The school year just started, but it is never too early to begin thinking about next year’s summer festivals. The Orchestral Studies Department has started a new program titled the “Festival Preparation Cohort Program.” Starting in October, when most festivals will have posted their audition requirements for the 2020 summer season, the Cohort Program will meet every other week for two hours to discuss how to apply, prepare, and audition, and hold mock auditions along the way. At the end, for those students submitting to festivals requiring a recorded audition, there will be a recording setup so that students can record their auditions without having to worry about getting a recording setup together. Whether a student is looking at going to a festival for the first time, or looking for their next summer festival, or even aren’t sure whether they’d like to go to a summer festival, all are welcome in this new program. Membership is open to everyone from freshmen to doctoral students regardless of major.
All interested students should contact Dr. Blake Richardson at pbrichardson@ua.edu, plan to attend the first meeting on October 6 at 5pm, and pick out 2-3 music festivals they are interested in auditioning for.