Call for auditions for SA National Youth Orchestra

Established in 1964, SANYO is South Africa's oldest youth orchestra. Its members are a national team representing an incredible youth orchestra movement that stretches from the Western Cape to Limpopo. Alumni from SANYO courses have gone on to play for internationally renowned orchestras.

The orchestra course experience is for young people interested in music, from grade 7 level to those just starting their professional careers. As a participant, you will be part of the Nationals community and benefit from a range of programmes, including opportunities for international music exchange, instrument repair courses, musician mentorship, arts administration internships and composition and conducting workshops. With a rich mix of participants and a faculty made up of renowned local and international music professionals, the SANYO Foundation offers diversity that is worthy of celebration. The orchestra strives for quality music and hopes that, like many alumni from their programmes, it will be a life-changing experience for you that will last you through your musical career.

Requirements

Applicants need to:

• Be 25 or younger in 2015
• Have attained a minimum of Grade 7 (music exam) on an orchestral instrument
• Be resident in Southern Africa

You may audition on the following instruments: flute, piccolo, oboe, cor anglais, clarinet, E flat clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone - for June course), French horn, trumpet, tenor trombone, bass trombone, tuba, euphonium (for June course), percussion, timpani, harp, violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Wind instrument candidates are encouraged to also audition on their respective doubling instruments (piccolo, cor anglais, E flat clarinet, bass clarinet and contrabassoon).

Travel: You are expected to get yourself to the course. Auditions start on the first day of each course (be there before 12:00 please) and the course ends with our final concert in the evening on the last day of each course (most out-of-towners therefore leave on the morning of the day after the last day of course.)

Application

This application is for all of the National Youth Orchestra courses: the June Sasol National Youth Wind and String Orchestra Course, the July tour and the What It Takes intense courses.

A non-refundable application fee of R50 is charged to each applicant to cover administration and processing costs. Only one application fee is required, regardless of how many programmes you wish to apply for or how many instruments you apply on.

In order to do this application online, you will need a working email address and your South African identity number, or, if you are an international applicant, your passport number. This year we have limited seats for candidates from Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The course fee is R1900. This includes accommodation, meals and tuition. Proof of payment is to be received by our offices a month before each course.

Bursaries (based on financial need), scholarships (based on merit) and payment plans are available to make the course open to all who wish to attend. If you have indicated on your application form that you require financial assistance, we will contact you to get the relevant information we need for the process.

Please note:

• NO late applications or auditions will be accepted
• Candidates should prepare a solo piece and a study of their choice to demonstrate their standard and fluency on their instrument.
• Your programme (that means both study and piece together) should not exceed 5 minutes in length and you may make any required cuts to fit within the time limit.
• Accompanists are not allowed.

Candidates who are not available for these auditions may submit their own recordings on condition that they follow the recorded audition procedure. Please note: own auditions are not encouraged, and National Youth Orchestra does not pay for the recording. You need to get permission from the National Youth Orchestra Artistic Committee to send in an "own audition". Email [email protected]

For more details go to http://tinyurl.com/ptngc85 and http://www.sanyo.org.za/courses/audition-faqs/