It isn’t fair!
Talk about an expose. Ilka Talvi writes about the bitter truth surrounding auditions. The illusion that some young musicians labor under is that the best player will win the job. Unfortunately, as Mr. Talvi notes, that’s not always the case–perhaps it’s not the case more times than some would like to believe. It’s inevitable that politics–both external (who knows who) and internal (so-and-so doesn’t like so-and-so)–will come into play during the selection process. And even when there seems to be a sure winner, when some committees get together, nothing can be sure.
I’ve witnessed this phenomenon first hand. A few years ago while a member of a professional ensemble based in Washington, D.C., I served on a number of audition committees. In one instance, immediately after a candidate’s audition, the entire committee was completely hot on this player. However, after thirty grueling minutes of deliberation, the committee had gone from considering this musician the one to absolutely hating their playing. And the poor musician didn’t do anything to provoke this. Rather, some members of the committee used the audition as a vehicle to voice their personal differences and frustrations with each other. I was stunned as I watched this unfold in front of me–I was a junior member of the ensemble, so I wasn’t really in a position to chime in.
I received a big education that day. I felt like Holden Caulfield. (I should note that not all the audition committees I sat on were as corrupt as the one described above. Usually they were quite enjoyable. But it does serve to illustrate an unfortunate fact that Mr. Talvi discloses so bravely.) It’s certainly nice if it works in your favor though!