The orchestra shares its efforts to maintain fairness and describes the complicated process of gaining full membership
The Vienna Philharmonic has posted images on Facebook from its recent auditions for the roles of concertmaster and bassoonist, which took place at the Gustav Mahler Hall at the Wiener Staatsoper.
The process is an elaborate one: the candidates were in fact auditioning for the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and if successful would be required to complete a probation period of one to two years; a jury would then decide whether to allow the musicians to become a permanent member of the Opera Orchestra, and only after three years in this role would they be allowed to apply to become full members of the private association of the Vienna Philharmonic.
The jury consisted of 25 members of the orchestra, including two concertmasters, section principals, the VPO chairman and managing director, and five musicians of the relevant orchestral sections. Candidates drew numbers to determine auditioning order directly before the process began. The first rounds took place behind a screen, with candidates evaluated on a scale of 2 to 20 points by each jury member. If the required average was reached, that musician would progress to the next round. The final round would take place without a screen.
On this occasion it was determined that the best candidates were not of a high enough standard to be granted a trail.
Photo: Jun Keller
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