College audition (4 weeks to go!!!)

[sary2106]

Hello! I am auditioning at Taylor University in about 4 weeks, and I was wondering if anyone could give me advice, or perhaps share his or her auditioning experience. I'm not incredibly nervous yet... but of course, I will be soon. I'm just not quite sure what to expect!

The pieces I am playing are:

Bach: Prelude and Fugue in d minor, Book 1, No. 6
Mozart: Sonata in a minor, K. 310 (Movement 1)
Rachmaninoff: Elegie, Op. 3, No. 1

and maybe

Bartok: 6 Romanian Dances (I talked to one of the piano teachers at Taylor, and he said these would be great pieces to play....... my personal opinion is that they're really easy. But I like them, so I might play them!)

Thank you!

Sarah

[Zigma]

Well, I can't offer you much advice, but I can sympathize with you because I'm doing the same thing!! My audition is also about 4 weeks away, I'm auditioning at the Conservatory at Cincinnati.

Something my teacher told me was that it's better to play something easier and master it than go in over your head doing something that is really difficult.

[xenia]

Play Bartok!Never mind they're easy!If you love them,play them!You will play from the heart and everybody will hear that!I think that is very important thing.Hey,I played Mozart op.310,and I like it very much!It's very dramatic , energic piece,do  you think so?I mean,Mozart isn't ''light and bright'' everytime.
Anyway,
good luck !!!

xenia

[OneHand10Fingers]

good music is never easy..if it is then you probably aren't playing it well enough

[jlh]

A few weeks ago, I got to meet Olga Kern, the Gold Medal winner of the Van Cliburn, and she said something that I agree with wholeheartedly.  She said that for competitions (or in this case, auditions) she doesn't play with the judges in mind, but she plays the music for herself, and no one else.  

When you get up there, block everything out -- including the judges, and just play the music like you know it should be played.