All students interested in participating in the following large instrumental ensembles on the UConn Storrs campus during the Fall 2026 - Spring 2027 semesters must complete a brief placement hearing audition and fill out this information form. You MUST be logged into your UConn assigned email address to access the form and the excerpts.

You will not be able to sign up for an audition unless you fill out the information form listed above. 

Placement in each of the following ensembles will be at the discretion of the directors. Students may be placed in one or more of the following ensembles listed below. These ensembles comprise undergraduate and graduate music majors as well as non-music degree program student.

• Symphonic Wind Ensemble
• Symphonic Band
• Symphony Orchestra

Placement Hearing Audition Requirements
Audition Excerpts

• Winds/Brass: Please prepare the excerpts listed in the audition excepts link listed above. (Saxophones and Flutes: please choose 3 contrasting excerpts out of the 5 that have been provided for you)
• Percussionists: After filling out the information form and receiving the audition sign-up link, please sign up for two consecutive slots to allow for transition between instruments and prepare the excerpts listed in the audition excerpts link listed above.
• Pianists: Please prepare two contrasting excerpts of your choice (one lyrical, one technical).
• String Majors/String Leadership Roles: Students auditioning for the Symphony Orchestra for leadership placement or to fulfill music major requirements must prepare the required orchestral excerpts in the audition excerpts link listed above.
• String Non-majors interested in joining a string ensemble: Prepare (2) two-minute excerpts from two pieces with contrasting styles (lyrical/slow and technical/fast). These selections can be all or part of a larger work, for example, an etude, concerto movement, sonata movements or any excerpt from a lesson book.  The duration of the audition will be five minutes total.

Important Dates

If you are not looking to be considered for these ensembles but would still like to participate, you may enroll in Concert Band. Those that are interested in joining Concert Band will be asked to simply register for the Spring Semester and partake in a small placement hearing upon enrolling in the course.

UCONN CHOIRS welcome all singers to be a part of the exciting choral singing and learning happening at the University of Connecticut. We are dedicated to creating choral music at the highest level, exploring music in a thoughtful way from all backgrounds and cultures, and empowering you to become a dynamic and creative musician through an active rehearsal process and exciting performances on and off campus. There are choirs for all singers, from singers who are aspiring music professionals to those of you who just love to sing and would like to start here at UConn. This coming Fall Semester 2025, we cannot wait to be back creating and sharing our love for singing together.

Current singers come from all majors and disciplines across campus, undergraduate and graduate. We have a thriving group of music majors who are the core of Concert Choir but our choirs are filled with engineers, chemists, Pre-Med students, varsity athletes, English majors, and more. If you like to sing, we encourage you to be a part of the joy in musical excellence with UConn Choirs.  “No-stress Placement Hearings” will be held at the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester in August and you can sign up for a hearing below. Please contact Dr. Spillane in the UConn Choral Office at UConnChoirs@uconn.edu if you have any questions.

For more information about UConn Choirs please see the information below.

For Information about Choral Placement Hearings and contact information- click here!

To schedule a Choral Placement Hearing – Click here!

Auditions for placement in the UConn Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band and jazz combos will be submitted electronically. Please complete the UConn Jazz Ensembles Placement Audition Form before submitting. Students are to video record themselves playing:

1. A 12-bar blues (or jazz standard of your choosing) with recorded accompaniment.  For your convenience, here are direct links to Billie’s Bounce (F blues): https://youtu.be/Ttn7D-WB9R0?si=FJlwy_LjfKE_cCTZ and Sonny Moon For Two (Bb):  https://youtu.be/7rpI71NuRHs?si=GPLqH7BqbgxM4FAy

Ideally, we would like you to play the head twice, followed by 3 choruses of improvisation, and then the head once again.

Pianists and guitarists: please “comp” for two choruses prior to playing the out-head.

Bassists: In addition to demonstrating your improvisation skills with a play-a-long track, please record 2 choruses of bassline walking on a 12-bar blues in F, at a metronome marking of quarter note = 144.

2. Any song (jazz or otherwise) which will serve as a representation of your musicianship (demonstrating sound, accuracy, rhythmic interpretation, facility, etc.) A prepared jazz transcription or etude would be preferable, but a classical excerpt would also be acceptable.

Drummers: in lieu of the above, demonstrate the following “feels,” playing each sample for approximately 30 seconds.

• • • Medium swing
    • Bossa Nova
    • Samba
    • ¾ jazz waltz
    • 12/8 afro Cuban
    • Up-tempo swing
    • Brushes at a ballad tempo
    • Swing brushes on the snare at a medium-up tempo

Finally, to demonstrate your soloing, trade 4-measure phrases with yourself, alternating swing time-keeping and soloing.

3. Brass – range and lead demonstration:

Brass players have the option of demonstrating their upper register by playing a lead ensemble part of your choosing, a chromatic scale upwards to your highest note, or a simple melody in the upper register.

Please upload your video audition to this folder. Video submissions must be uploaded to the Google Drive by Thursday, August 28th at 5:00 P.M. Please label the folder with your name and instrument. Ensemble rosters will be posted on the jazz bulletin board, in the main hallway of the Music Building, prior to the first big band rehearsals on Tuesday, September 3rd. Permission numbers for enrollment will be issued at the first rehearsal.