Student Concerto Auditions 2024
All string, keyboard, wind, brass, and percussion students who attend the Full Session are invited to audition to perform a concerto solo with the LSM Festival Orchestra during its final concert. Accepted students may submit the online application form and audition recording, due on or before April 30, 2024.
Please read the following carefully. Incomplete or late concerto applications will not be considered.
Phase 1: Submission Pre-Approval
All concerto submissions must have their repertoire pre-approved before recording and submitting the initial application. We suggest submitting your piece for approval well in advance, before practicing and recording your concerto. Email admissions@lutheransummermusic.org with this information to request approval:
Composer Name
Concerto Title, including movement number
Please note: We try to approve the majority of repertoire submissions, but some pieces are not possible due to the availability and/or rental cost of the orchestral parts, length of the piece, or difficulty of the orchestration for the student orchestra. Standard concerti from the Baroque and Classical Eras would be very appropriate choices, as would be most of the concerti from the Romantic Era. 20th Century and more recent works may pose barriers to approval.
Phase 2: Preliminary Video Auditions
By April 30, 2024, candidate submits the online Concerto Audition Form found below, which includes a video audition recording of the complete concerto movement with piano accompaniment. Please upload your video to YouTube (you may make the video unlisted if you wish), and share the link in the form below.
A panel of LSM faculty artists and staff will then review all submissions and select up to seven finalists. All candidates will be notified of the selected finalists by email no later than June 1, 2024.
Phase 3: Onsite Concerto Finalist Recital
Selected finalists will perform their concerto with piano accompaniment for the entire LSM community in a Concerto Finalist Recital on Friday, July 5, 2024. For consideration for the final concerto performance, performers must have the complete concerto movement memorized and perform without sheet music; no exceptions will be made. A jury of LSM faculty artists will select one student musician to perform with the LSM orchestra during the final concert.
Phase 4: Concerto Performance
The selected concerto will be performed during the LSM Festival Orchestra Concert on July 27, 2024, under the direction of Dr. Kevin Sütterlin, the Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Endowed Orchestra Chair.
Additional Guidelines:
Students must prepare one complete movement of a concerto in its entirety. Abridged arrangements are not accepted. All works should be for solo instrument and orchestra.
The audition recording must include the student’s performance of a complete concerto movement, with piano accompaniment. Total length of the concerto movement, and therefore performance, should not exceed 15 minutes.
To give as many students this opportunity as possible, no LSM student will be chosen as the concerto soloist more than once.
Students are limited to one concerto audition per year per instrument. Students may be considered for the concerto audition on no more than two distinct instruments per year by applying separately, and submitting separate audio recordings, for consideration.
To be fair and consistent with all candidates, we are unable to accommodate late submissions.