West Michigan Youth Symphony Auditions

The West Michigan Youth Symphony is seeking musicians for the 2012-2013 season.

Open auditions will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 28, beginning at 5p.m. at Muskegon Community College.  All orchestral players are welcome and encouraged to audition.

Students with at least one to two years of experience through college sophomores who are members of school music ensembles are eligible to participate.  Auditions are required.

Student violinists will also have the opportunity to audition separately for the position of concertmaster.  For the first time ever, this position will be designated as a tuition-free position. Students must be advanced violinists in eighth-grade or above in order to audition.

And this year, WMS is introducing "Debut Strings."  It's a program to prepare students to join the upper ensemble, which is now known as the Youth Symphony Orchestra.

It will provide beginning and intermediate string students with challenging repertoire and experience playing in an ensemble. Students in this group will need to have at least one year of playing experience and strong note reading skills. Debut Strings will perform at WMYS concerts. The program will be led by Annette Henry, violinist and an active performer, teacher and conductor.

For more information or to schedule an audition, call 231.855.6010,  or e-mail Gabe Slimko at gslimko@westmichigansymphony.org.

Eligible students may earn college credit from Muskegon Community College for participation in the West Michigan Youth Symphony.

(Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings from 6-8:30 p.m. at Muskegon Community College from September to April. Concerts are scheduled on Nov. 18 at the Dogwood Center for the Performing Arts in Fremont and March 17, 2013 at the Frauenthal Center in downtown Muskegon.)

For more information and audition requirements, go to www.westmichigansymphony.org.