<p>Does anyone know about this/where I could find out more about it? I was looking at the University Orchestra website and it mentioned the Sinfonia as a less-competitive alternative for those who want to play in an orchestra but probably can't make the University Orchestra(<a href="http://www.princeton.edu/%7Epuo/audition.html)%5B/url%5D">http://www.princeton.edu/~puo/audition.html)</a>. I was interested in finding out about rehearsals/auditions, etc.</p>
<p>For some administrative reasons, Sinfonia doesn't have its own webspace yet (we're working on a webpage to put somewhere). It's a chamber orchestra, about 40 people. The size of the group is actually capped because Taplin auditorium (where we have concerts) has a limit of 40 on stage. Anyway, auditions are the same time as PUO ones - Ruth Ochs, who conducts and runs Sinfonia, sits in on your PUO audition. If you just plan to audition for Sinfonia, you still do the same as if you plan to audition for PUO as well, just you don't have to learn the PUO orchestral excerpt. Rehearsals last year were Monday and Thursday evenings, about 2.5 hours each. Occasionally there are sectionals, but these are scheduled to suit each section. You are expected to practise, so you get practise room keys and (if you're lucky) a locker in the music building. The time commitment is somewhat less for winds than for strings, because sometimes rehearsals will be strings only. As for repertoire, the "big" things we do are classical (in the more technical sense); last year we did Haydn 104 and Beethoven 2, but also a Rossini overture, some Bartok, and stuff I'm forgetting. New last year was the concerto competition, which does exactly what it says on the tin, though the piece (usually just one movement of a proper concerto or just a one movement piece) has to be chosen to make sure the necessary instruments are available. So go ahead and audition, in other words.</p>
<p>(PS: what instrument do you play?)</p>
<p>Hey. This is sort of thread jacking, I know, but sort of not at the same time. </p>
<p>Does anyone know how many violinists left PUO this year? Is there a specific spot for a pianist or is the pianist just a violinist who plays the piano when a piano is needed? What's the conductor like? Thanks!</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, not many violinists left (if you mean graduated) this year at all, less than 5, I think. That is not to say that everyone else will come back, or that a freshman might not be picked over others, so still it depends on what you make of the audition. There are a lot of pianists on campus, though I don't think they have a permanent spot. (There is, however, a position called "University Harpist," like "University Organist" but, as far as I know, unpaid).
Don't know much about the conductor.</p>
<p>Wow thank you SO much for your incredibly informative post! I play violin...I've been playing for a while (in school, local youth symphony, etc.) but I'm not incredibly serious about it. I basically just want to continue playing in an orchestra. Just a couple more questions--How competitive is the Sinfonia (for violins, specifically)? How many concerts do you guys have per year?</p>
<p>We have two concerts in Taplin per year, one at the end of each semester. We're trying to do mini-concerts (in the residential colleges, etc.), but that hasn't happened yet. There are always a lot of violins, in fact, this past year we've had to form a separate string group because there were so many violins. That said though, we could always use more good violins, and I don't think it's really incredibly competitive. Sinfonia members also get all the perks PUO members have, like the half price lessons, and we get free tickets to practically every concert on campus.</p>
<p>Are you in need of good violists like I hope you are? I really don't know how good I am because I live in Delaware (which is really tiny) but I made all-state for the viola twice and have played violin/viola for about 10 years semi-seriously. Do you need to be amazing to get into the university orchestra?</p>
<p>The same things goes for all my extra-curricular activities, I wish I knew how I compared because it's very easy to stand out in Delaware (all-state track, all-state music, etc.)</p>
<p>2 violist graduated from PUO this year, I think. There is one (really, really) amazing violist who does these crazy international competitions, who is (was?) also a freshman. I don't know exactly how amazing violists have to be for PUO, but I do know that last year's audition excerpt was the first page from Rachmaninoff's 2nd symphony, last movement. (They say you have to demonstrate ability to handle the repertoire, so I suppose that is representative.)</p>
<p>That insanely good violist will be a freshman next year. (But I would say hes waaaaaaaaay better than the typical PUO violist, after all, he did turn down Curtis for Princeton).</p>
<p>I think we're talking about two different people. So I guess there'll be two insanely good violists.</p>
<p>Sorry, when I said "will be a freshman," I meant "will be a sophmore." I do believe we are talking about the same person.</p>
<p>What are the less competitive musical ensembles?</p>
<p>the PU Wind Ensemble is the only one I know of.</p>
<p>Of course, keep in mind that there are plenty of chances to form your own chamber groups. Chamber groups can audition for MUS 213 (taught by the Brentano quartet) which has a concert at the end of the year.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, armavirumque! So to audition for Sinfonia, it's just a 5-minute piece (no excerpt)? Also, do you have any idea about how many violin spots there are open for next year, or generally year-to-year, how many audition and how many make it?</p>
<p>I don't know how many audition since it's essentially the same as the PUO audition pool. There are ideally (I think) 8 firsts and 8 seconds in Sinfonia, and an indeterminate number in the string group (if they decide to keep doing it). As for the open spots, it's rather difficult to say, since, unlike PUO, Sinfonia doesn't have the same prestige to keep hold of people once life gets busy, so we only had around 2 seniors this year. To give some kind of partially helpful answer, I think that a violinist who can pull off, say (I don't know the violin repertoire that well), a passable Bach double concerto should be able to make Sinfonia.</p>
<p>Thanks!! What instrument do you play?</p>
<p>I play viola.</p>
<p>I think I've just given away who I am. :)</p>