Join us for tuba auditions

Tuba Ensemble

Undergraduate audition days

  • Friday, Feb. 14, 2025
  • Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025
  • Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
  • Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025

Graduate audition days

  • Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
  • Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025

Undergraduate Auditions

Prescreening

No prescreening is required.

Preparation requirements

Candidates should prepare two contrasting selections from the standard repertoire for their instrument, which may include solos, etudes, and/or orchestral excerpts. It is critical that the audition material be thoroughly prepared and represent the candidate’s best playing. 

Time requirement

Audition material should be approximately 8 to 10 minutes in length.

Accompaniment

No accompaniment required.

Technical requirements

No technical requirements.

Suggested repertoire

Tuba solos:

  • Vaughan Williams Concerto for Bass Tuba
  • Hindemith Sonata for Tuba and Piano
  • Gregson Tuba Concerto
  • Bach/Bell Air and Bouree
  • Hartley Unaccompanied Tuba Sonata
  • Persichetti Serenade No. 12
  • Barat Introduction and Dance
  • Lebedev
  • Haddad Suite for Tuba
  • Nelhybel Suite for Tuba

Tuba Etudes:

  • Bordogni/Rochut
  • Blazevich
  • Kopprasch

Judging criteria

  • Tone quality
  • Musicianship
  • Overall control
  • Competency
  • Technique

FAQs

  1. When am I considered for scholarship?
    • You are considered for scholarship at the time of audition. You will be notified via formal letter about your audition results and music scholarship results in early March.
  2. When will I hear about my results?
    • You will be notified via formal letter about your audition results and music scholarship results in early March

Graduate Auditions

Prescreening

No prescreening required, but it is strongly recommended that you contact Professor Manning for a sample lesson before your audition.

Preparation requirements

Auditionees are requested to bring four copies of their prepared pieces. 

Two solos, selected from different historical periods of music, and of difficulty and quality appropriate for performance at the graduate level

  • Two Etudes 

  • Three to Five standard orchestral or band excerpts 

Time requirement

No length requirement.

Accompaniment

No accompaniment required.

Technical requirements

No technical requirements.

Suggested repertoire

Solos:

  • Vaughan Williams - Concerto for Bass Tuba
  • Hindemith - Sonata for Tuba and Piano
  • Plog - Three Miniatures
  • Penderecki - Capriccio
  • Broughton - Sonata
  • John Williams - Tuba Concerto

Orchestral Excerpts:

  • Berlioz - Hungarian March
  • Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique
  • Brahms - Symphony No. 2
  • Bruckner - Symphony No. 7
  • Prokofiev - Symphony No. 5
  • Stravinsky - Pertrouska
  • Strauss - Til Euelenspiegel
  • Respighi - Fountains of Rome
  • Wagner - Ride of the Walkyries
  • Wagner - Overture to Die Meistersinger

Etudes:

  • Bordogni 43 Bel Canto Studies
  • Kopprasch 60 Selected Studies 

Judging criteria

  • Tone quality
  • Musicianship
  • Overall control
  • Competency
  • Technique

FAQs

  1. When will I hear about my results?
    • You will be notified via formal letter about your audition results in early March

Questions?

Portrait of John Manning

John Manning

Title/Position
Tuba/Euphonium
Associate Professor
Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies