Missouri 2019 All-State Orchestra Auditions and Eligibility
The Missouri Chapter of ASTA is again sponsoring the Missouri All-State Orchestra. This extraordinary ensemble will rehearse and perform at the annual Missouri Music Educators Association Conference, January 23-26 , 2019, at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Osage Beach.
The conductor of the 2019 All-State Orchestra will be Sharon Lavery from the University of Southern California. Please see her extensive bio listed below. You can also see and listen to the awesome pieces that the 2019 Missouri All State Orchestra will perform, scroll down to the bottom of this page to preview.
Students in grades 9 through 12 who are eligible under Missouri State High School Activities Association regulations are eligible to audition for the All-State Orchestra. The student’s school must be a MSHSAA member school. You (the student) must have a certified teacher or administrator from your school to sign you in and remain until you have completed your audition. Students must also be a member of their school orchestra if one is available at the high school they are attending.
String Audition Information
All auditions are live and blind. Judges do not see the student nor have knowledge of the student’s identity. Students are chosen for the orchestra in order of score on the audition performance.
Auditions for the string sections in the Missouri All-State Orchestra take place on Saturday, December 1, 2018. Auditions will be held at the Memorial Union on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus, with registration from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. It is recommended that students in the Columbia mid-state area register from 7:30 a.m.- 10:30 a.m., and students from farther regions register from 10:30-2:30. Each student’s audition will take place in the order in which he or she registers.
The string audition will consist of required scales and orchestral excerpts only. No solo will be required for the audition. This year’s required audition material is Set 3 of scales and orchestral excerpts. The excerpts and scales are now available on this website. In addition, practice recordings of the audition material for the 2019 All-State Orchestra are available for download from this website. It is expected that students play the SCALES at the metronome marking indicated, however students are encouraged to play EXCERPTS at a tempo which is clean, in tune, and conveys the integrity and emotional content of the music.
2 HARPIST NEEDED – AUDITION INFORMATION HERE:
All harpists who wish to audition for the 2019 Missouri All-State Orchestra will need to fill out this ASO 2019 Harp Audition online registration form. All harpist will need to upload an unedited live video of you playing your audition. You will upload your audition video through the 2019 Missouri Harp Audition Form. There are more upload instructions within the form. YOUR AUDITION MUST BE UPLOADED BY 12 MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH, 2018 IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE MISSOURI ASO.
Harp Audition Requirements
Please play your live audition with a slight pause between each of the excerpts. Do not leave the instrument or cut to different video takes during your audition. If your video is not recorded in one sitting you will be disqualified.
Excerpts from 2 Contrasting Harp Pieces (each approximately 3 minutes in length)
Registration in now OPEN!
2019 ASO String Registration form for the All-State Orchestra audition is online. Registration is open. Please click the link above to register for All-State Orchestra. Registration is open through November 27th. The audition registration fee is $30.00. You may pay by credit card online or onsite. You can also pay by cash or check onsite. Teachers can also pay by purchase order or school check onsite. Teachers, if you plan on paying for all of your auditions at once, contact Aimee Fine (aimeefine1@gmail.com), MOASTA Treasurer and she will invoice you for the correct amount so that you can still pay online.
LATE REGISTRATION: After November 27th, you will have to fill out the LATE ALL-STATE AUDITION REGISTRATION FORM. There is an additional $25.00 fee for late registration.
Students and teachers are not expected to stay until the end of auditions. Results of the audition are posted on the MO-ASTA website immediately following the auditions. Music folders for those selected for the orchestra will be distributed to teachers that are in attendance at the end of auditions or mailed.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
If All-State Auditions are cancelled due to inclement weather we will go directly to recorded auditions. Specific instructions about the recording and submitting of recordings will be posted on the MoASTA web site.
Wind and Percussion Information
Auditions for woodwind, brass and percussion players are held along with the band auditions, and are conducted by the Missouri Bandmasters Association. Students selected for All-State membership may choose to be members of the bands or orchestra, in order of audition score, until all positions are filled. The ASO music and an ASO representative will be at the wind/percussion auditions. All students must meet MSHSAA eligibility requirements.
For other All-State Orchestra questions please contact Joseph Keeney, MOASTA President, at missouri.allstate.orchestra@gmail.com
ALL-STATE ORCHESTRA CONDUCTOR IS ANNOUNCED
I am proud to announce the conductor of the 2019 Missouri All-State Orchestra is Sharon Lavery from University of Southern California. I have attached her bio below. The 2019 Missouri All State Orchestra will be performing:
click on title to view and listen to the piece!
Downey Overture by Oscar Navarro
Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, “The Resurrection”, Movement I. Allegro maestoso by Gustav Mahler
America The Beautiful arr. by Carmen Dragon
Sharon Lavery
Sharon Lavery’s extensive career has led her to conduct in preeminent concert halls across the United States, including Carnegie Hall on several occasions. Currently, she serves as resident conductor of the Thornton Symphony, Chamber Orchestra and Wind Ensemble at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. She has led the USC Thornton ensembles in concert on countless occasions, and served as music director of the Thornton Concert Orchestra for seven years. In addition to these duties at USC Thornton, Lavery teaches instrumental conducting classes.
Outside of USC, Lavery enjoys a distinguished professional career. Since 2007 she has been music director of the Downey Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble hailed as one of the best metropolitan orchestras in Southern California. This position has brought Lavery great acclaim for her innovative programming. During her tenure as music director, she has premiered or commissioned a new composition each season.
Maestra Lavery has attained prominence as a conductor throughout California. She often freelances in the Los Angeles area with AFM Local 47 union orchestras, including conducting on recordings with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra at Warner Bros. studio and with the La Brea Sinfonietta, produced by Delos Records, Inc. Ms. Lavery has also worked with the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition Orchestra in Palm Springs, CA. Since 2004 she has held the post of cover conductor for the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, and has also served as cover conductor for the San Diego Symphony. Lavery has led the La Jolla Symphony in concert, served as assistant conductor to the Pasadena Symphony, and for many years was associate conductor of the Herbert Zipper Orchestra of Los Angeles.
Lavery is also nationally known as an advocate for music education. She has conducted the Honors Performance Series Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, a national honors orchestra consisting of some of the most elite high school musicians in the country. She has conducted the California All-State High School Concert Band, the Texas 4A All-State Band, and has appeared multiple times as conductor of the Honors Performance Series Band at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Lavery has also served as a guest conductor for several district honor bands throughout California.
Previously, Lavery served as music director of the MUSE International Music Day Festival in Chiba, Japan. Performances of works she has conducted (both orchestra and wind ensemble) are frequently aired on the largest non-profit classical music station in the country, Classical KUSC, 91.5.
Hailing from Ossining, New York, Lavery received her bachelor of music education degree from Michigan State University and master of music in clarinet performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. She also earned a master of music in orchestral conducting from USC Thornton, receiving the Leonard Bernstein Memorial Scholarship for two consecutive years