Cambridge orchestra

I was wondering if anyone know how hard it is to get a place in one of the Cambridge University Musical Society orchestras, either CUMSI or II? I know theres an audition and ive heard the level is very high.

Reply 1

musicbloke

Strings you should be able to get into CUMS2 with Grade 8. For CUMS1 quite a bit better than that. For winds in each - basically ****ing good. Well over grade 8.

MB

Reply 2

glaucon

There are other none audition orchestras though... and they're good ones

Reply 3

ukebert

I'm hoping that I can get into a more casual group, chamber or something. To be honest the idea of a big orchestra with lots of rehearsals, auditions etc. really doesn't appeal.

Problem for me is that my main instrument is the Piano, and while I'll be in the top pecentile for Pianists (I recently passed my diploma), there will be an awful lot better than me. How many Pianos in a Concerto? :wink:

Reply 4

bluecat

what other orchestral options for wind are there?

(im grade 8 standard- so clearly not CUMS I or II level goddamn!)

Reply 5

coldfish

There are plenty of college music societies that put on decent music. MagSoc (the St. Margaret Society) is the Queens' society, but is non-audition and open to people from all colleges. We have two concerts a term, each of which consists of a big choral work, a concerto, and a shorter orchestral piece.

This term the choral work is Tippet's "Child of Our Time", and I've heard whisperings about a Shostakovitch piano concerto.

Reply 6

groovy_moose

OOOO!!!! When's that on?? I'd love to hear that live. We studied bits of that at Alevel, it's cool...

Reply 7

groovy_moose

sorry, that "OOOO" wasn't meant to sounds quite as fantastically excited as that, i just didn't turn caps lock off... :rolleyes:

Reply 8

silver-rose

musicbloke, for CUMS I, do they evaluate you based on scales n such?

Also, if you are informed with cello music, will playing at the level of

Elgar Cello Concerto
Haydn C major concerto
Saint Seans E minor concerto

be sufficient for CUMS I?

Reply 9

goldenapples

glaucon

There are other none audition orchestras though... and they're good ones

Do you know of any that I could possibly join for flute? :smile:

Reply 10

glaucon

Yey - I'm a flute too - depends on your college, I'm afraid, I was a member of the Orchestra on the Hill which is the combined Orchestra for Fitz, Churchill and New Hall. There are others - which you should be able to find out from your college in Freshers. You could run for CUMS but there's so few flutes in an orchestra that the competition is tough.

Good luck anyway

Reply 11

dragons_circle

UCPO (University of Cambridge Orchestra) is non-audition, one rehearsal a week, very informal ie. usually go to the pub afterwards. The only problem is there's so many flutes/woodwind in general that don't make it in the CUMS, UCPO is really unbalanced - I believe there were about 5 flutes to a part. Also the string section is quite small, there's maybe 5 or 6 violins for firsts/seconds, 3 violas and a couple of cellos. However for a non-audition orchestra, the standard is pretty high and we do decent music - Dvoraks' New World last term, some Shostakovitch, a Brahms piano concerto this term.

Reply 12

ukebert

dragons_circle

Sounds good.

Reply 13

musicbloke

silver-rose

I have no idea. Erm, I'm not a player, just a muso.

MB

Reply 14

Johnny01638

bluecat do you really view all Cambridge students as stereotypically as your Sig. makes them out to be?

Reply 15

bluecat

no, far from it.....it's got absolutely nothing to do with Cambridge (i don't know why you thought it did cos i don't refer to it) and everything to do with poking fun at people who take the whole "write every exam i've ever done in my sig" way too seriously on this forum!

Reply 16

lmundy

Hi! I'm hoping to come to Cambridge in 2007. I'm a bassoonist but I don't have my own instument- I've got a school one at the moment. Are there ways of borrowing instruments in Cambridge cos I'd love to continue playing.