Re: BSO


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Posted by Dave Zerkel on January 29, 2003 at 11:02:50:

In Reply to: BSO posted by Chuck jackson on January 29, 2003 at 00:32:20:

I'll give this a crack...but first this message:

For the most part, I really enjoy this forum and think that Sean is doing us all a great service by making it available to us. What I am struck by is how we, as its consumers, decide to use it. I think in a way it is analogous to the way that people saw TV when it first came out; it had endless possibilities to do great things in terms of providing educational information, imparting news quickly, and opening our eyes to things in the world to which we would never be exposed. Well, that all sounded great on paper, but today we have programming that panders to the lowest common denominator. I think that the choice of what exactly Tubenet does and what it becomes is entirely up to us, the consumers. Trust me, it is not my intention to sound holier-than-thou, but rather just to plant the seed that we use common sense when we post and/or respond. If you don't think that your contribution will serve any purpose other than to stir the pot, perhaps you need to think twice before clicking on the "post this message" button. End of sermon.

It had been six years since I had taken my last orchestral audition. I watched the first two BSO auditions go by, because, frankly, I didn't think that I belonged at the audition. My perception of my playing was that I would not be competitive. After the second audition took place and no one was hired, I had several players that I admire ask why I had not taken the audition. I shared with them that I didn't feel as though I was top five material, but they encouraged me to try the next time. I gave it some thought and put it out of my mind, as my family and I love it in Athens and I am quite happy in my position at UGA. This feeling would play prominently in the rest of the story.

Something kept eating at me to make a tape, so I did. I checked out a rehearsal room on campus, borrowed a good microphone to hook into a borrowed mini-disc and asked Ian Melrose, my TA, if he would serve as my ears. Before I started to record, I gave myself two hours to make this tape. At the end of two hours I would stop recording and send the best of what I had. I did this to ensure that what I was sending was really representative of my playing and not a product of weeks of massaging a "perfect" tape. The tape that I sent was not without flaws, so I was somewhat surprised when it was accepted.

My prep for the prelim round was thorough, but not overkill. I have three kids and a lovely wife who mean more to me than any gig, so I tried to be good about keeping life in balance. I have done it the other way before, and trust me, at the end of the process it is not happy for anyone. I listened to the tunes, looked at scores and played music that was not on the list every day. The single most beneficial thing that I did to prepare was to record myself daily. I became my own teacher. I learned a lot about my playing and worked hard to try to meet a standard that was difficult to achieve.

Going into the audition, I was very relaxed, largely because it was not a pressure situation I have a comfy job in a comfy town with a comfy pace of life. When I was in my twenties, every audition that I took was "do or die". Well guess what…it's hard to succeed with that mentality. So I landed in Boston, went to my hotel and chilled. The day of the audition, I did a normal warm up, played some etudes and read a book. About 20 minutes before my time, I blew down a few of the tunes and when my time came I went upstairs to play.

When I finished, my first reaction was, "Wow! That was fast!". My second reaction was that I didn't live up to the very high standard that I had set for myself and that I'd be surprised if I advanced. I left for the airport, with the assurance that they'd call my cell either way. I got the call that said I advanced, booked my flight for the next trip and went home.

The next week was a busy one for me and included some out of town travel, so I just tried to make the most out of the time that I had. The question that my friends and colleagues kept asking was "Who is going to be there?" The only answer to that question is "Doesn't matter". Auditioning is like golf, you play the best that you can play without direct competition or interference from anyone else and see where you stand at the end of the day. Even though I was excited to be going back, the prevailing vibe was "I'm in a good situation. If this happens, cool. If not, that's cool, too!"

The semis went okay. Again, I didn't meet my own standard. I had a valve hang up in the Mahler chorale, so I was aware that I opened the door of dismissal. I was very pleased to have advanced to the next round, considering I had not yet played as well as I thought that I could. The time between the end of the semis and when I played in the finals seemed to last forever (12:30 to about 4:00) It was hard to stay away from my instrument, but I did so by using the bathroom about 47,000 times! I chatted briefly with the guys that I hadn't met before. Finally, my number came up.

I was loose for the finals. I think that I did my best playing in this round, but the other players auditioning were just better players. I chatted briefly with the proctor and he gave me a word or two of encouragement before I went downstairs to wait. This time my name was not read and I packed to go home. I got on the plane knowing that I had tried my best, aware that all of the guys who advanced were studs and was very much at peace, knowing that I was going back to a good place with a job a studio that I enjoy the hell out of.

That's it. Sorry for the epic. I think that the key to my semi-hemi-demi-success is that I was able to relax all the way through the process. If you have any direct or specific questions, drop me a note off-board. Hope this is what you were looking for, Chuck!

DZ



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