Behind the Screen

In our final episode of Season 2, we welcome the Principal Percussionist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Matt Howard. Matt is from Los Angeles and he talks to us about his experience taking an audition for his hometown orchestra, and how he wasn’t invited the first time (we’ve heard this before from several of our other guests). He lets us in on his routine for taking auditions, what it’s like being on the other side of the screen listening to auditions, but also, he talks about breaking it down to the basics and being mentally prepared. What is the constant, and what is the variable?  The more he broke it down, the more he realized the variable was almost always mental. Everyone preparing for an audition, regardless of your instrument, needs to listen to what Matt has to say. It’s wonderful advice and Matt was a great guest!

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected] 

Ricardo Morales, Principal Clarinet of the Philadelphia Orchestra is our guest on this episode of Behind the Screen. Before winning his position with Philly, Ricardo was Principal Clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He talks about his experiences with both auditions as well as sitting behind the screen when listening to auditions. He talks about how to prepare for an audition and what he believes the panel is listening for and what is the differentiating factor when choosing one candidate over another. Ricardo points out that boxing and auditions are very similar. As he says: “there is a very fine line between kicking butt, and getting your butt kicked.”  We loved talking and laughing with Ricardo and you’ll love listening to him on Behind the Screen. 

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected] 

Carol Jantsch, Principal Tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra joins us on Behind the Screen to talk about her experience with taking, and winning, her audition with the Philadelphia Orchestra – while she was still in college!! As we’ve heard before from other guests, she wasn’t invited the first time. How did she win? Carol lets us in on what she works on with her students who are preparing for auditions, and their routines. We talk about being on the other side of the screen, what it is she’s listening for when someone is playing, how playing is a physical activity, and how to take care of your body. Oh yeah, winds and brass players, get molds of your teeth. Tune in to find out why.

Check out Carol's website at caroljantsch.com and her podcast "Rising Stars", now in its second season!

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected] 

Michael Sachs, Principal Trumpet of The Cleveland Orchestra joins us on Behind the Screen to talk about auditions (imagine that…). Mike won his position back in 1988 but he wasn’t initially invited! Listen in to how he ended up finally being invited and how he was able to win. Mike talks to us about how playing is very physical, and he equates practicing to training for the Olympics and having proper fundamentals. Mike has three words that he wants to hear when listening to an audition: “Compelling musical presence”. Find out what he means and find out about what he says was the separating factor for every brass audition he’s listened to at The Cleveland Orchestra. If you’re taking an audition, regardless of your instrument, listen to this episode. 

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected] 

Demarre McGill, Principal Flute of the Seattle Symphony joins us on Behind the Screen. Demarre walks us through his audition successes, and how he prepares for them. He talks about his philosophy called the “Habit of Playing Beautifully” and how you need to train yourself to sound beautiful, regardless of what you’re playing. This conversation is a deep dive into the mind of a great musician who has a wonderful outlook on life and music.

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected] 

Cynthia Phelps, Principal Viola of the New York Philharmonic, joins Behind the Screen on this episode titled “A Balanced Life”. She talks about the love of playing music and to have a depth of knowledge in the excerpts that you’re playing. It’s the little things in these excerpts that will distinguish you from the others and show who you are and what you have to say. We talk about the pressure of taking an audition, to make sure that you have a balanced life, and to always be open to what life may throw your way. Cindy has a wonderful outlook on life, and it was such a pleasure to speak with her and to hear her great advice on taking auditions, living life, playing tennis, and making sure your life is balanced. Notice a theme? 

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected] 

On this episode of Behind the Screen, Matt and JT call two New World Symphony Fellows! Michael Turkell, violin and Kathryn Bradley, bass join BTS to talk about Michael’s recent audition, Kathryn’s preparation for an upcoming audition, and about a day in the life of an NWS Fellow. We have a ton of fun and they bailed us out -- so thank them by tuning in! 

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected] 

Alex Kerr, Concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony, joins Behind the Screen to talk to us about his journey after winning the Concertmaster audition for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra when he was only 25 years old! He tells us what it takes to be a Concertmaster, and shares what he is listening for when he’s behind the screen listening to auditions. Alex talks about his teaching philosophy and how you must know every facet of your playing, as well as how to be consistent. Tune in to hear one of this generation's greatest Concertmasters and teachers.

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected] 

Kristen Bruya, principal bass of the Minnesota Orchestra joins us on Behind the Screen to talk about her journey in taking auditions. Kristen talks about how she developed a routine and honed her audition taking skills (let’s dance!), going back to school, and how she was able to learn and find humility from her colleagues. Be honest with yourself, leave your ego out of it, and try to remain open. Kristen has such a wonderful sense of humor, an infectious laugh and incredible insights to audition taking and just life in general. 

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts!  Or, let us know who you'd like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected]  We're not begging.  Really.

Weston Sprott, trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra joins us on Behind the Screen to talk about his journey - both with taking auditions, and listening to them. Weston shares how the Met Orchestra, one of the world’s best and most diverse orchestras, holds their auditions and how that should be a model for all orchestras. Listen in to Weston share his philosophy on taking auditions and what you should (or shouldn’t) do in each round. As he says, “You’re playing a solo recital of orchestral excerpts”. 

Thank you for subscribing and let us know your thoughts, or who’d you like to hear on Behind the Screen at [email protected]