What audition has meant the most to you or affected you the most? Why?

Question:i had a disney audition back in 1989 that just kicked total assets!

In the warmup area, there were at least 20 other trombonists-of which i knew more than half,....

i heard some really good stuff coming outta these guys in their warmups (i realized i was not in the top 5 for skill level)

one of my college buds came out from his audition and told me that the sight reading piece was an absolute *****.

when it was my turn, i went in and played my scales, arpeggios, & prepared piece,.....then they put the sight reading chart in front of me and said i had 2 minutes to check it out. I took a quick look through for surprises-roadmap-altered notes etc. and i saw that there was this wicked mid range repetitive chromatic figure at the end of the shout chorus. No way i could single tongue and play that in common positions on the tbone. I recalled having worked through a doodul tongueing book and Bill Watrous' "trombonisms" book during the previous summer. after 2 minutes had passed they asked if i had any questions---then they gave me this really hot tempo (24 beats per minute faster than marked)

I remembered my practice with those skills in doodul tongueing and alternate positions & absolutely tore through the harder than **** section of the piece,.....

I got the gig (over better players) because i had practiced the right stuff at the right time!!!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: i had a disney audition back in 1989 that just kicked total assets!

In the warmup area, there were at least 20 other trombonists-of which i knew more than half,....

i heard some really good stuff coming outta these guys in their warmups (i realized i was not in the top 5 for skill level)

one of my college buds came out from his audition and told me that the sight reading piece was an absolute *****.

when it was my turn, i went in and played my scales, arpeggios, & prepared piece,.....then they put the sight reading chart in front of me and said i had 2 minutes to check it out. I took a quick look through for surprises-roadmap-altered notes etc. and i saw that there was this wicked mid range repetitive chromatic figure at the end of the shout chorus. No way i could single tongue and play that in common positions on the tbone. I recalled having worked through a doodul tongueing book and Bill Watrous' "trombonisms" book during the previous summer. after 2 minutes had passed they asked if i had any questions---then they gave me this really hot tempo (24 beats per minute faster than marked)

I remembered my practice with those skills in doodul tongueing and alternate positions & absolutely tore through the harder than **** section of the piece,.....

I got the gig (over better players) because i had practiced the right stuff at the right time!!!

Last Dec. I auditioned for Fiddler on the Roof. I sang the song "Just you wait" from My Fair Lady and I practiced soooooooooo much! I'm a girl who doesn't really sing in front of people ever... so getting to practically yell/sing at the audience was a lot more fun that I thought! The director even told me I did a great job which gave me more confidence. Oh and by the way I got in and it was the best experience EVER :)

Well... i'd have to say that the audition that meant the most to me thus far was my college audition.
I was really debating as to whether or not I wanted to major in music. It was far from the only thing I was good at (and actually quite far from the thing I was best at) and certainly not the most practical of majors, but I LOVED it.
I was really worried because there were only 2 open slots for my major (viola performance) and really at the time I had only played viola for 6 months (I had played violin previously so I knew everything theoretically but you would be surprised at how extremely different the two instruments really are at advanced levels). Before the audition the viola professor from the school I wanted to attend called and asked if I might want a quick lesson with him the day before the audition. I graciously accepted as did my best friend who was also auditioning. Turns out he called all the majors and we were the only two who accepted lessons with him.
I was just grateful for the chance to get my nerves out in front of the judge that mattered most at the audition, and to tell him that I had only been playing viola for a short while.
Despite how scary I thought the audition was going to be the professors kindness gave me a sort of boost of confidence and I just went and didn't worry and just played my heart out.
Turned out that me and my best friend were accepted. This taught me one of the greatest lessons as a performer: always take advantage of EVERY opportunity. I bet had I not had the lesson beforehand I wouldn't have made it. Mostly because I found out later that the reason I made it was because my audition was musical and full of heart and soul and despite the fact that that is really how I play, that is normally not how I play in an audition (I am generally a worse auditioner than performer).
The chance to bear my soul through my viola to those judges also helped me realize how much I could have to offer in the music world, and confirmed to myself that music is the way I should go.