Annual Concerto Audition

Current audition information, Fall 2024

Audition date, time, place: Sunday, November 17, 7pm, Hertz Hall

The deadline to submit application forms is Wednesday, November 6, 4pm in the Music Department office, 104 Morrison Hall. The application form can be found here. Copies of the form are also available in 104 Morrison Hall.

The audition jury is made up of Music Department faculty and outside professionals. Winner/s will be chosen to perform their concerto with the symphony, usually by the end of the next calendar school year.

General audition rules:

• Applicants performing on standard orchestral instruments must be current members of the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra.
• The auditions are also open to Music majors who perform on non-orchestral instruments including piano, voice, guitar, instruments from other cultures, etc.
• Applicants must currently be studying privately with department faculty.
• Concerti for single and multiple soloists, arias, concert songs, song cycles are all permitted. Repertoire must be suitable for the normal symphony orchestra, otherwise there is no restriction on style, length or period.
• The normal audition duration is 10-12 minutes at the jury panel’s discretion.
• Applicants are required to arrange for their own piano accompanist to play the orchestral reductions at the audition; the accompanist’s name must be included in the application.
• In cases of difficulty finding or affording an accompanist, the music department will provide one – this service includes ONE rehearsal the week of the audition and possible additional time for warm-up on the day of the audition.
• Applicants may present excerpts of their choice (which should be representative of the whole work), but must be prepared to play any part of the entire work if asked to do so by the panel.
• Memorization is preferred but not mandatory.
• Lengthy extended orchestral tuttis should be omitted during the audition.
• The jury panel reserves the right to choose several winners or none.
• Winner(s) must be prepared to attend all rehearsals and performances as arranged with the conductor.

Previous Concerto Winners

2012, spring

Drew Gascon, bassoon: Weber, Bassoon Concerto
Joe Neeman, violin: Milhaud, Cinéma-Fantaisie
Casey Nosiglia, violin: Chausson, Poème
Wooho Park, violin: Saint-Saëns, Violin Concerto No. 3
Lisa Wu, piano: Liszt, Totentanz

2011, spring
Stephanie Chow, violin: Mozart, Violin Concerto No. 5
Lawrence Chu, voice: Handel, The Trumpet Shall Sound
Ernest Yen, violin: Korngold, Violin Concerto

2010, spring
Jessica Kuo, oboe: Vaughan Williams, Oboe Concerto
Joe Neeman, violin: Britten, Violin Concerto, op. 15
Ernest Yen, violin; Brady Anderson, cello, Saint-Saëns, La Muse e le Poete for violin, cello, and orchestra

2009, spring
Melanie Anderson, voice: Barber, Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Michelle Choo, violin: Sibelius, Violin Concerto in D minor
Jessica Ling, violin: Prokofiev, Concerto No. 1
Young Ho Na, piano: Ravel, Concerto for left-hand
April Paik, violin: Prokofiev, Concerto No. 2 in G minor
Kelsey Seymour, flute: Nielsen, Concerto
Kevin Yu, cello: Schumann, Concerto in A minor

2008, spring
Christy Kyong, violin: Samuel Barber, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Jessica Ling, violin: Ravel, Tzigane
April Paik, violin: Ernest Chausson, Poème for Violin and Orchestra
Kelsey Seymour, flute: Gordeli, Flute Concerto
Gabriel Trop, cello: Alfred Schnittke, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
Ernest Yen, violin: Tschaikovsky, Violin Concerto.

2007, spring
Marina Sharifi, violin: Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1
Alexander Kramer, tuba: John Williams, Concerto for Tuba
Ting Chin, cello: Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme
Nils Bultmann, viola: Ernest Bloch, Suite Hebraique

2006, spring
Hannah Eldridge, violin: Barber, Violin Concerto
Garrett McLean, violin: Mendelssohn, Violin Concert in E minor
Kyle Maura and Erina Ishida, flute: Cimarosa, Concerto in G major for two flutes
Linda Wang, piano: Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major

2005, spring
Aaron Lay, cello: Shostakovich, Concerto No. 1 for cello
Jessie Lee, piano: Chopin, Concerto No. 1 for piano
Quelani Penland, violin; Andrew Strauss, viola: Mozart, Symphonie Concertante for violin and viola
Christina Schiffner, soprano: Mahler, Des Knaben Wunderhorn

2004, spring
Jacob Hansen-Joseph, viola: Walton, Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
Erica Moehle, voice: Proto, A Carmen Fantasy for Double Bass and Orchestra
Quelani Penland, violin, Sabrina Leslie, Oboe: Bach, Concerto for Oboe and Violin

2003, fall
Alexandra Roedder, cello: Barber, Cello Concerto (2001 winner)

2003, spring
Shaw Pong Liu, violin: Sibelius, Violin Concerto in d minor, op. 47
Michael Shein, cello: Saint-Saëns, Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, op. 33
Quelani Penland, violin, Aaron Lay, cello: Brahms, Double Concerto in A minor for Violin and Cello (1st movement)

2002, spring
Leighton Fong, cello: Strauss, Don Quixote
Stephanie Ng, viola: Bartok, Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
Brian Christian, piano: Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, op. 26

2001, spring
Roger Moseley, piano: Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, op. 15
Betty Wu, piano: Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, op. 25
Jennifer Curtis, violin, Ayumi Takeshima, violin: Ravel, Tzigane, Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto

2000, spring
Ivan Ilic, piano: Ravel, Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
Fumei Lam, piano: Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor
Hyuni Michelle Kim, violin: Tchaikovsky, Violin concerto