Welcome!

Welcome to Lyceum Orchestras! With three ensembles at our new downtown Salt Lake City campus, we are able to place most students in a performing group that meets the student at the threshold of their learning. Lyceum ensembles are divided by ability, not age, although we do require that students be going into 8th-12th grade to audition for Lyceum Symphony. School ensembles come first! We encourage all students to participate in their school ensembles and ask that all participants practice at home and work with a private teacher. Any absence related to participating in school ensembles is excused including missing Lyceum concerts for your school ensembles. 

Audition Requirements and Instructions

Auditions are now open for the 2024-25 Season! The process is quick, easy, and entirely online. Your cell phone recording of a recent recital or solo performance may be all the audition you need! We ask for roughly five minutes of solo playing for Lyceum Symphony and 2-4 minutes for other ensembles. The solo should demonstrate the strengths of the player, memorization is preferred, accompaniment is optional. Also submit the student playing a scale of their choosing. The scale should highlight student’s mastery of range and tone. Play the maximum number of octaves possible with good tone. The scale and solo can be in separate videos or together. Percussionists must show proficiency on timpani and mallet instruments. Simply upload the audition files or share video links via our Audition Form. 

Application Deadlines

 Priority auditions for the new students wishing to join the 2024-25 Season are due June 1st. Auditions for will be accepted through Sept. 1st or until open seats are filled. If the initial recorded audition does not yield the desired result, students may submit additional auditions for the desired ensemble. Once a student enrolls in an ensemble their placement is considered final for that season.

Placement

Following the audition, most applicants receive an email admitting them to one of our three ensembles. Questions about what level is right for you can be answered by the detailed ensemble descriptions on our About Us page. We try to avoid dividing ensembles by Suzuki book or ASTA levels and instead look to universal measures like vibrato, shifting, and the ability to play in difficult key signatures. When choosing an audition solo take these factors into account. 

For more info contact us at Lyceum@ahsmail.com.