Join the Life Sciences Orchestra
Audition & Member Information
All musicians interested in playing with the LSO must audition, even those who have played with us before.
Please note: Auditions are held at the Moore Building (School of Music, Theatre & Dance) and the Walgreen Drama Center on North Campus; they are accessible by U-M bus. Parking is free during audition times.
If you have never played with the LSO, or if it has been more than two years since you played with the LSO, please complete our Prospective Member form to express interest.
If selected to join the LSO, members commit to attending all or nearly all rehearsals as well as the dress rehearsals and concerts. See the 2026-2027 member schedule below.
If your work or academic schedule does not permit you to play one of the concerts, please say so when completing your audition signup.
All members must pay dues of $100 for faculty/staff/alumni or $50 for students, for the year; those playing only one concert pay half this amount. Dues payment information will be available when rehearsals begin.
More about LSO audition eligibility and process:
Admission to the LSO is decided by the music director, in consultation with the assistant conductor and executive committee. In addition to U-M life science affiliation, admission and seating decisions involve playing ability and any past experience with the LSO.
Please see our FAQ for full information on what we consider life sciences affiliation.
Important note: Undergraduates with no declared life science major, and individuals with no past or current connection to the U-M life science community (as defined in the FAQ), are asked to audition for other ensembles. In very limited cases, individuals who are not members of the U-M life sciences community may be allowed to audition after the main audition process has concluded, if their instrument is needed for the next performance. Please see the FAQ.
For your audition, please prepare the following:
- A solo selection from a classical work (concerto, sonata, orchestral solo passages, etc.) of 1 to 3 minutes in length. The music director may not need to hear the full prepared passage.
- In addition, all instruments except percussion should prepare ALL of the brief orchestral excerpts for their instruments located at the links below. Please note that most instruments have at least two excerpts and some have three!
A link to an audition signup form will be posted here, and emailed to list members, in August.
Auditions will be held:
Wednesday, Sept. 9 - 6:45 - 9:30 - Rooms 2020 and 2026 Moore (warmup room available at 6:30)
Thursday, Sept. 10 - 6:15-9:30 - Rooms 2020 and 2044 Moore (warmup room available 6:00)
Friday, Sept. 11 - 6:15 - 9:30 - Rooms 2020 and 2026 Moore (warmup room available 6:00)
Sunday, Sept. 13 - 9:15 - 1 - Walgreen Drama Center - Basement level Room B222/V and D Studio, and Room 2443. (warmup room available 9:00)
Audition slots are 6 minutes long, and those interested in first chair may be asked to sight read an excerpt. Please arrive at least 10 minutes before your appointed time to check in and warm up in the designated room. If you find that you cannot make your audition time, it is your responsibility to let us know and to arrange another time if we can accommodate it.
The LSO follows Michigan Medicine and SMTD health protocols. If you are feeling unwell on the day of your scheduled audition, please email [email protected] to arrange an alternate time.
If you are absolutely unable to audition on any of the posted dates, please email [email protected].
Audition Excerpts
All auditionees except percussion must play the excerpts for their instrument; these will be marked with brackets or notes indicating starting and ending points. No repeats should be taken.
Audition excerpts located here
Note that there are multiple excerpts for most instruments and you must prepare all excerpts for your instrument!
Rehearsals
All regular rehearsals are Sundays from 7:00-9:30 pm at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance’s Kevreson Rehearsal Hall (accessible via the new entrance of the Earl V. Moore Building), unless otherwise noted. Please arrive at 6:45 pm to set up and warm up.
We are following U-M guidance for returning to work after an infection and expect all members to cooperate or face dismissal from the LSO. Do not come to rehearsal if you are feeling under the weather, even if you have tested negative on a rapid test.
If you know in advance that you will need to miss a rehearsal, please email the date to [email protected] as soon as you know your plans. You should also send a message to that address about any unplanned absences. All musicians must make every effort to attend all rehearsals. Keep in mind that after three absences for any reason, your participation in the LSO concert will be at the discretion of the music director.
Find further information about being part of the LSO in our FAQ.
Fall rehearsals:
9/27
10/4
10/11
10/18
10/25
11/1 - Halloween Costume Contest
11/8
11/15
11/22
12/6
12/13
12/20
1/10
1/17
1/24 - Dress rehearsal at Hill Auditorium
Concert: Wednesday 1/27 7:30 pm
Winter/spring rehearsals -
1/31
2/7
2/14
2/21
2/28
3/7
3/14
3/21
4/4
4/11
4/18
4/25
Wednesday 4/28 - Dress rehearsal, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday 4/29 - Concert, 7:30 p.m.
Contact Us
NI-5E06, NIB
300 North Ingalls
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5470
