ASTRAL BLOG

Round 2 – Live In-Person Performance (Percussion, Piano, Strings, Voice, and Small Chamber Ensembles)

Astral requests that candidates invited to the live performance round prepare a short program that reflects the artist’s own authentic self and expresses their creative vision via programming, design, and performance.

• We encourage you to design a program that represents you and the full range of your interests and passions as a performer. This is a time for you to showcase your technical facility as well as your musicality on your instrument. We ask that you prepare 15-18 minutes of music as well as several minutes of spoken notes (consider your repertoire selections, why you chose to share them, what makes them meaningful to you). This live audition portion is not to exceed 20 minutes.
• At a time when we are considering classical music’s reckoning with its own history of racism and white supremacy, Astral is prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion in programming. Knowing that we cannot expect to cultivate an audience any more diverse than the composers we present, candidates are required to perform at least one work by a Black, Indigenous, Multi-racial, and People of Color (BIMPOC), ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American), Female, or Non-binary composer. Additionally, programs must contain at least one work composed since 1990 or after.
• This program may include any number of selections.
• Individual movements or excerpts from longer works may be included, as long as there is at least one complete work or movement represented.
• Piano accompanists are at the discretion of the candidate but are not required. A collaborative pianist will be provided for solo strings and solo voice.
• Candidates utilizing electronics or amplification will have access to a power source and must reach out to Astral to confirm if additional support is necessary. While we cannot provide additional equipment, we will strive to make every candidate comfortable in having the proper setup in order to best express themselves.
• Percussionists will be provided with the following instruments: Marimba, Vibraphone, Timpani, Bass Drum, Tam-tam, Drum Set; all other instruments and equipment must be provided by the candidate. All instrument needs must be communicated to Astral no later than May 8, 2023.