{"id":122,"date":"2017-01-09T15:24:40","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T14:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk.linux182.unoeuro-server.com\/2017\/01\/09\/til-proevespil-i-dr-byen\/"},"modified":"2024-11-23T00:20:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T23:20:30","slug":"til-proevespil-i-dr-byen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/til-proevespil-i-dr-byen\/","title":{"rendered":"At the audition in DR Byen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After all, candidates don't have to take their shoes off. But it's close, because an audition for musicians is very different from the hiring process for pretty much every other job in the world. Here's how it works:<\/p>\n

It's early morning in DR Byen on Amager. The Friends' coordinator, Milena Nielsen, also has a number of practical tasks in connection with the auditions. That's why she's ready at 7am to receive the candidates for what could be the ticket to a place in the orchestra - the auditions. They usually take place in studio 2 - the one with the wooden boxes with pictures on the wall. Or in Studio 4, the red one, which is used daily by the Vocal Ensemble.<\/p>\n

Through the room stretches a row of tables and chairs. In a few hours, the jury will sit on the chairs and a screen will be set up in front of them. The only musical instrument in the room is a grand piano. All candidates - regardless of their instrument - have one of the two accompanists assigned to the rehearsals to support them throughout the process. The repertoire is known at least three weeks in advance, usually in the job advert.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Here is an example of a job advert for the symphony orchestra.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Two accompanists guide candidates through the test. Regardless of their instrument<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Voting with pencil<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In front of each of the jury members is a pre-printed ballot paper intended for the first round. Of course, there's also a pencil, which has an extraordinary function, explains the chairman of the orchestra association's board, principal timpanist Ren\u00e9 Mathiesen. He has often sat on the jury for auditions, but a member of the association's board is always present as a holder for the candidates. And of course, they are not jury members at the same time. <\/p>\n

-\"It's not unusual for us to realise during the first round that this will not lead to a job. If the jury member comes to that conclusion, they put their pencil on the table, and if enough people do that, the test stops for the applicant in question,\" explains Ren\u00e9 Mathiesen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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There can be quite a few judges on the panel<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In the first round, the judges only tick the ballot paper if they think the candidate is eligible. In the subsequent round(s), the nominations are justified.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The jury consists of the members of the group in the orchestra the applicant is applying for. It is also this collective group of symphony orchestra musicians who decide what will be played. And yes, there are sonatas and other pieces for all instruments, although not many of them have been written for tuba, timpani and double basses, for example. Some people play \u201dup-tuned\u201d double basses to make them sound more \u201daccessible\u201d on instruments that are not otherwise suitable for solos, but Ren\u00e9 Mahiesen doesn't like that. It gives the wrong impression of the candidate, he says. <\/p>\n

For example, if we are talking about a competition for a solo violinist position among the first violins, there may be 16 jury members from that group in the orchestra. BUT, there are also 17 more who belong to other groups of musicians. The peers will never make up the majority. On the other hand, their opinion counts a lot in the aforementioned \u201dpencil game\u201d . In the case of other positions - tutti - only half of the group's members sit on the jury.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Job adverts<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The job adverts can be found on DR's website in English and elsewhere on the internet. But musicians all over the world who are looking for a job look in \u201dMusical Chairs\u201d, which is the place for adverts with international appeal. And the jobs that are advertised in the DR Symphony Orchestra have such an appeal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I would guess that only 35 per cent of applicants are Danish, the rest are from most of the world<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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-\"I would guess that only 35 per cent of the applicants are Danish, the rest are from most of the world,\" says Milena Nielsen, who is the first person from DR that the candidates meet when they follow the signs through DR Byen to the first floor of the Koncerthuset, where they have a room at their disposal for at least 45 minutes before the first round to warm up and prepare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Danish applicants in minority<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The jury has read through the applications. Depending on the instrument, there can be 50-150 applications for each position. Fewer if you get a day when the Berliners are also holding auditions.<\/p>\n

-But we can see that the big conductor names have a not insignificant influence on where the applicants come from. When the orchestra's chief conductor was Rafael Fr\u00fchbeck de Burgos, there were particularly many applicants from Spain. And now that Fabio Luisi is on the podium, there are particularly many applicants from Italy and other countries where Luisi has conducted,\" says Ren\u00e9 Mathiesen.<\/p>\n

He adds that there are currently also a lot of applicants who are currently working in southern European orchestras but want to leave simply because the future of their orchestra is uncertain.<\/p>\n

It's not a necessity for candidates to turn up in person. It can be a bit of a challenge for them to travel from, say, the US to Denmark to compete for a job they may or may not get. But all applicants get a chance to show what they can do<\/p>\n

So there is an opportunity to participate in a pre-round, possibly by submitting a CD. The rules are written down in a 13-page script, so it can be done correctly and consistently. The stakes are high (sorry!!!) for the candidates. In history, there have been examples of a lawsuit in connection with an audition where the candidate disagreed with the rejection.<\/p>\n

It is a very important principle that candidates remain anonymous for as long as they wish. Also because if they are stopped during the test by enough pencils lying around, no one else will know that they have failed. No stains on their CV.<\/p>\n

An hour before the rehearsal starts, the two pianists arrive. So they can agree on a course of action with the candidates. When the rehearsal starts, Milena Nielsen leads the candidates in turn. They must stand in a specific place marked with an arrow on the floor and play in a very specific direction - the same for everyone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This far and no further. Candidates should have the same distance and direction to the judging panel that they cannot see behind the screen separating them from the jury.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Who's behind the screen<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The candidates stand in front of a screen with the judging panel sitting on the other side of the screen. In other words, the judges cannot see the candidate. And vice versa. Now we're back to the sock thing. In the US, there are orchestras where the candidates come in wearing socks. Why is that? Because we don't want the judges to be able to tell if the candidate is a man or a woman in high heels. We don't go that far, but on some occasions in the past, felt has been placed on the floor and everything has been done to preserve anonymity so that only the game counts.<\/p>\n

Before the rehearsals start, the judging panel is instructed on what to pay special attention to when assessing the day's rehearsals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It looks drastic that the candidates have to play against a dead screen. But it's set up to ensure an unbiased judgement of the game and nothing else.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Candidates are often quite nervous, but we help them as best we can<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"The candidates are often quite nervous, but we help them as best we can,\" says Milena Nielsen, who ensures that this part of the audition rules is also followed. Of course, the judges have read the pile of applications, but they must be able to abstract from the written words and only listen during the actual audition. Without thinking about the person behind the screen.<\/p>\n

The screen is only used during the first round, where a piece of about 10 minutes is played. No feedback is given on the first round. It is pass or fail. If the candidate advances to the second round, the anonymity of the screen is removed. And then the parties can see each other during the second round, which can consist of several works. This round usually lasts 20 minutes, and it will be a special case if the candidate is stopped prematurely with a \u201dthank you for coming\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Candidates have a room at their disposal for at least 45 minutes before they appear before the judges.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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More rounds<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In the case of a 1st solo or 2nd solo spot, there is an additional third round before the audition is over.<\/p>\n

Now there is only one person who can get the job. However, this does not guarantee the lucky person a permanent position at DRSO. Even if it's a permanent job that has been competed for, you are hired with a one-year probationary period. And it is not uncommon for the employee to be told - after six months or nine months - that there will be no permanent employment at the end of the year.<\/p>\n

There are also examples of the opposite. That the chosen one comes to the orchestra management and says: this is not me.<\/p>\n

As you can see, it's quite an extensive process before you're allowed to get dressed up - or in the case of the ladies dark dress or suit - and sit in the spotlight on stage in the Concert Hall's Studio 1. It wasn't always like this.<\/p>\n

Once upon a time, a sign was put up outside the Radiohuset concert hall with the text: Today is an audition for xx instrument. The story goes that a sailor came by after going ashore and saw the sign. He thought he was a skilled drummer and was tempted by the possibility of a job ashore. So he got in the queue. After a few minutes of \u201dplaying\u201d, however, the judging panel realised that his future was probably more on the high seas than in the concert hall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After all, candidates don't have to take their shoes off. But it's close, because an audition for musicians is very different from the hiring process for pretty much every other job in the world. Here's how it goes: It's early morning at DR Byen in Amager. The Friends of DR Byen coordinator, Milena Nielsen, also has a number of practical...<\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"indlaegs_forfatter":[144],"class_list":["post-122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ikke-kategoriseret","indlaegs_forfatter-mogensrubinstein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122\/revisions\/130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122"},{"taxonomy":"indlaegs_forfatter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drvenneforeningen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/indlaegs_forfatter?post=122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}