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Who are we?
We are a diverse group of advanced musicians united by a passion for playing large-scale
orchestral works at a high level. Many of us have conservatory musical training. We may
have committed to careers or other pursuits outside of music, but have orchestral performance
and its process etched into our core being. We come together every summer with the
common goal to create enjoyable, interesting and fulfilling programs to the Boston/Cambridge
community.
Who should audition?
Mercury Orchestra members typically have had substantial formal instruction in their instrument and sufficient orchestral
experience so that they are comfortable with standard repertoire and can learn new
repertoire fairly quickly (important due to the compressed rehearsal timelines); most actively play in other
groups.
The Mercury Orchestra is a community effort involving approximately one hundred advanced instrumentalists of all ages from the greater Cambridge/Boston (Massachusetts) area. Programming from prior years is available on our Concerts page. All orchestra positions are volunteer/no-pay/no-fee.
What orchestra positions are open?
For the 2025 season, the orchestra has open positions for violin, viola, violoncello, contrabass, flute, piccolo, oboe, English horn, heckelphone, French horn,
trumpet, flugelhorn, euphonium/baritone.
Rehearsal substitute positions are open for clarinet, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, tenor trombone, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion, and harp.
How do I audition?
The next auditions for new members and substitute members will be held in May-June 2025; open positions are filled on a rolling basis.
Audition candidates should prepare a 2-3 minute solo excerpt, preferably taken from the first movement of a romantic concerto or sonata, and 2 or 3 orchestral excerpts, preferably chosen from the listing below, or of your own choosing. Musicians playing accessory instruments or instruments not listed below may bring 2-3 contrasting orchestral excerpts of their own choosing. All auditions are by appointment and will be heard by an audition committee in-person at the Cambridge Music Consortium, 315 Broadway, Cambridge, MA.
To schedule an audition, please complete our form here.
VIOLIN:
(all excerpts below are from Violin I parts)
Schumann: Symphony No. 1, Allegro molto vivace through m. 76
Mahler: Symphony No. 2, 5th mvt., reh 23 (top line) until 2 bars before reh 25
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, 3rd mvt., Lo stesso tempo mm. 99-114
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”, 2nd mvt., reh 3 to reh 5
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, 1st mvt., 2 before F until m. 554
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20, 3rd mvt. (Rondo), opening to rehearsal O
Tchaikovsky: Overture to Nutcracker, either line, reh G to 2 after H
VIOLA
Brahms: Symphony No. 4, 4th movement, reh B to D
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scherzo, reh C to D
Mozart: Symphony No. 35, 4th movement, mm. 1-37
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, 2nd movement, mm. 1-10
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, 4th movement, mm. 42-60
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture, 2 after reh 1 to reh 4
Tchaikovsky: Symphohy No. 6, 1st movement, mm. 19-62 (top line)
VIOLONCELLO
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, 2nd mvt., mm. 1-10; 49-60; 98-106
Brahms: Symphony No. 2, 2nd mvt., mm. 1-15
Brahms: Symphony No. 2, 4th mvt., mm. 1-42
Mozart: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, mm. 1-24
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, 2nd mvt., mm. 21-42
Mendelssohn: Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, reh C to D
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, 2nd movement, mm. 1-16
CONTRABASS
Brahms: Symphony No. 1, 1st mvt., rehearsal E to first ending
Brahms: Symphony No. 2, 1st mvt., rehearsal E to F
Brahms: Symphony No. 2, 4th mvt., m. 244 to reh M
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, 3rd mvt., mm.139-218
Mozart: Symphony No. 40, 1st mvt., pickup to m. 115 to m. 138; mm. 191-225
Mozart: Symphony No. 40, 4th mvt., mm. 49-70
FLUTE
Mendelssohn: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night&rsquols Dream: 2 bars before P to the end
Ravel: Bolero, bar 5 to [1]
Beethoven: Leonore Overture #3: opening and mm. 328-360
Dvořák: Symphony No, 8, 4th mvt: [D] to [E]
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, [176] to 2 mm. after [179]
Brahms: Symphony No. 4, 4th mvt., 13 after [D] to 8 before [E]
Bizet: Carmen, Entr’acte before Act III, also designated No. 2 Intermezzo in Carmen Suite No. 1
Rossini: William Tell: 15 bars before [F] until 18 bars before [H]
Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf: [2] to [4]
OBOE
Bach: “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen”, BWV 12, mvt. 1, beginning to down beat of m. 9
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3, mvt. 2, reh A to reh B and 5 mm. before reh C to 13 mm. after reh C
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, reh 10 to 2 mm. after reh 13
Ravel: Le tombeau de Coupérin, Prelude, beginning to reh 2 and Minuet, beginning to reh 3
Schumann: Symphony No. 2, mvt. 2, mm. 8-19
CLARINET
Brahms: Symphony No. 3, 2nd mvt., mm. 1-22
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8, 2nd mvt., reh A to reh B
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol, mvt. 1, reh A to reh B
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, 1st mvt., mm. 54-80 and mm. 153-160
BASSOON
Mozart: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, mm. 101-123 and mm. 139-171
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4, 4th mvt., solo (mm. 184-190)
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, opening solo (to reh 4)
Richard Strauss: Death and Transfiguration, 6 mm. before reh P to 1 m. before reh R
Mahler: Symphony No. 1, 3rd mvt., reh 2 to 2 mm. before rehearsal 3 and 4th mvt., reh 40 to 3 measures before reh 41
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, 1st mvt., mm. 1-12
HORN
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, 1st mvt., mm. 84-102
Brahms: Symphony No. 3, 3rd mvt., mm. 98-110 (F to 12 after F)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5, 1st mvt., mm. 17-21
Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, opening solo, mm. 6-20
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, 2nd mvt. solo, mm. 8-28
TRUMPET
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 2, off stage call, mm. 392-397 and mm. 406-411
Mahler: Symphony No. 5, 1st mvt., opening to 6m after rehearsal #1; 1 m. before reh 13 to 1m. before reh 14
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition, opening to reh 2
Respighi: Pines of Rome, 2nd mvt., Tromba Interna solo, 8-17 mm. after reh 10
Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker, Le Chocolate
TENOR TROMBONE
Berlioz: Hungarian March from Damnation of Faust, 1 m. before reh 4 to 2 m. after reh 5
Mahler: Symphony No. 3, 1st mvt., 2 mm. after reh 13 to reh 17
Schumann: Symphony No. 3, 4th mvt., mm. 1-23
Stravinsky: Pulcinella, Duetto
Wagner: Overture to Die Walküre, m. 5 to 3 mm. after reh 6
BASS TROMBONE
Haydn: The Creation, No. 26, beginning to downbeat of 19 mm. after B
Kodály: Háry János Suite, 4th mvt., m.5 to 7 mm. after reh 1
Kodály: Háry János Suite, 4th mvt., 4 mm. after Poco meno mosso to 10 mm. after reh 6
Respighi: Fountains of Rome, reh 11 to reh 14
Rossini: Overture to La gazza ladra, mm. 115-132 and mm. 433-442
Schumann: Symphony No. 3, 4th mvt., beginning to 13 after A
Wagner: Lohengrin, Introduction to Act 3, B to C
TUBA
Berlioz: Hungarian March from The Damnation of Faust, reh 4 to reh 5
Gershwin: An American in Paris, reh 67 to reh 68
Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis, 4 before M to P
Mahler: Symphony No. 1, 3rd mvt, solo 4 mm. before reh 3, to 3 mm. before reh 5
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition, Bydlo
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5, 1st mvt, reh 3 to reh 6
Wagner: Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, J to L
When does the orchestra play?
The orchestra rehearses approximately twice a week in the 4 to 5 weeks preceding each concert. The orchestra plays only during the summer. Members typically play in one or more concerts depending upon instrumentation and availability.
In 2025, the orchestra will rehearse primarily at the
BYSO Youth Center for Music at 235 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115.
Rehearsals typically take place Sunday afternoons or Monday evenings, and Thursday evenings, from mid-June to late August.
2025 Season
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CONCERT #1 — Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Saturday, July 19, 2025, 8:00 pm
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 <1805-1806> (34')
fl, 2ob, 2cl, 2bn, 2hn, 2tp, tmp, str, piano solo
Channing Yu, piano
RICHARD STRAUSS
Eine Alpensinfonie, TrV 233, Op. 64 (Alpine Symphony) <1911-1915> (47')
4fl(1.2.3/picc2.4picc1), 4ob(1.2.3/Eh.heckl), 4cl(1.2.3/bcl,Ebcl), 4bn(1.2.3.4/cbn), 8+hn(hn5-8/Wag tb), 4+tp, 4+tbn, 2tuba, 2tmp+3, 2hp, cel, org, str
Schedule:
Mon Jun 23 7:30 PM-10:00 PM BYSO
Thu Jun 26 7:30 PM-10:00 PM BYSO
Thu Jul 10 7:30 PM-10:00 PM BYSO
Sun Jul 13 2:00 PM-4:30 PM BYSO
Wed Jul 16 7:30 PM-10:00 PM BYSO
FRI JUL 18 7:30 PM-10:00 PM DRESS / Sanders
SAT JUL 19 7:00 PM-10:00 PM SOUNDCHECK & CONCERT / Sanders
BYSO Youth Center for Music, 235 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115
Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, 45 Quincy St., Cambridge, MA 02138
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CONCERT #2 — Hatch Memorial Shell, Boston, Wednesday, August 6, 2025, 7:00 pm
GERALD FINZI
Intimations of Immortality, Op. 29, an ode for tenor, chorus, and orchestra <1950> (45')
3fl(1.2/picc.3), 3ob(1.2.Eh), 3cl(1.2.bcl), 3bn(1.2.cbn), 4hn, 3tp, 3trb, tuba, timp+perc, hp, str. tenor solo+SATB chorus
Tenor soloist to be announced
Chorus to be announced
OTTORINO RESPIGHI
Pini di Roma, P. 141 (Pines of Rome) <1923-1924> (23')
3fl(1.2.3/picc), 3ob(1.2.Eh), 3cl(1.2.bcl), 3bn(1.2.cbn), 4hn, 3tp, 4trb, 6buccine (2sopr, 2ten, 2bass), timp+5perc, hp, cel, pf, org, str. Perc: glock, tamtam, cym, tambn, bd, 2small cym, nightingale recording, ratchet
Schedule:
Sun Jun 29 2:00 PM-4:30 PM BYSO
Mon Jul 28 7:30 PM-10:00 PM BYSO
Thu Jul 31 7:30 PM-10:00 PM BYSO
Sun Aug 3 2:00 PM-4:30 PM DRESS / BYSO
WED AUG 6 5:00 PM-10:00 PM SOUNDCHECK AND CONCERT / Hatch Memorial Shell
BYSO Youth Center for Music, 235 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115
Hatch Memorial Shell, 47 David G Mugar Way, Boston, MA 02108
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CONCERT #3 — Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston, Saturday, August 23, 2025, 7:30 pm
MAURICE RAVEL
Alborada del gracioso <1904-1905; rev (orchd) 1918> (7')
3fl(1.2.3/picc), 3ob(1.2.Eh), 2cl, 3bn(1.2.cbn), 4hn, 2tp, 3trb, tuba, timp+6, 2hp, str. Perc: bd, cym, sd, tri, tambn, xyl, crot, cast
MAURICE RAVEL
Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major <1929-1930> (19')
3fl(1.2.3/picc), 3ob(1.2.Eh), 4cl(1.2.Ebcl.bcl), 3bn(1.2.cbn), 4hn, 3tp, 3trb, tuba, timp+4, hp, str. Perc: bd, cym, sd, tri, tamtam, woodblk. Piano solo
With the winner (to be determined) of the 2025 Fou Ts'ong International Piano Competition
MODEST MUSSORGSKY (orch. Ravel)
Pictures at an Exhibition <1874; orchd Ravel 1922> (35')
3fl(1.2/picc.3/picc), 3ob(1.2.3/Eh), 3cl(1.2.bcl), asx, 3bn(1.2.cbn), 4hn, 3tp, 3trb, tuba, timp+5, 2hp, cel, str. Perc: xyl, sd, tamtam, tri, whip, ratch, cym, bd, glock, sus cym, chimes[D#4]
Schedule:
Thu Aug 7 7:30 PM-10:00 PM BYSO
Sun Aug 10 2:00 PM-4:30 PM BYSO
Thu Aug 14 7:30 PM-10:00 PM BYSO
Sun Aug 17 2:00 PM-4:30 PM BYSO
WED AUG 20 7:00 PM-10:00 PM REHEARSAL / Jordan
FRI AUG 22 7:00 PM-10:00 PM DRESS / Jordan
SAT AUG 23 6:30 PM-9:30 PM CONCERT / Jordan
BYSO Youth Center for Music, 235 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115
Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, 30 Gainsborough St, Boston, MA 02115
To be notified of auditions in future seasons, please consider joining our auditions information list here.
How can I find out more information?
Please contact our auditions coordinator at auditions@mercuryorchestra.org.
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