<p>I was wondering if anyone on this forum plays in an orchestra at Williams. From my limited investigation of a number of top liberal arts colleges, Williams seems to have the best arrangement for an orchestra, with a mixture of professional players and students that can ensure a high level of playing, but I'd like to get a perspective from someone who's personally involved. How happy have you been with the orchestra? How difficult is it to get in?</p>
<p>Williams also has a separate Student Symphony, which is probably easier to get into; look for the link on this</a> page. You can audition for both. That's all I know, though.</p>
<p>I was in Berkshire Symphony albeit in the late '80s. It was then about 60 percent professionals (some from Albany Symphony) and 40 percent students. I had the distinction of being the only student principal/first chair as a freshman. However after flubbing my Stravinsky Firebird Suite solo they brought in a professional flutist and I was demoted to 2nd chair by second semester. :(</p>
<p>Assuming not much has changed, the orchestra is competitive and serious. The conductor was an associate conductor for the Boston Symphony. Good student musicians make it in (especially strings); although few if any students were of Juilliard caliber, a few sounded close. The student orchestra, by comparison, was weak (and sounded it), although far less pressure and good for casual musicians.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information!</p>
<p>Do you have a somewhat more tangible idea of how difficult it is to get in as a violinist? Do you remember what sort of solo pieces your peers were playing or how much they did in high school? It's important to me to be able to play in a reasonably serious orchestra in college, and I'd really appreciate anything you could tell me.</p>
<p>I don't think it's terribly difficult for a violinist to get in who has been playing 10+ years and is competent. (i.e. can you sight read reasonably difficult pieces and is your sound good?) It also depends on whether you have several other very good violinists in your entering class, or not. There would probably be 3 to 7 spots available for a freshman violinist among an entering class of 530. It's much harder for woodwinds, where even if you are terrific, b/c there are existing professionals, there might be only 1 or 2 student spots available every 2 to 3 years. I don't remember specifically what pieces violinists were playing. There were a range of levels among violinists. This is definitely a serious orchestra. They play difficult and challenging pieces. It's all business during rehearsals. I would say it's probably the best you can get in terms of orchestral experience outside a good music school or top-notch student orchestras at, for example, Harvard (where the next Yo-Yo Ma could be sitting right next to you).
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<p>It has its pluses and minuses. The major plusses are that, if you get in, you get to play with a bunch of great players, with excellent professionals, and terrific repertoire. The minuses are that if you don't get in, you are consigned to an orchestra without the school's best players, without a particularly challenging repertoire, and without professionals shoring it up, which you would experience if you want to a school without such a fine professional ensemble in the community.</p>