District 7 Festival Audition Information

PMEA HARP TRYOUT PROCEDURE FOR DISTRICT, REGION, ALL-STATE
Adopted by Executive Board June 12-13, 1987: Amended January 1997; July 1998, July 2001
Tryout Committee Appointed by the State President


To be eligible to perform in ANY festival--district, regional, or state a harpist must:

(1) Submit an application and a tape at the district level to the District President by November 10 who will arrange for judging all harp tapes for the District. The District Presidents will send the top tape to the PMEA Executive Office, which will send them on to the appointed judge(s) for ranking by November 24.

(2) Be a member of his/her school orchestra if one is in existence.
The tape should consist of a prepared solo taken from the suggested list or a solo of obvious greater difficulty. This tape should be submitted to the District President and should be postmarked two weeks prior to the scheduled tryout date. (Rationale: this will ensure the judging will be completed by the tryout date and music can be given immediately to the first-place harpist in each district).

The appointed judge(s) for the state are responsible for ranking all tapes, which must be clearly marked as per district. The judge(s) will notify the PMEA Executive Director of the rankings, who will then notify the All State Orchestra host so that music can be sent to the top harpist.

If a harpist submits a solo tape at the district level, but does not participate in the district festival because there were no harp parts in the festival program, the same ranking would hold for regional orchestra. If no harp parts are needed for regional, the same ranking would hold for all-state orchestra in the event a harpist is needed for the all-slate program.

The following is the suggested list of harp tryout solos:

Intermediate to Intermediate Advanced Level (if possible, please choose two contrasting selections.)

Bois Solitaire or Romance Without Words ………… Godefroid, arr. McDonald
Feuilles D’ Automne ……………………………………….. Hasselmans
16th and 17th Century Spanish Masters ……………………… edited Zabaleta
Solfeggieto ………………………………………………….. C.P.E. Bach, arr. Miller
Six Rumanian Dances ………………………………………. Bartok, arr. Mildonian

Advanced Level

Suite …………………………………………………………… Britten
Impromptu Caprice …………………………………………. Pierne
Concerto in Bb ……………………………………………… Handel
Variations on an Ancient Theme …………………………. Salzedo
Sonata in G ………………………………………… C.P.E. Bach, arr. Weidensaul

Other pieces of equivalent difficulty are acceptable.

It will be to your benefit to submit the most difficult piece that you can play well. Performances will be judged on musical conception, intonation, and accuracy of notes, pedals, and rhythm. The above selections should be available from the following sources:

Vanderbilt Music Company 800-533-7200
Lyon & Healy Harp Salon 800-621-3881
International Music Service 800-959-5972

HARPISTS MUST BE ABLE TO BRING THEIR OWN INSTRUMENT TO THE FESTIVAL!

click here for application