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Maybe it’s the proverbial “seven minutes to midnight”, or maybe you’ve still got a week or two. It never feels like enough time, trust us.
So here’s some advice for those last few days, hours, and minutes before your big day, inspired by the recent violin auditions at the LA Philharmonic.
I love the podcast- one thing is really irritating me at the moment- what is the opening music? The age-old problem of not being able to place a piece of music is striking with the intro music- if you could solve my conundrum that would be great. My guess was Haydn but that could very well be wrong. Thanks!
Haha, I know the feeling! To open, we have an excerpt from the Brahms G Major string sextet, near the beginning of the last movement. And to close, the same piece, but near the end of the 3rd movement. From a performance at our chamber music festival in Lexington, KY in 2018 where Akiko was playing 1st violin and I was playing 2nd viola.
Wow, I couldn’t have been more wrong! Without the flighty opening, it really sounded to me like a gentle classical quartet- thanks for giving me peace of mind. The podcast is a real inspiration for me- I’m a cellist in undergraduate conservatory and I appreciate the realness.
Thank you for doing these podcasts. I find them very helpful. My takeaway from listening is : the importance of one’s mindset, having your own personal mental armor, not being intimidated by others, having a personal conviction to get the job done well. I really like your thoughts on the mistake vs. the tendencies (nervousness vs. panic) and feel this is very helpful to remember. I think one of the most helpful comments for me to remember at my upcoming audition is: “I am one of the group.” Seems calming in some ways.
So grateful to have found your site. Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for listening, and if you have those takeaways, that makes us happy!