Scott

That's amazing! I've heard a bunch of stories about his process but it would be really amazing to hear him talk about it like that. I'll have to look for that- sounds incredible! There was a tubist (Aubrey Foard) who I went to school with who had done his undergrad with Alan shortly before he won the NYPhil job. The level of audition prep and knowledge he brought to the studio from studied with Alan Baer was just unbelievable and unbelievably helpful. Totally blew my mind as an 18 year old who thought it just involved playing things a lot!

[CalgaryTbone]

I wish I had more details - it was a while ago that I saw this - I think it was just a short time after he won the job. Maybe it was on a tuba site? There was a lot about the mental process of preparing for an audition as I recall, as well as a nutrition/sleep/exercise component. Anyway, if you find it I'm sure people would love seeing it here. I'll look around a bit too.

JS

[Mikebmiller]

I had a chance to meet Alan at the STS thing in Georgia. He drove all the way from NYC to southern GA with 2 tubas and his special tuba chair, which looked a bit like a weight bench, just to play for a bunch of (mostly) college kids. Of course, he sounded great.

[CalgaryTbone]

I couldn't find the article I was talking about (yet), but I found a link where someone posted some notes from a masterclass - doughertytuba.com

There's a little bit there about nutrition and exercise around audition times, and some specific ideas about a few excerpts, some of which is applicable to trombone.

JS