To see if placements are still available, please email office@osyo.ca with: instrument, school grade and instrument level (RCM or Suzuki)

Auditions are held at our rehearsal location: King’s Christian Collegiate, 528 Burnhamthorpe Road, Oakville.  To schedule an audition, please fill out the online form and we will contact you to schedule your audition.  Please note that ALL audition/registration forms must be submitted electronically.  Form is available HERE.  We will no longer be accepting hand-written forms.  Once the forms have been received, a tentative audition time slot will be emailed to you.  

Placement in the OSYO Symphony, Philharmonia, Sinfonia or Youth Band is based upon the decision of the conductors.  Musicians do not audition for a specific orchestra, they audition for acceptance into the OSYO.  The conductors place musicians where they will have the greatest opportunity for success.  Once placed, musicians are expected to play the entire season with that orchestra.  No changes will be made during the season

The audition request process is not complete until the OSYO receives the audition fee of $30 (payable to the OSYO) , which is non-refundable.  This can be mailed in, or submitted at the audition.  Audition results will not be released until the forms and audition fee have been received.

Auditions may be a stressful experience for some players (and for their parents!). They are, however, a fact of life in musical performance. The audition experience is an integral part of the training and a process that helps our conductors and coaches to select the most appropriate repertoire for their ensembles. Each audition is no longer than five minutes in length, and we go out of our way to help make the experience as positive and stress-free as possible!

Audition Procedure:

1. Musician completes the online registration form HERE
2. Musician receives confirmation and an audition time from our Executive Director
3. Musician prepares & practices the Audition Requirements (below)
4. Musician mails in the $30 audition fee (or brings to the audition…cash or cheque)
5. The Audition!  Audition times are limited, not all material will necessarily be played.
6. One week following the final audition night, musician receives possible acceptance and position in the OSYO
7. If successful, Musician submits the registration fees and is welcomed into the OSYO!

Audition Requirements

Symphony Orchestra

• One solo piece of musician’s choice (not to exceed 1 minute)
• Major / Minor scale of conductor’s choice up to 3 sharps / 3 flats
• Download and prepare at least one of the excerpt requirements for your instrument (see below)

Bassoon

Cello

Clarinet

Double Bass

Flute

Horn

Oboe

Percussion

Trombone

Trumpet

Tuba

Viola

Violin

Philharmonia

• One 3 octave minor scale of musician’s choice (single octave scale for Bass)
• 1 Solo piece minimum Suzuki/RCM grade 4 level (1-2 minutes max)
• There is no excerpt required
• Sight reading may be required
• Open to violin, viola, cello and double bass

Sinfonia

• One 2 octave major or minor scale of musician’s choice
• 1 solo piece minimum Suzuki/RCM grade 2 level (1-2 minutes max)
• There is no excerpt required
• Sight reading will be required.
• Open to violin, viola, cello, double bass.

Youth Band

• Musicians should have at least 1 full year experience with their chosen instrument
• One octive major or minor scale of musician’s choice
• 1 polished piece demonstrating top level performance
• Open to flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, english horn, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, french horn, baritone, euphonium, tuba and percussion

Please arrive at your audition at least 15 minutes before your time slot to allow time for check in and warm up. We will have music stands available.  Enter through the main door of the school.

2019/20 Fee structure:

We’ve simplified our fee structure for 2019/20.  The total OSYO Registration fee is as follows:

• Sinfonia: $550
• Philharmonia: $850
• Youth Band: $700
• Symphony: $925

This includes:

• Musician registration for the season
• Musicians retreat
• 3 tickets for each of our 3 concerts for your family
• Musician +1 ticket to our year end celebration
• OSYO T-shirt
• OSYO Music bag
• Use of OSYO Music folder for the season

There are a number of families who have multiple musicians in the OSYO.  The following fees should be added to the registration cost for your OLDEST child:

• Oldest child + 1 musician in Sinfonia, add $225
• Oldest child + 2 in Sinfonia, add $450
• Oldest child + 1 in Philharmonia, add $475
• Oldest child + 2 in Philharmonia, add $925
• Oldest child + 1 in Philharmonia and 1 in Sinfonia, add $700
• Oldest child + 1 in Youth Band, add $375
• Oldest child + 1 in Symphony, add $550

For example, if your oldest child is in Philharmonia ($850), and you have a second child in Philharmonia and a third child in Sinfonia (add $700), your total amount due is $1550.

Each additional musician from the same family will receive an OSYO t-shirt, music bag and music folder.

A $50 discount can be applied (1 per family) if funds are received in full on or before June 30, 2019

All fees are due by Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at the latest.  This year, we will only be accepting registration payment by email money transfer.

Fees can be paid by email transfer to: payments@osyo.ca.  Please be sure to enter your child’s name in the comment line.

A limited number of Bursaries are available.  To apply for a partial bursary, please fill out the form  here.  Once completed, please email to office@osyo.ca

Upon acceptance into the OSYO, all musicians will receive a copy of our musicians handbook and be asked to sign our code of conduct.  Click here to view.

Parents:​

The OSYO can’t function well without the support of our great parent volunteers.  We ask that each season, one parent from each family will act as a parent monitor and snack provider for one Tuesday rehearsal (for the orchestra your child is enrolled in).  Schedules are emailed at the beginning of the season.  In addition, we ask for volunteer assistance with concerts/special events and/or rehearsals throughout the season.

Parents are also required to attend the Annual General Meeting, tentatively scheduled for Tuesday October 8, 2019 (at King’s Christian Collegiate during rehearsal).  At this meeting, our board members and operating budget are confirmed.

Scheduled 2019/20 dates are as follows:

• September 27/28 Musician retreat (Canterbury Hills, Ancaster)
• Saturday November 16: Santa Claus Parade (volunteers only)
• Sunday November 17: Concert #1
• Saturday February 8: Concert # 2 (tentative)
• Sunday May 24: Season Finale Concert

Please put these dates into your calendar, as it is very important that our musicians attend all OSYO events!

Music Stands:  Each musician is required to bring a music stand to each rehearsal, as well as every concert/event.  We strongly recommend a sturdy metal stand, as they are much more stable than the collapsible wire stands.  Examples are the Manhasset Model 4801, or Wenger Classic 50

Refunds:
Due to the fact that the orchestra has many prepaid costs prior to the beginning of the season (based on enrollment), there will be an administration fee of $100 assessed if a musician withdraws prior to the second rehearsal.

Unfortunately, we can not issue any refunds if a musician chooses to withdraw at any time after the second rehearsal.

Contact our Executive Director, Alan Montgomery, at ( office@osyo.ca) if you have any questions regarding the audition process.