Audition Attire

[scott13]

Have an important audition coming up in two weeks time and looking for some advice on attire.

The audition is for a very well respected music school, the best in the country in fact. So my main question is, would concert attire be considered over the top for an audition? By this i mean white tie Tux.

Or should one go slightly less formal, maybe the Tux minus the tie?

Comfort wise i'm not worried, i have practiced performing my program in various outfits and adjusted to them all.

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated.

[sunshine_keys]

I don't think a tux would be over dressing. This might be too casual but dress pants with a nice shirt and tie might also work.

Good luck!

[49410enrique]

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[ramseytheii]

Have an important audition coming up in two weeks time and looking for some advice on attire.

The audition is for a very well respected music school, the best in the country in fact. So my main question is, would concert attire be considered over the top for an audition? By this i mean white tie Tux.

Or should one go slightly less formal, maybe the Tux minus the tie?

Comfort wise i'm not worried, i have practiced performing my program in various outfits and adjusted to them all.

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated.

Never wear a tuxedo without a tie.  And never wear a tuxedo to an audition.  There is nothing more insufferably ridiculous.  Unless you are trying to be ironic and satirical.

Walter Ramsey

[bleicher]

Tuxedos are meant to be worn in the evening only. If it's during the day, the best is to wear a suit and tie. The details make all the difference though: a well-made suit that fits perfectly, with polished shoes and ironed shirt makes any man look great. A baggy or crumpled suit with ill-fitting shirt and shoes that have seen better days is not so good!

[arensky]

Never wear a tuxedo without a tie.  And never wear a tuxedo to an audition.  There is nothing more insufferably ridiculous.  Unless you are trying to be ironic and satirical.

Walter Ramsey

Yes Walter, you are absolutely right.

Dark pressed suit, conservative tie and polished dress shoes.

[richard black]

Yes, I too strongly advise against the tux option. Lounge suit, freshly-pressed shirt, modest tie - can't go wrong!

[scott13]

Walter could you clarify for me why the Tux is such a bad option? I ask only as I feel you can't really over-dress for an audition, especially for a prestigious school, so very interested to hear your thoughts.

I myself was leaning towards the black suit, in which the jacket is more of a casual jacket, as in it goes with jeans or suit pants equally well, thus should be slightly less formal than the Tux option.

Thanks for the advice.

[sunshine_keys]

Walter could you clarify for me why the Tux is such a bad option? I ask only as I feel you can't really over-dress for an audition, especially for a prestigious school, so very interested to hear your thoughts.

I myself was leaning towards the black suit, in which the jacket is more of a casual jacket, as in it goes with jeans or suit pants equally well, thus should be slightly less formal than the Tux option.

Thanks for the advice.

I was wondering the same thing...

[ramseytheii]

Walter could you clarify for me why the Tux is such a bad option? I ask only as I feel you can't really over-dress for an audition, especially for a prestigious school, so very interested to hear your thoughts.

I myself was leaning towards the black suit, in which the jacket is more of a casual jacket, as in it goes with jeans or suit pants equally well, thus should be slightly less formal than the Tux option.

Thanks for the advice.

Because a tuxedo is the most formal outfit, designed for the most formal events.  It would look to my mind incomparably ridiculous to walk into a music school, in the middle of the day, to be interviewed and auditioned by a bunch of teachers who are probably wearing shirts open at the neck, while you are wearing a full evening formal outfit, that is even worn less and less on the stage these days.

The mere suggestion of going somewhere and making a tuxedo "casual" by not wearing a tie raises a red flag in my mind, for sure.  I think that if you wear a tuxedo, the effect will be more comical than anything else.  It certainly won't have the effect you are going for.

Walter Ramsey

[bleicher]

If I saw someone during daylight hours wearing a tuxedo without a tie I'd assume they hadn't managed to make it home to get changed after a party the previous night.

[drkilroy]

I am a formal dress enthusiast and I have to correct that a dinner suit (popularly called a tuxedo ) is not formal, but semi-formal. A formal evening dress is white tie:



But both tails and tuxedo are only for evening. If the concert takes place during the day, wear a lounge suit (not black, but rather navy or charcoal). Do not skip the necktie.

Plus, never wear a dinner suit without necktie or without a waist covering (either proper, low-cut waistcoat or cummerbund). The latter is not worn very frequently nowadays, but forgoing it is completely inappropriate and you will look poorly without it.

Best regards, Dr

[scott13]

I am a formal dress enthusiast and I have to correct that a dinner suit (popularly called a tuxedo ) is not formal, but semi-formal. A formal evening dress is white tie:



But both tails and tuxedo are only for evening. If the concert takes place during the day, wear a lounge suit (not black, but rather navy or charcoal). Do not skip the necktie.

Plus, never wear a dinner suit without necktie or without a waist covering (either proper, low-cut waistcoat or cummerbund). The latter is not worn very frequently nowadays, but forgoing it is completely inappropriate and you will look poorly without it.

Best regards, Dr

Would you be able to post a picture or two depicting what you would think the correct level of formal-ness would be ? Or link to a couple just so i have an idea what you mean.

Thanks

[drkilroy]

You meant formality.

If the concert takes place during the day, here are some examples of suits I would recommend:





Or if it is in the evening:



I do not say that there are the most fashionable examples, but with today's fashion, looking sharp and classical has nothing to do with looking fashionable. I always notice the dress of performers and I often complain on inappropriate or incorrect attire after concerts!

By the way, if we are talking about dress, let's see our favourites Ravel and Gershwin (and some other friends of theirs) in dinner suits:



Best regards, Dr

[phillip21]

If the audition were in the UK, I would recommend open necked black shirt and black trousers (with jacket if desired).  This is typical attire for conservatoire recitals and diploma exams.  One other thought - if there are videos on YouTube of performances given by students at the music school you are auditioning for, have a look at them - you may get some ideas!

[drkilroy]

Black shirt and black trousers are good when you want to get funereal appearance with a dress that is not appropriate for funerals.

Best regards, Dr

[bleicher]

Actually black shirt and black trousers is quite common concert dress in the UK, because many ensembles wear all black.

A proper suit is smarter, though. I think a plain suit like various ones on the John Lewis website would be good:
https://www.johnlewis.com/Men/Men's+Suits/Men's+Suits/Men's+Suits/10040/ProductCategory.aspx?intcmp=Fash_subcat_workwear_4block_suits_100611

Personally though, although I like the John Lewis suits, they ones pictured are all worn with a white shirt and stripey tie which looks a bit too much like a business meeting. You can look more festive with a brightly coloured shirt and tie like this man on the Next website:
https://www.next.co.uk/g472262s3#746637

Obviously not all musicians can afford a suit from John Lewis! You can often find excellent bargains in charity shops - my husband's smart suit that he wears for job interviews and weddings was £15 in a charity shop. I don't know where you're from but in the UK I'd recommend Next or Zara for suits that don't cost too much but don't look cheap. Burton suits look cheap.

[bleicher]

p.s. drkilroy - FAB picture of Ravel and Gershwin with friends!

[drkilroy]

I would stay with plain white shirt or (if you really do not like it) a pastel-coloured shirt, like pale blue or pale pink.

As for the tie, if you do not have to wear a striped, businness-y tie, wear some tie with small pattern like paisley or a similarly coloured and patterned bow tie, if you like bow ties. Remember it should be self-tied, not pre-tied.

Best regards, Dr

[bleicher]

Having said all that, it's how you play that counts, not what you look like, and it's important to play in something you feel comfortable in. Good luck and I hope you get the place!

[scott13]

Two current 1st year pianists both auditioned in concert attire last year, which was white tie tails.

I think i will go the UK route and wear all black, as it's formal enough without being excessive.

Thanks for the comments

[bleicher]

scott13, how did your audition go?

[scott13]

The Audition went very well.

Few minor errors here and there but nothing major. Have been accepted to take one performance paper over the summer, still awaiting to here about full time study next year.

Thanks again for the advice on attire. I ended up going with standard suit with a modest black tie. It certainly looked better than the girl who auditioned after me who showed up in jeans...