Whether you already play the violin or are just thinking about learning it, you may aspire to secure a seat in an orchestra, ensemble, or even a string quartet.
In this article, we'll look at the steps you need to take with your violin playing to get a seat in an orchestra. We can't guarantee you'll have the same experience, but these tips should certainly help you in your search for a position in an orchestra.
Learn the Violin
We can't stress enough how important it is that you learn to play the violin and by “learn”, we mean really learn.
To get a position in an orchestra, you can't play the violin to a passable level, especially if you want to secure a prime position. In an orchestra, the first chair violinist is known as the concertmaster or "leader" in the UK.
The concertmaster, first chair, first violinist, or concertmistress, is the top violinist in the orchestra.
As you can imagine, this is a hugely important role and includes more than just playing the violin. However, it's only reserved for the most gifted violinists. The concertmaster is also responsible for tuning the orchestra and working closely with the conductor.
There are other positions in the orchestra for violinists, but if you've set your sights on the top spot for violinists, your playing has to be exceptional and there are plenty of things you can do to master the violin.
Develop Your Repertoire
An important part of securing a prime position in an orchestra isn't just a question of how you play but what you play.
Your repertoire is what will help you secure your position in an orchestra. You'll need to be able to sight read and play music directly from the sheet music, but you should actively work on your repertoire.
You'll want your repertoire to align with that of the orchestra, paying particular attention to the pieces you'll need for your audition.
Once you secure a place in the orchestra, you'll focus more on the pieces the orchestra performs regularly rather than the pieces you choose to audition.
Focus on Pieces for Auditions
As we alluded to, developing your repertoire is essential for landing a seat in an orchestra, but before you do that, you need to focus on getting over the first hurdle: the audition.
The audition process can be quite daunting, but you'll be provided with an audition repertoire to work from. These can include solos and orchestral excerpts. In some cases, the orchestra will give you a copy but in other cases, you'll just be expected to make a note of them.
Until you've secured a seat on the orchestra, almost all of your focus should be on the audition repertoire.
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Get Extra Help and Feedback
So far, we've only mentioned things you can do yourself for your violin playing, but remember that you're not on your own and there are plenty of different ways to get help.
Whether it's from friends, family members, teachers, or other musicians, reach out for help and get feedback on your playing.
It isn't the nicest feeling to be told where you're going wrong or have the mistakes that you're making pointed out, but make sure that everyone is incredibly critical of your playing.
It's fine to make mistakes, the important thing is that you're aware of them and you can correct them before your audition.
Keep Your Resume Up-to-date
If you're a professional musician and have played with other groups or orchestras, your professional resume and your audition resume will be the same thing, but if you have another professional life outside of music, then you'll need another resume that focuses just on your musical career.
You won't be given a prime position in an orchestra just from your resume, so don't waste your time by putting lies and exaggerations on it.
Your resume should start with your personal details. If you have a music education, then you should list that under the education section. If you've studied with reputable college or conservatory teachers, you can feel free to name them in your resume.
List your experience as a musician and be specific about what you've done, who you've played with, and what your role was specifically within the orchestra or ensemble.
Record Your Performances
Your orchestral and ensemble performances may be recorded anyway, but you should also record your practice sessions. Even the world's greatest violinists will do this so that they can improve.
You can use these to critique your performance and also pass the recordings on to others to provide you with detailed feedback and suggestions.
It doesn't need to be just an audio recording, either. Video is a good way to critique your posture as well as how you play the violin.
Violin Competitions
Music and violin competitions are a great way to get your violin playing noticed and something you can put on your resume.
When there aren't any auditions or openings for orchestras or ensembles, preparing for competitions is a good way to stay focused on your playing and to work on your repertoire.
Look for Auditions
We'll assume by this point you can play the violin, have your repertoire sorted, and have put together a resume for your violin playing.
Now you need to look for auditions for orchestras and ensembles. The auditions are quite formal affairs so don't ever expect somebody to just give you a place on an orchestra.
If you're involved with your local music community, then you'll likely hear of openings on orchestras on the grapevine, but there are also plenty of sites like Musical Chairs, Audition, Cafe, Muvac, etc. that you can use to find auditions and opportunities.
Research the Orchestra
When you find an audition, do your research. There's no easier way to be rejected than to show up for an audition and have misunderstood the orchestra and what they do.
Just as you would research a company before a job interview, you should research the orchestra way ahead of your audition.
While you'll be given the repertoire for your audition, find out as much as you can about the orchestra or ensemble before you start preparing for your audition.
Practice for the Audition
Whether or not you get a prime position in an orchestra will depend massively on the audition. If you don't do well on the audition, you can say “goodbye” to your chances of playing with that ensemble.
Even if your playing is good, you must practice for the audition. This doesn't mean just practicing the pieces that make up the audition repertoire, but also being aware of the procedure, and what you'll be doing.
If it helps, you can even just practice walking to your seat before playing the audition pieces as this can help you calm your nerves.
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Take Care of Yourself
You'll likely be nervous or stressed before your audition. We recommend taking good care of yourself by eating right, exercising, and getting a good night's sleep if you can.
Healthy food can help you play better and if you can show up to the audition well-rested and ready to go, you'll find that the audition will go far better than expected.
Manage Your Expectations
Playing in orchestras can be competitive, so try not to get your hopes up too much before each audition. We're not saying that you should go into each audition expecting to be rejected, but remember that it's an audition and some violinists will end up being rejected.
Collaborate with Other Musicians and Network
If you get opportunities to play with other musicians outside of orchestras and ensembles, you should go for it.
It always helps to know the right people and while you won't necessarily pass an audition on a recommendation from a friend, it can sometimes help make the difference to have someone in your corner fighting for you.
Be a Part of the Music Community
Make sure people know who you are. You can do this through performances, but if you're an active member of your local music community outside of performances, you might be the first person people think of when looking for a violinist.
This might not get you first chair in an orchestra, but it might help for positions in ensembles, string quartets, bands, etc. and these can all help you to network and collaborate with other local musicians.
Look for Good Resources
When doing your research, you may want to look into ways to improve your playing, get better at the audition pieces, etc.
Make sure you look for high-quality resources and improve your violin playing using the right approaches and methods.
Every violinist is different so what works for one might not work for another, but it doesn't hurt to ask your fellow violinists and musicians for their advice and suggestions.
Don't forget that you can get help with your violin playing or even start learning to play the violin with private violin tutors. There are plenty of them on the Superprof website and with many of them offering the first session for free, you can try a few out before deciding which one is right for you and how you like to learn!
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