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Annual Concerto Audition

The Department of Music holds an annual concerto audition in the fall semester, open to all music majors and current members of the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra only. The winner/s have the opportunity to perform with the symphony, usually in the following (spring) semester. Applicants perform a 10-12 minute excerpt from their concerto with piano accompaniment. The audition takes place in Hertz Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

Current audition information, Fall 2023

Audition date, time, place: Sunday, November 12, 7pm

The application deadline to accept forms is Friday, November 3, 4pm in the Music Department office, 104 Morrison Hall. Application forms can be found online here. Copies of the form are also available in 104 Morrison Hall.

Winner/s will be chosen to perform their concerto with the Symphony during the Spring or Fall semester, 2024.

General audition rules:

  • Audition is open to all music majors and current UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra members
  • Applicants must currently be studying privately with department faculty
  • Permitted: Concerti for single and multiple soloists, arias, concert songs, song cycles
  • Audition length: 10-12 minutes at the committee’s discretion
  • Applicants are required to arrange for their own piano accompanist to play the orchestral reduction at the audition and must include the accompanist’s name in the application
  • If you are having trouble finding or cannot afford your own accompanist, the music department will provide one – this service includes ONE rehearsal the week of the audition and additional warm-up time on the day of the audition
  • Applicants may begin with a selection of their choice (which should be representative of the whole work), but they must be prepared to play any part of the whole work if asked to do so by the committee
  • Memorization is preferred but not mandatory
  • Lengthy extended orchestral tuttis should be omitted
  • The committee 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

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Performances of Previous Concerto Winners

Note: Audition is in the fall semester, winner performs in the spring semester (in most years).

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