AUDITION INFORMATION

Auditions for the 2025-26 Season will open in March 2025! Stay tuned!

We appreciate your interest in the Orange County Youth Symphony and String Ensemble!

Our diverse roster represents student musicians from nearly 60 middle school, high school, and college programs from Orange County and surrounding areas.

The Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the OCYS/E staff are committed to sharing the intercultural love of orchestral music, advancing, inspiring, and cultivating musical performance for lifelong learning with young adult musicians in grades 5 through 13. OCYS and OCYSE proudly serve as music ambassadors to each other and our local schools, districts, and communities throughout Southern California.

Audition Applications: Auditions for the Orange County Youth Symphony & Orange County String Ensemble 2025-2026 season will open in March 2025.

Expectations: Active participation in your school music program (if available) during the 2025-2026 school year.

Applications: An audition fee, application, and video will be due.

Audition Process:

Download & practice the required audition excerpt(s) for OCYS or excerpt(s) and scale(s) for OCYSE. See below for all excerpt(s) and/or scale(s).
Select and practice a solo piece under two minutes that best demonstrates your playing ability.
Play for friends and family to build confidence and refine your performance.
Record a practice audition video and review it. Check for the best picture and sound. Adjust the camera, lighting, and staging if needed.
Complete the OCYS/E audition application.
Submit the audition fee.
Record a video audition and link your video to the final question on the OCYS/E audition application.

We hope you enjoy the audition process. Best of luck to you in your musical endeavors!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have any questions about our OCYS/E Audition Process? Check out our FAQs below:

OCYS: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Flute, Piccolo, Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, French Horn, Trumpet, Tenor and Bass Trombone, Euphonium (as needed), Tuba, Harp (as needed), Mallet Percussion, and Percussion.

OCYSE: Strings Only: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

OCYS & OCYSE strings should audition with the excerpt(s) and/or scales(s) for the respective ensemble they are planning to audition for.

Excerpt Preparation: Listen to a recording of the required excerpts. This will assist you to understand the excerpt, tempos, style, and emotional intent.

What Judges Listen For: Musical maturity, note and rhythmic accuracy, articulation dynamics, and expression.

Attire: Dress in professional but comfortable playing attire.

Video Setting: Check the lighting and surroundings in your room. A blank wall with limited distractions is best. Check the placement of your camera with lighting behind the camera and a full view of you in playing position.

Record a Test Run: Review footage before you send for good sound, lighting, and positioning of your full playing position.

Please follow the following procedure while recording your audition video:

State your name, age, and year in school (as of the fall of the season you are applying to).
Perform audition excerpts in order as outlined in the audition information.
Create your live, continuous, unaccompanied audition video in one sitting. Videos should NOT be edited.
Students should upload their video to their Google Drive or a private YouTube account. Please do not use school accounts.
Ensure privacy settings are set so that the judges can view your video.
Copy the share link to the video and authorize permission to view.
Paste the link into your audition application. It will be the final question on the application, entitled ‘Audition Link.’

Results will be emailed to the email you have listed on this application by the end of June. Please set your email client and/or spam filter to accept any email from the e-domain @philharmonicsociety.org. Otherwise, you might miss crucial information.

In-person audition callbacks for Concert Master and/or Principals may be scheduled on an as needed basis.

Final seating/adjustments will be determined at the first rehearsal.