Audition now for the 2024-2025 Season!
HPYS welcomes all orchestral instruments to auditions for placement.
Piano and saxophone are often part of our ensembles, and students of these instruments are also encouraged to contact us.
Sign up for an audition to learn more.
At HPYS, we aim to find a placement for each student that best serves the pedagogical, technical, and socio-emotional needs of the student and the ensemble. The audition requirements listed are guidelines only: please contact HPYS with any questions about the requirements.
Scholarships and financial aid are available, contact us to learn more.
How to prepare for your audition
Start early. Plan out your practicing schedule in advance and be sure to cover a bit of each section every day: scales, solo, and sight reading.
Start slowly. Don’t expect to perform perfectly on day one at concert tempo! Start out at 50% of tempo, and once you have achieved proficiency on multiple levels (pitch, rhythm, intonation, dynamics, articulation, phrasing, etc.), move on to 60%.
Be picky. The adjudicators will listen for more than just notes and rhythms–so you should too!
Listen. Listen to recordings, to your teachers, and to other friends and colleagues auditioning!
Ask for help. There are many qualified private instructors in the Hyde Park area, and many of them are familiar to the Hyde Park Youth Symphony. You can also contact the HPYS with any questions about the audition process.
Remember that we want you to succeed! Everyone listening to you audition is rooting for you. You might still be nervous (and that’s OK), but we want to create the best possible musical experience for you. So, have fun!