String Chamber Music Audition Information & Excerpts Posted
Chamber Music Questionnaire opens (all instruments/voice types)
Chamber Music Questionnaire closes
String Chamber Music Audition time slots open (in ASIMUT)
Chamber Music Welcome Meeting (all instruments/voice types)
3:00pm EST - Zoom Link TBA
String Chamber Music Auditions (in person)
Held between 9:00am and 9:00pm
First day of Fall 2025 semester
All Auditions will be in Watkins
Warm-up Room: 1215
Sunday, August 24th
9:00am - 9:00pm
The Chamber Music Questionnaire opens on Monday, August 11th at noon ET.
All students – any instrument/voice type – planning to participate in Chamber Music must complete the questionnaire, whether you’re new to chamber music or a member of a preformed group.
NOTE: This form is not for students interested in Chamber Choir. For more information on the Choral Audition process, please follow this link.
Completing the questionnaire does not automatically add the course to your schedule. You will receive overrides after you’re placed in a group. Use that override to register for the course; it’s not done automatically for you!
Beginning at noon on Wednesday, August 20th, audition times will be available for selection using the ASIMUT interface.
Auditions for chamber music are required for only the string instrumentalists (violin, viola, cello, bass, harp). All other instrumental/voice types are not required to audition to participate in chamber music.
String Chamber Music auditions are separate from the instrumental large ensemble auditions. If you are required to participate in one of the orchestras as a part of your degree requirements, then you will sign up for two separate audition times: one for orchestra and one for chamber music.
Auditions will be performed for the following adjudicators:
Matt Albert, Chair of Chamber Music and String Chamber Music Coordinator
Kathryn Votapek, Assistant Professor of Chamber Music
Eric Chin, Violinist of the Telegraph Quartet
Joseph Maile, Violinist of the Telegraph Quartet
Pei-Ling Lin, Violist of the Telegraph Quartet
Jeremiah Shaw, Cellist of the Telegraph Quartet
(The Telegraph Quartet is the artist-in-residence for the Strings Department and will work with string and chamber music students during the 2025-2026 school year.)
Chamber string excerpts are available under the “Audition Excerpts for Fall 2025” tab above.
The required material within the excerpts are marked with [BRACKETS]. If there are no brackets shown on any given page, then any material from that page may be selected by the adjudicators.
On the day of your audition, all warm ups should take place in the Practice Room Wing
Room 1215 will be held for student use since practice rooms will likely be in high demand that day. This room can be shared by all preparing for the chamber string auditions.
Check in with the proctor in front of Watkins Lecture Hall 5 minutes prior to your scheduled audition time slot. You will not be able to warm up once you are on standby.
Each audition will last approximately 5-7 minutes.
String auditionees will perform all excerpts assigned to their instrument type.
An audition packet will be available for use in the audition room, but you may use your own copies if preferred.
The excerpts must be performed in the order indicated by the adjudicators.
This audition will not be behind a screen. The adjudicators will be visible for the duration of the time in the audition room. It will also be recorded for purposes of review during the group assignment process.
There will be no callbacks for the String Chamber Auditions.
Group placements will be announced between Friday, August 29th and Friday, September 5th.
All students are expected to participate in the live audition process as part of their educational and professional development.
If you miss your scheduled time slot, the proctor/audition coordinator will fit you into the time table as they are able - either in a previously scheduled gap between candidates or at the very end.
You must be available for the remainder of the audition time slot so the proctor/coordinator can easily find you.
If a family or medical emergency arises, contact Jonathan Mashburn at jonmash@umich.edu to make alternate arrangements.
Submission of a recorded audition may be requested for the following reasons:
Illness with doctor's note
Death in the family
Military service conflict
Festival participation where ending date is in direct conflict with audition date
Extenuating Circumstances with faculty approval
All requests must be submitted to Jonathan Mashburn at jonmash@umich.edu no later than Monday, August 18th with any necessary documentation (excluding emergency situations).
If approved, you will be notified on Wednesday, August 20th. All recorded auditions must be submitted by noon on Friday, August 22nd.
All excerpts must be included in the recorded submission.
Do NOT choose an audition time slot through ASIMUT as if you were auditioning in person (this is different from the process for the large ensemble auditions).
The audition must be video recorded in one single take and submitted as a file shared to Jonathan Mashburn at jonmash@umich.edu via Google Drive.
Recorded auditions must include all excerpts listed for your instrument.
The following video formats are accepted: MPEG, MPG, MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV
Please name the file using the following format:
Instrument - Last Name First Name [ex: Cello - Johnson Kate.MOV]
From Jeremiah Shaw, cellist for the Telegraph Quartet:
One of the Telegraph Quartet's biggest areas of focus for our coaching this fall semester will be to study and perform works from composers in the 2nd Viennese school - composers such as Schoenberg, Webern, and Berg.
We are arranging a very special visit at the end of October into early November with one of our mentors and an expert in all things related to this period and style of music. Henk Guittart is an amazing chamber music coach, conductor, arranger and former Violist of the Schoenberg Quartet and will travel from Amsterdam to share his knowledge with the Umich community. A selection of students will be chosen to work on chamber works from these composers, play in a forum, perform in a special chamber concert, and receive coachings from the Telegraph Quartet and Henk Guittart. Those students involved will play in a mini-festival in early November and will potentially perform side-by-side with members of the Telegraph Quartet for some of the repertoire.
Henk Guittart website:
Examples of potential repertoire to work and perform at the mini festival:
Schoenberg:
Verklarte Nacht
Ode to Napoleon
String quartet no. 2
Wind Quintet
Alban Berg:
Op. 3
Anton Webern:
Langsamer Satz
Rondo
Funf Satze
Arrangements of chamber music works from 2nd Viennese school by Henk Guittart
String players, when preparing for the chamber audition on August 24th:
Know the score
Tempos, transitions, cadences, articulations
Know your role (melody, harmony, bassline, rhythm)
Please reach out to the members of the Telegraph Quartet and/or your instructors if you would like some one on one help with the audition rep. We are happy to suggest bowings, fingerings, and help with tempos and articulations.
Telegraph Quartet members:
Joseph Maile, violin: jmaile@umich.edu
Eric Chin, violin: ericchin@umich.edu
Pei-Ling Lin, viola: peilizz@umich.edu
Jeremiah Shaw, cello: jtscello@umich.edu
Here is the link to our website, www.unisonchambermusiccollective.org
And our instagram: @unisonchambermusiccollective
Unison Chamber Music Collective is a not for profit organization whose mission is to increase access, equity, and community within the concert space, presenting our engagement based programming at prisons, shelters, and recovery centers in Michigan. Unison also runs an Emerging Composers Program, where we will be premiering and recording 5 pieces by the chosen composers.
For more information, contact Allyson Cohen at callyson@umich.edu.