French Horn

Prescreening:

• One solo movement from the standard repertoire;
• Two contrasting etudes;
• A two octave E major scale (horn pitch), ascending and descending, played in sixteenth notes at a minimum of quarter note equals 90 beats per minute, tongued and forte;
• A three octave B harmonic minor scale (horn pitch), ascending and descending, played in sixteenth notes at a minimum of quarter note equals 90 beats per minute, slurred and piano.

Live Auditions:

Two contrasting solo movements from the standard repertoire.
Examples include, but are not limited to:

• First Movements to Mozart Concerto No.3 and Strauss Concerto No.1
• First Movements to Haydn Concerto No.2 and Hindemith Sonata
• First Movements to Franz Strauss Concerto and Beethoven Sonata

Two contrasting etudes.
Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Kopprasch Book No.1
• Gallay 12 Studies for 2nd Horn, Op.57
• Maxime-Alphonse Book No.2 or No.3
• Kling

Contrasting orchestral excerpts demonstrating tone, rhythm, range, dynamic control and technique.
Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Beethoven Symphony No.6
• Brahms Symphony No.3
• Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5
• Strauss Till Eulenspiegel
• Shostakovich Symphony No.5, low tutti

Major and minor scales, transposition, and sight-reading are also required.

Recorded Auditions:

Please refer to the following guidelines as you prepare and record your audition.

• Recorded auditions must consist of one 10-minute video recorded in one take with no editing permitted. If recordings longer than 10 minutes are submitted, the jury will listen only to the first 10 minutes.
• Selections must be chosen according to the final audition requirements for your instrument as listed above.
• You are encouraged to play a substantial portion of your main solo piece plus two orchestral excerpts, but exercise your judgment if you wish to include an etude or second piece.
• We would like to hear a range of repertoire with technical and stylistic differences.
• Please pay close attention to the sound quality of your recording so that the jury can accurately assess your playing.

NEC encourages applicants to submit diverse repertoire, including works composed by women, people from historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, and/or musicians from one’s own cultural background.