New Format for 2010 Season:
We'll be having auditions at Peace Lutheran Church at 4th and Franklin St. in Hutchinson.
Please contact Marie Nelson, Assistant Director to schedule an audition. You may contact her by e-mail: hmnelson@mchsi.com or by phoning 320 593-7243

Auditions will be held on Saturday, November 14, beginning at 2 p.m.;
Saturday, November 21, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
and Sunday, November 22, beginning at 2 p.m.

Youth Symphony:
All members of the Youth Symphony must audition regardless of previous membership. January auditions may be offered to fill instrumentation.

Prospective string students are recommended to have reached the equivalent of the end of Suzuki Book 3 or above, with brass, woodwind and percussion in the eighth grade or higher.

Auditions take about ten minutes. You will play a brief unaccompanied solo piece of your choice. Remember it is not what you play, but how well you play it. In addition, musicians will be asked to play three scales of their own choosing-two major and one minor. One major scale should contain flats while the other sharps. The scales should be two octaves in length when possible. Memorization of scales is encouraged, but not required.

Violinists auditioning for the first violin section will play at least on three-octave scale. Percussionists should audition on the instrument they are most comfortable playing.

This year all students auditioning for the Youth Symphony will be asked to sight read a short passage. Sight reading can be prepared for by playing through a new piece at every practice whether it be in an etude book, song book or hymnal.

Remember before playing new music to check the key signature, the time signature, check for accidentals, rhythm patterns and any other signs.

Please download and fill out 2 copies of the audition form and bring them with you to your audition. Click here to download the audition form.

Saturday Groups:
CRAYO Saturday groups have no auditions. Seat placement is at the discretion of the director. This group will begin its 8 week session beginning in February as demand dicates. Please contact us if you are interested.

Tuition:
CRAYO strives to keep its tuition fees reasonable and this is made possible thanks to the various partnerships that CRAYO has established in the community. These include the financial support of the Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council (SMAHC), the generosity of our various business, service club, and individual donors, and our relationship with the Hutchinson Community Education Office. To ensure that no qualified youth will be turned away because of financial reasons, tuition scholarships are available. All parents and/or families are asked to volunteer for selected tasks and fund raising projects.