Comments

Karen,
Have you seen the adverts on this site: "how does bravery really show itself?" That's you!

Bart

Great post, Karen! I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

I'm betting you were terrific and it was the acoustics of the place that left you feeling unsure of your performance.

Good luck, Karen! We are rooting for you, although we are sure you will get picked. I enjoyed reading your blog and I really hope you get in the orchestra. I bet you did great!! "What continues to throw me, and to freeze my brain, is the way I always seem to sound different in the audition than I do in the practice room. I really don't understand this phenomenon,"

I know this, and I think it's just the difference in the room acoustics magnified by nerves. Play in various rooms a little bit, and get used to hearing a difference. Later in a certain room you might do things a little differently, to take advantage of or to compensate for the room.

I'm hanging on the edge of my seat wondering how you went.
Maybe auditory conductors are affected by nerves as well - you know, they mightn't vibrate as easily or something, so maybe that explains why we sound so bad to ourselves when we're nervous. I hate nervous.
But I loved your story and I'm glad you enjoyed the experience, in that funny kind of enjoyment way. I like Jim's suggestion about practicing in different rooms a lot. I'm going to try it.

Karen, I'm proud of you just for auditioning again. A lot of things go into being a good musician, and playing under pressure is one of them. I'm glad you feel better about auditions now. I feel sure that you'll make it into the orchestra and that you'll be a great addition to the group. However, if you don't make it, you did get something positive out of the audition: you're learning how to override your fears and perform well at auditions.

Best of luck,
Pauline

What a great entry. I can certainly sympathize. I was actually just thinking about this today. My rehearsals and practice are always far better than my performances.

Do tell us how it went. I'll keep my fingers crossed in hopes that you get in!

Please let us know~!

I recently had an audition where I played Bach from memory... double stops and weird sixteenth note runs abound.

In warm ups, everything sounded fine.

In the actual room, three places crumbled. (That's an exaggeration, but really, they were good in warm ups, but my mind went blank in three random places. I never stopped, just kept going.) They were simple mistakes, but the hardest part, the double stops were flawless. The acoustics weren't that great, as everything I had just played came back to hit me in the face, a very resonant room. I was listening to myself play, plus the echo. Kind of annoying.

But good job on your accomplishment of auditioning for the first time in twelve years!

I'd wager a cake of Bernardel rosin that Karen gets in... Great post Karen. I'm betting you earned a seat and will thoroughly enjoy this orchestra. Oooh, can't wait to hear the result! I'd wish you good luck, but you're beyond that now. You just need to be wished patience and serenity while you wait to hear. Nice blog. Keep us updated.