Western States Honor Orchestra Festival

November 2-4, 2023 | UNC Campus Commons

Each year, the University of Northern Colorado hosts the Western States Honor Orchestra Festival in Greeley, Colorado, at UNC Campus Commons. Audition requirements and excerpts are posted below. Auditions must be received by Friday, September 22, 2023, at 5pm.

Successful musicians, chosen by their audition recordings, will be formed into two orchestras: a conductorless Chamber Orchestra led by UNC string faculty in the principal spots of each section and a larger Symphony Orchestra that will include UNC wind players. Over the three days, there will be masterclasses, sectional rehearsals, lectures and a number of rehearsals for each ensemble. We look forward to welcoming you and your students to WSHOF!

Contact:

PVA Events & Ensembles

PVAEvents@unco.edu

Audition Deadline

Friday, September 22, 5pm

Check out the festival experience.

2023 Repertoire

Symphony Orchestra

Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World," Op. 95, B. 178 (New World Symphony) by Antonín Dvořák
Conducted by Andrés Felipe Jaime

Chamber Orchestra

Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conductorless chamber orchestra, led by UNC's faculty

Audition Materials

Violin
Violin
- Scales: D Major, C Melodic Minor, Chromatic. (Tempo as marked.)
- Excerpts
- A Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limit
Download Materials
Viola
Viola
- Scales: G Major, D Melodic Minor, Chromatic. (Tempo as marked.)
- Excerpts
- A Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limit
Download Materials
Cello
Cello
- Scales: F# Major, C Melodic Minor, Chromatic. (Tempo as marked.)
- Excerpts
- A Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limit
Download Materials
Double Bass
Double Bass
- Scales: A Major, F# Melodic Minor. (Tempo as marked.)
- Excerpts
- A Piece of your choice that is most indicative of your musical and technical abilities, 2 ½ minute time limit
Download Materials

Audition Process

Submit the registration form by Friday, September 22, 2023. (Registration form linked here in Summer 2023.)
Upon submission, you will be redirected to the portal, where you can pay your $35 audition fee and upload your recording.
Audition Recording Requirements:
- The audition file (mp3 file) must be labeled: LastName_FirstName_School_Instrument.mp3
- All required audition material must be included in one file in the following order: Scales, Orchestral Excerpts, Solo Selection. Only one file including all audition requirements should be submitted per applicant. An announcement of the student name and instrument is NOT required at the beginning of the recording.
- Audition recordings must be recorded without accompaniment. Recordings must also be unedited with no added “overdubs” or reverb.
- Mp3 files must be compressed at a bitrate of no more than 256 kbps. Files larger than 20MB will not be accepted. Consider that the quality of the audition recording may reasonably affect the perception of the adjudicators.