An Equal Opportunity Employer: It is the policy of the Portland Symphony Orchestra to provide all persons with equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, handicap, age, or veteran status. 

 

ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS

THERE are no administrative POSITIONs open at this time

 

AUDITIONS

THERE are four upcoming auditions

Section Viola, Clarinet 2, Section Bass, and Magic of Christmas Children’s Chorus

 

---

 

Auditions

SECTION VIOLA

3 positions

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2023

Highly qualified musicians are invited to send a one-page résumé by Monday, September 18, 2023, with a $50 refundable deposit check (payable to Portland Symphony Orchestra) to:

Portland Symphony Orchestra
Attn. Martin Webster, Orchestra Personnel Manager
85 Exchange Street, 4^th Floor
Portland, ME 04101

Résumés can be emailed to mwebster@portlandsymphony.org. Emailed résumés in .pdf or Word, please. Emailed résumés are valid only after receipt of deposit check. Deposit checks will be returned at the audition or will be destroyed if you cancel your audition on or before Thursday, September 28, 2023.

Offer of employment at this audition is contingent on the winning candidates’ ability to furnish proof of their current ability to work in the US. Employment will begin during the 2023-2024 season. The PSO is a per-service orchestra offering approximately 85 services in the 2023-2024 season. Current scale for these positions is $130.70 per service. 

The Portland Symphony Orchestra audition committee reserves the right to dismiss any candidate not meeting the highest professional standards.

The audition will be held at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. Street address: 20 Myrtle St., Portland, ME 04101

The Portland Symphony Orchestra is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. In an effort to reduce the financial barriers for auditioning musicians, there is financial support available through NAAS (National Alliance for Audition Support) grant programs for auditioning Black and Latinx musicians: https://www.sphinxmusic.org/naas-grants.

REPERTOIRE
Solo

Any major viola concerto, 1st movement (exposition)

EXCERPTS

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5, II. Andante con moto 

1. 1-10
2. 49-59
3. 98-106

BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn

• Variations V, VII, VIII (no repeats)

MENDELSSOHN Midsummer Night’s Dream – Scherzo

• Beginning to D

MOZART Symphony No. 35, “Haffner”

• Mvt. I: m. 41-66
• Mvt. IV: m. 134-181

RAVEL Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2

• Reh. 158-166

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5

• Mvt. I. Moderato Reh. 15 to 17

STRAUSS Don Juan

• Beginning to D

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6, “Pathetique”

• Mvt. I. Allegro non troppo through letter C (m. 19-62)

 

 

CLARINET 2

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2023

Highly qualified musicians are invited to send a one-page résumé by Tuesday, September 19, 2023, with a $50 refundable deposit check (payable to Portland Symphony Orchestra) to:

Portland Symphony Orchestra
Attn. Martin Webster, Orchestra Personnel Manager
85 Exchange Street, 4^th Floor
Portland, ME 04101

Résumés can be emailed to mwebster@portlandsymphony.org. Emailed résumés in .pdf or Word, please. Emailed résumés are valid only after receipt of deposit check. Deposit checks will be returned at the audition or will be destroyed if you cancel your audition on or before Thursday, September 28, 2023.

Offer of employment at this audition is contingent on the winning candidates’ ability to furnish proof of their current ability to work in the US. Employment will begin during the 2023-2024 season. The PSO is a per-service orchestra offering approximately 85 services in the 2023-2024 season. Current scale for these positions is $143.77 per service. 

The Portland Symphony Orchestra audition committee reserves the right to dismiss any candidate not meeting the highest professional standards.

The audition will be held at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. Street address: 20 Myrtle St., Portland, ME 04101

The Portland Symphony Orchestra is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. In an effort to reduce the financial barriers for auditioning musicians, there is financial support available through NAAS (National Alliance for Audition Support) grant programs for auditioning Black and Latinx musicians: https://www.sphinxmusic.org/naas-grants.

REPERTOIRE
solo

MOZART Concerto for Clarinet

• Mvt 1 exposition

FIRST CLARINET PARTS

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4

• II. m 81-89

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6

• I. m 33-54, m 474-492
• II. m 68-78

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8

• III. M 48 to end

BERLIOZ Symphonie Fantastique

• III. 3 after 43 to 44

BRAHMS Symphony No. 3

• I. m 36-46
• II. Beginning to m 23

MENDELSSOHN Midsummer Night’s Dream

• Scherzo Beginning to B

PROKOFIEV Peter and the Wolf

• No. 20 to 21

PUCCINI Tosca Act III

• solo before E Lucevan le stelle

RESPIGHI Pines of Rome

• 3rd Mvt Solo

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Capriccio Espagnole

• Mvt 1 & 3

_{Sight Reading will be required in all rounds.}

 

 

SECTION BASS

2 positions

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2023

Highly qualified musicians are invited to send a one-page résumé by Tuesday, October 3, 2023, with a $50 refundable deposit check (payable to Portland Symphony Orchestra) to:

Portland Symphony Orchestra
Attn. Martin Webster, Orchestra Personnel Manager
85 Exchange Street, 4^th Floor
Portland, ME 04101

Résumés can be emailed to mwebster@portlandsymphony.org. Emailed résumés in .pdf or Word, please. Emailed résumés are valid only after receipt of deposit check. Deposit checks will be returned at the audition or will be destroyed if you cancel your audition on or before Friday, October 13, 2023.

Offer of employment at this audition is contingent on the winning candidates’ ability to furnish proof of their current ability to work in the US. Employment will begin during the 2023-2024 season. The PSO is a per-service orchestra offering approximately 85 services in the 2023-2024 season. Current scale for these positions is $130.70 per service. 

The Portland Symphony Orchestra audition committee reserves the right to dismiss any candidate not meeting the highest professional standards.

The audition will be held at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. Street address: 20 Myrtle St., Portland, ME 04101

The Portland Symphony Orchestra is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. In an effort to reduce the financial barriers for auditioning musicians, there is financial support available through NAAS (National Alliance for Audition Support) grant programs for auditioning Black and Latinx musicians: https://www.sphinxmusic.org/naas-grants.

REPERTOIRE
solo

Solo of choice

ORCHESTRAL EXCERPTS

BACH Violin Concerto in E Major

• 2^nd mvt: Bars 1 to 10

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5

• 2^nd mvt: Letter C to 11 bars after C and 5 bars after Letter E to 20 after E
• 3^rd mvt: Opening to Letter A and 8 bars before Double bar (trio) to 23 bars after Letter B, NO repeat

BRAHMS Symphony No. 1

• 1^st mvt: Letter E to 1^st ending
• 4^th mvt: Letter K to Letter L

BRITTEN Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

• Variation H

MAHLER Symphony No. 1

• 3^rd mvt solo

MOZART Symphony No. 35

• 4^th mvt: 10 bars after Letter D to Letter E

MOZART Symphony No. 39

• 1^st mvt: Bar 13 to Letter C NOTE: Tacet 4 before Allegro until 15 after (bars 22-39)

MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

• VI mvt Samuel Goldenberg und Schmuyle: Number 56 to Number 58

STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben

• Number 9 to one bar after Number 11
• Number 40 to one bar before Number 41

STRAVINSKY Pulcinella

• VII mvt: (Vivo) With repeat solo

 

 

Magic of christmas children’s chorus

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2023

The Portland Symphony Orchestra is seeking talented young treble singers in grades 5-12 (ages 10-18) to sing in the upcoming performances of The Magic of Christmas, this December of 2023. 

The PSO Magic of Christmas Children’s Chorus, directed by Matt LaBerge, will give young singers the opportunity to perform at Merrill Auditorium with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eckart Preu. They will also be performing alongside the full Magic of Christmas Chorus, becoming a part of this longstanding and beloved holiday tradition that is now in its 44th year. 

The PSO Magic of Christmas Children’s Chorus will rehearse at Woodfords Congregational Church in Portland, Maine, on Saturday mornings beginning on October 21, 2023, and will eventually join the full Magic of Christmas Adult Chorus and Orchestra for rehearsals and performances at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine. Full rehearsal schedule with dates, times, and locations listed below.

Although it is not required, high school age singers who successfully audition and are accepted into the Children’s Chorus will have the option to participate in the Adult Chorus as well, which rehearses at Sable Lodge in South Portland on Wednesday evenings. The full Adult Chorus rehearsal schedule with dates, times, and locations will be provided upon request when you schedule a Children’s Chorus audition.

Auditions will be held on Saturday, October 14 from 9:00am-3:00pm at Woodfords Congregational Church, found at the following address:

202 Woodford Street 
Portland, ME 04103

HOW TO RESERVE A TIME SLOT

To reserve an audition time slot, please email Matt LaBerge: mlaberge@portlandsymphony.org. In your email, please provide the following information about yourself (or your child, if you are a parent/guardian):

• Name 
• Age 
• Grade 
• School that you attend

All those planning to audition MUST reserve a time slot in advance.

AUDITION MATERIALS 

In the audition, singers will perform a brief excerpt from “Christmastime is Here” (reference recording included below), and sheet music will be emailed directly to singers when they schedule their audition. Singers may also be asked to perform pitch-matching and sight-reading exercises, as determined by the director. 

• Christmastime is Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PzetPqepXA

REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES

Children’s chorus rehearsals
WOODFORDS CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, PORTLAND

• Saturday, October 21, 2023: 9:30am-12:00pm 
• Saturday, October 28, 2023: 9:30am-12:00pm 
• Saturday, November 4, 2023: 9:30am-11:00am 
• Saturday, November 18, 2023: 9:30am-11:00am 
• Saturday, December 2, 2023: 9:30am-11:00am 

COMBINED CHORUS REHEARSAL
SABLE LODGE, SOUTH PORTLAND

• Wednesday, November 29th, 2023: 7:00pm-9:00pm 

MERRILL REHEARSALS
MERRILL AUDITORIUM, PORTLAND

• Wednesday, December 6, 2023: 7:00pm-9:30pm (Full Chorus Rehearsal) 
• Thursday, December 7, 2023: 6:30pm-9:30pm (Dress Rehearsal with Orchestra) 

PERFORMANCES
MERRILL AUDITORIUM, PORTLAND

Children’s Chorus will not be called for Friday matinees at 2:00pm.

• Friday, December 8, 2023: 7:00pm  
• Saturday, December 9, 2023: 2:00pm  
• Saturday, December 9, 2023: 7:00pm  
• Sunday, December 10, 2023: 1:00pm 
• Sunday, December 10, 2023: 5:00pm 
• Friday, December 15, 2023: 7:00pm  
• Saturday, December 16, 2023: 2:00pm  
• Saturday, December 16, 2023: 7:00pm  
• Sunday, December 17, 2023: 1:00pm 
• Sunday, December 17, 2023: 5:00pm 

Singers are expected to participate in all rehearsals and a MINIMUM of 5 performances, with exact performance dates determined by each singer’s availability and at the discretion of the director. Any and all potential scheduling conflicts should be listed in your original email at the time you schedule an audition.