Ensemble Placement Auditions
Ensemble placement/seating auditions are required for any student participating in instrumental ensemble, including all music majors and EPS recipients. Music majors are auditioning for placement within the appropriate ensemble as well as seating within their instrument section (if applicable). Advance sign-up is required of ALL students!
Questions? Please contact the School of Music office at music@butler.edu or 317-940-9246 or contact the ensemble director.
Fall 2025
All interested students, including returning orchestra and/or wind ensemble members, must complete the Ensemble Audition Sign-Up form before August 15, 2025 to secure an audition time and access the audition music. Be sure to use your Butler email address on the form. All correspondence will be sent to that email beginning August 20, 2025. You MUST download the music on the FINAL page of your Google form submission. The download folder will contain a pdf file of full parts and title pages with cuts. Additionally, use this link to see a playlist of the repertoire that includes recordings of all audition materials. YOU MUST PREPARE ALL AUDITION EXCERPTS. Please also note:
- All majors are welcome!!
- IF you plan to audition on two instruments (flute and piccolo for example) you need to fill out the form TWICE!
- You will receive your ensemble audition time via email on August 20, 2025, please do not inquire sooner than that date.
- Don’t forget to download the audition rep from the Google form.
- Audition dates:
- Brass/Woodwinds/Percussion – Monday, August 25, 2025 in Lilly Hall (LH)
- Bassoon: 5:30-6:30 PM
- Clarinet: 5:30-7:30 PM
- Flute: 7:00-9:00 PM
- Oboe: 6:30-7:30 PM
- Saxophone: 7:30-9:00 PM
- Euphonium: 5:00-6:00 PM
- Tuba: 6:00-8:00 PM
- Trombone: 7:00-7:30 PM
- Trumpet: 7:30-9:00 PM
- Horn: 5:30-7:30 PM
- Percussion: 4:00-8:00 PM
- Strings – Tuesday, August 26, 2025 in Lilly Hall (LH)
- Viola: 5:30-6:30 PM
- Violin: 7:15-9:15 PM
- Bass: 5:30-7:00 PM
- Cello: 5:30-7:00 PM
- Brass/Woodwinds/Percussion – Monday, August 25, 2025 in Lilly Hall (LH)
- Important dates:
- BUWE First rehearsal: August 27, 2025 – 2:25 – 4:25 pm
- BSO First rehearsal: August 28, 2025 – 2:30 – 5:30 pm
Spring 2025
Instrumental Jazz
Information, excerpts, and audition time sign-up can be found here.
Jordan Jazz (Vocal Jazz ensemble)
Excerpts/Materials
- Be prepared to sing a Jazz standard of your choice.
Schedule and Sign-Up Sheet
- Contact Prof. Erin Benedict at ebenedic@butler.edu to set up an audition.
Spring 2025
Butler Choral ensembles: Chorale and Spectra
Calling all singers! We are excited to offer two different choruses open to all Butler students through audition: Chorale is offered for SATB voice parts and Spectra for treble voices (SA) only.
NEW singers: Please meet with our choir directors, Dr. Eric Stark and Dr. Becky March in Lilly Hall room 120 on Monday, January 13, 2025 between 12:30 and 1:50 pm for a simple music assessment. There is no need to prepare a solo piece.
RETURNING singers: No audition is required for the spring semester. Our first rehearsals will take place on Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Please contact Director of Choral Activities Dr. Eric Stark with any questions you may have: estark@butler.edu
Orchestra (BSO) and Wind Ensemble (BUWE)
- We will audition for BSO, and BUWE placement at the start of each fall and spring semester. Auditions will happen just before the start of classes, as close to the first day of class as possible. Ensemble directors and their Graduate Assistants will oversee this process.
- For spring semester auditions, the schedule should be determined before the end of the fall semester. The fall semester audition schedule will be included with Orientation information to incoming students and emailed to all incoming and returning students as well as posted on the Ensemble Auditions webpage.
- Every effort will be made to have anonymous auditions where the identity of the performer is unknown to the evaluators.
- Auditions will be grouped in schedule blocks by instruments (i.e. all violins will audition in one schedule block). Logistical and scheduling details may prevent this in some cases, but every effort will be made to keep instruments grouped together.
- Auditions will be evaluated by studio teachers when possible. These may be grouped by individual instruments (i.e. bassoon students will audition for the bassoon instructor), by groups (i.e. double reed students will audition for the oboe and bassoon instructors), or by area (i.e. woodwind students will audition for the woodwind faculty). Details will be arranged by each area and may depend upon schedules and availability.
- Evaluators will rank the auditionees based upon their performance in that audition only. After the order has been determined, the identity of the auditionees will be revealed to the evaluators.
- Faculty will then present this ranking to the ensemble directors and meet with them to determine ensemble assignments (BSO, WE, SB). Ensemble assignments will be decided jointly by the studio instructors and the ensemble directors. A schedule conflict may preclude a student’s placement in a specific ensemble. Furthermore, faculty will take into consideration previous ensemble participation, the needs of the ensembles, and the best interest of individual students when determining ensemble assignments. (i.e. ‘Wind Ensemble needs a strong EH player this semester’; ‘This student needs more orchestral experience’, etc.)
- Directors will consider audition results when making part assignments for their ensembles.
- Percussionists will continue to be auditioned and assigned to ensembles by the percussion faculty.
Jazz Ensemble and Combos
- We will audition for Jazz Ensemble and Combo placement at the start of each fall and spring semester. Auditions will happen just before the start of classes, as close to the first day of class as possible. The ensemble/combo directors and Jazz Area Graduate Assistant will oversee this process.
- For spring semester auditions, the schedule should be determined before the end of the fall semester. The fall semester audition schedule will be included with Orientation information to incoming students and emailed to all incoming and returning students as well as posted on the Ensemble Auditions webpage.
- Auditions will be grouped in schedule blocks by instruments (i.e. all saxophones will audition in one schedule block). Logistical and scheduling details may prevent this in some cases, but every effort will be made to keep instruments grouped together.
- Auditions will be evaluated by jazz faculty. These may be grouped by individual instruments (i.e. sax students will audition for the jazz sax instructors), by groups (i.e. brass students will audition for the brass instructors), or by area (i.e. rhythm section students will audition for the rhythm section faculty). Details will be arranged by each area and may depend upon schedules and availability.
- Evaluators will rank the auditionees based upon their performance in that audition only.
- Jazz faculty will then present this ranking to the ensemble directors and meet with them to determine ensemble assignments. Ensemble assignments will be decided jointly by the jazz faculty and director of jazz studies. A schedule conflict may preclude a student’s placement in a specific ensemble. Furthermore, faculty will take into consideration previous ensemble participation, the needs of the ensembles, and the best interest of individual students when determining ensemble assignments.
- Conductors will consider audition results when making part assignments for their ensembles.
Choral Ensembles
- Choral ensembles will host choral auditions and hearings at the start of each fall and spring semester. Auditions will happen just before the start of classes, as close to the first day of class as possible. Ensemble directors and the Choral Area Graduate Assistants will oversee this process.
- For spring semester auditions, the schedule should be determined before the end of the fall semester and may only apply to new choir members or those desiring to switch choral ensembles. The fall semester audition schedule will be included with Orientation information to incoming students and emailed to all incoming and returning students as well as posted on the Ensemble Auditions webpage.
- Auditions will be evaluated by choral faculty, and voice faculty when applicable.
If you have questions about the audition process or about specific ensembles, please contact the School of Music office at music@butler.edu or contact the appropriate ensemble director.