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Auditions Open

Welcome!

Welcome to Lyceum Orchestras! With four audition-only ensembles, 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 for the 2023-24 Season are currently being received according to the deadlines described below. With our convenient recorded auditions, 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.

The preferred method is to upload your cell phone video to YouTube, Google Drive, iPhotos, Dropbox or other file sharing format accessible via a link.  Copy those links into the appropriate filed on our admission form. You should receive a confirmation email upon submission and expect to hear from us soon regarding placement. Please verify that the link is accessible for others to view (not private).

 Questions? Contact us at Lyceum@ahsmail.com.

 Application Deadlines

 Priority auditions for the new students wishing to join the 2023-24 Season are due June 1st. Auditions for the 2023-24 Season will be accepted through Sept. 6th 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 eight ensembles and the corresponding summer music festival placement where applicable. 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 example a string player applying to Debut Strings need to be able to play extensions with limited shifting; Intermezzo Strings – comfortable with shifting and vibrato; Lyceum Symphony – comfortable using the full range of the instrument. Lyceum Symphony is a full orchestra including strings, winds, brass, and percussion. Harp Ensemble includes opportunities both for advanced and intermediate harpists. See our About Us page for more details. Try to choose a solo and scale that fully demonstrates your current level of mastery across the full range of the instrument. We discourage using fiddle, pop, or hymn arrangements for auditions.

Returning Safely

We are committed to making music safely and in-person. Music is one of the most powerful ways in which we share our humanity. In order to do that safely we are following closely the current Utah Health Department guidelines regarding masks, social distancing, and limits on gatherings. As an outreach program of American Heritage School, we are subject to all the restrictions incumbent upon schools in Salt Lake County. We espouse the highest standards in regards to cleanliness, disinfecting surfaces, and air filtration.