PRINCIPAL VIOLA
Preliminaries: Friday, October 4
Finals: Saturday, Saturday, October 5
Application Deadline: Friday, September 6
AUDITIONS ARE FOR BAROQUE AND CLASSICAL PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ONLY
Auditions for the principal viola position with the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra will take place in Boston. There will be 2 rounds of auditions: preliminary and final. The preliminary round will be held behind a screen, and the final round will be unscreened. Only highly qualified musicians with significant experience performing with period instrument ensembles should apply. Resumes should be sent to:
Jesse Levine, Personnel Manager
Handel and Haydn Society
9 Harcourt St.
Boston, MA 02116
or by email: [email protected]
If you are submitting your resume by email it must be in either PDF or Microsoft Word format. Please be sure that it includes your current mailing address, email address and telephone number.
Once we receive your resume the audition committee will review it and determine who is invited to participate in the audition. The committee reserves the right to reject any applicant they feel has insufficient experience performing on period instruments.
INSTRUMENT REQUIREMENTS
All musicians performing with the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra must own and perform on instruments that are appropriate for Baroque and Classical period historical performance. We do not perform on modern instruments, and orchestra members are not required to own or perform on modern instruments.
Pitch for the audition will be A=415 only, although you will be asked to perform both Baroque and Classical period repertoire. You will not have to change instruments or tune up to A=430 for the Classical repertoire; however, you must use a bow for each period that is appropriate.
AUDITION REPERTOIRE
Audition repertoire will be posted at a later date.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Members of the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra are hired on a per-service basis. The number of services varies from year to year based on various factors. Generally speaking there are 6 full-orchestra subscription concert sets at Symphony Hall and 3 other subscription sets at other venues in Boston that may use smaller ensembles. Normally there are 12-15 hours of rehearsal for each set, and two performances, although those numbers may vary. There is no guarantee of a minimum number of services in any given season.
Handel and Haydn operates under a collective bargaining agreement with the Boston Musicians’ Association, local 9-535 of the American Federation of Musicians. In accordance with the CBA, once a winner of the audition is determined there will be a one year probation period, after which tenure may be granted. Generally speaking, Handel and Haydn is required to hire tenured players before offering any services to non-tenured players.
Wages are as follows:
2019-20 season – $203.55 per service + 25% principal overscale
2020-21 season – $209.66 per service + 25% principal overscale
per service rates are for both rehearsals and concerts
A pension payment of 12.5% of scale wages is currently made on the musician’s behalf by Handel and Haydn, and will increase to 13% on July 1, 2020. 1.5% union work dues are deducted from each musician’s scale wages.
Each member of the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra is required under our collective bargaining agreement to be a member in good standing on the Boston Musicians’ Association, Local 9-535 of the American Federation of Musicians, even if you are also a member of another musicians’ union local.
If you would like more information on all the various wage scales and working conditions, a copy of the collective bargaining agreement will be provided to you on request.
There are currently 24 tenured positions with the orchestra. Musicians who occupy tenured positions are expected to accept and play all requested services. Notwithstanding this, however, the contract allows the following minimums for services offered for the following concert season:
If the number of concert sets offered:
is 2, then the Musician must accept and play 1;
is 3, then the Musician must accept and play 2;
is 4, then the Musician must accept and play 2;
is 5, then the Musician must accept and play 3;
is 6, then the Musician must accept and play 4;
is 7, then the Musician must accept and play 5;
is 8, then the Musician must accept and play 6;
is 9, then the Musician must accept and play 7;
is 10, then the Musician must accept and play 7.
If the number of concert sets offered is greater than 10, the Musician must accept and play 75% of the sets offered. A tenured musician who does not meet the minimum above is subject to losing tenure.
VOCAL AUDITIONS
The Handel and Haydn Society holds vocal auditions for professional singers once a year for substitute positions with our professional chorus.
Vocal auditions are tentatively scheduled for fall of 2019.
Singers are required to submit a recording for the first round of the audition process. Requirements for your audio submission are two contrasting arias from the Baroque and/or Classical periods, at least one of which must be in English. You may submit either an audio CD or electronic audio files (such as mp3), which may be sent by email or on a disc. You may also send a link to audio files on a website (please do not send a link to your Facebook page, which we may not be able to access). If the page you are linking to has several sound files please specify the ones you would like us to consider for the audition.
One of the arias should demonstrate florid passage-work (similar to the sixteenth-note passages in Handel’s “Every Valley Shall be Exalted” or “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion” from Messiah). Recordings of live performances are acceptable, as are recordings made in studios. The deadline for submission is October 1, 2019. If you are mailing a CD it should be clearly marked with your name, voice type, and a list of works. Discs will not be returned.
After hearing the recordings certain selected singers will be invited to audition in person for our Artistic Director, Harry Christophers. For those who are invited to the live audition, it will consist of two contrasting Baroque arias, at least one of which should be in English, and sight-reading. You will be notified sometime in late October whether or not you have been invited to the live audition. Mr. Christophers will determine who will be added to our chorus roster based on the audition.
In addition to your recording please submit a resume by either email or regular mail. Your resume MUST include a current mailing address, telephone number, and your voice type. If you are submitting your resume electronically please send it in PDF format. All materials should be sent to:
Jesse Levine, Personnel Manager
Handel and Haydn Society
9 Harcourt St.
Boston, MA 02116
[email protected]
