Many of you may not have been aware that over the past two weeks I’ve been preparing for an audition for the Seattle Symphony this past weekend (April 19-21). The orchestra had two vacancies, for Assistant principal (2nd chair) and section.
As a relatively young person (38) but also a person who is a good deal older than most active auditioners (mid to late 20’s), I have been wondering about my competetiveness in the audition scene these days. Over the past five seasons or so I’ve taken two auditions, both for the Philadelphia Orchestra, and I did not progress beyond the preliminary rounds. The last time I progressed to the semi-finals was in Minnesota back in 2000 or so, and I’ve only made the finals once: for my current job. I’ve written about this before, but being in your late 30’s to late 40’s in an orchestra is a confusing time. You’re not one of the hot young turks who’ve beat out dozens of other hot prospects to win the latest audition, but you’re also not one of the elder statesmen who are a few years away from hanging up the axe, either. Often, you’re at the top of your game – at that crucial juncture where your experience has caught up with your technique, and your technique hasn’t yet begun to fade. In short, it’s that time when you’re prone to worry about your usefulness and how your skill set really compares with the younger set, and it has brought on many a mid-life crisis (a bit early, I know) for many an orchestral musician.