I've auditioned with them twice before, both for the 4th horn chair. One audition was in 2008, and it was pretty embarrassing. The other was in 2011, which went better, but I still faltered in the final round. I was pretty disappointed both time.
So hopefully third time's a charm. Yes, I am applying for this audition. I feel like I'm definitely good enough to win it, however I know it will be pretty competitive, not only because of the prestige of this orchestra, but anyone who's anyone will want to sit 2nd horn to Jeff Snedeker! But the best approach I have to take is that I believe I can win the job if I work hard enough. In the past, I either hadn't worked hard enough, and/or I was concerned with other players at the audition that I heard that sounded good. I almost feel like I have something to prove to myself. I just need to work hard enough, and if I have a good audition (whether I win or not), I'll feel good.
In other news, I found out today that I'm going to be featured as a soloist playing the first Strauss Horn Concerto with the Anacortes High School Wind Ensemble. What an honor! Those guys are really good. This is a pretty amazing opportunity!
So now I'm sort of in vacation mode. My wife and I travel to Hawaii next week to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, and the days leading up to it are off days from work, except for one. So you probably won't hear from me until afterwards, and I'm gonna let up on practicing while I pack and plan the trip. Once I return on August 19th, I'm gonna get heavy on the practice!
Take care and value music.