If I recently went to a recording studio to make music supplements for college, should I reach out to orchestra directors of the colleges I’m interested in? I play the cello and am wondering how much pull the orchestra director could have with admissions.
Unlikely, but like most things it can vary from school to school. The general rule is that one would have to play at an extremely high (almost conservatory level) for a music supplement to help with admissions. If you feel your cello is up to that standard then I’d ask admissions if they accept music supplements and, if so, in what form should it be sent/how long should it be etc. Do you plan to study music in college?
FWIW, it doesn’t help that cello is a fairly common instrument so most college orchestras likely have sufficient cello players. I would not count on it getting you into a college that you are not otherwise qualified to attend.