Solo pieces

At all NJO auditions and at the first round of EUYO auditions, musicians will be asked to play one piece from the NJO solo pieces list below and a selection of orchestral excerpts. Candidates should select one solo piece and notify NJO about their choice via the portal. Candidates who enter the EUYO second round are free in choosing a solo piece that is not on the NJO list, but have to inform NJO as well when applying.

Candidates who start immediately in the second round can indicate this solo work in the portal when registering. Candidates who combine their first round EUYO with the NJO audition, and want to play a different solo work in the second round of EUYO than in the first round, must inform NJO orchestra manager Twan Dubbers about this via twan njon.nl timely.

The solo piece should be performed with piano accompaniment, except for harp and percussion auditions. Read more about the auditions and piano accompaniment on our Audition information page.

Please note:

Double bass players should play their solo piece in orchestral tuning.
Woodwind players should prepare a solo piece and all orchestra excerpts for their main instrument. Read all about auditioning for auxiliary instruments in How to prepare
In general, only the exposition or the first 4 - 5 minutes from the first movement of a solo piece will be asked during the audition, without cadenza, unless specified otherwise. It is recommended to prepare the work in its entirety.

You can find the list of solo pieces below. Please choose one of these pieces for your NJO or combined NJO / 1st round EUYO audition.

Violin

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin concerto No. 3 in G, KV 216, mvt 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin concerto No. 4 in D Major, KV 218, in D Major, mvt 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Violin concerto No. 5 in A Major, KV 219, mvt 1
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - Violin concerto in E minor, Opus 64, in E Minor, mvt 1
Max Bruch - Violin concerto No 1 in G Minor, Opus 26, mvt 1
Joseph Haydn - Violin concerto in G Major, Hob.VIIa:4, mvt 1
Pjotr Iljitsj Tchaikovsky - Violin concerto in D Major, Opus 35, mvt 1
Johannes Brahms – Violin concerto in D Major, Opus 77, mvt 1
Jean Sibelius – Violin concerto in D Minor, Opus 47, mvt 1
Camille Saint-Saëns - Violin Concerto No. 3 in b, opus 61, mvt 1

Viola

Franz Anton Hoffmeister - Viola concerto in D Major, movement 1 (without cadenza)
Carl Stamitz - Viola concerto, Opus 1, in D Major, movement 1 (without cadenza)
Béla Bártok - Viola concerto, movement 1
William Walton - Viola concerto
Paul Hindemith - Der Schwanendreher
Rebecca Clarke - Sonata, movement 1

Cello

Joseph Haydn - Cello concerto No. 2, Hob. VIIb/2, in D Major, movement 1
Robert Schumann - Cello concerto, Opus 129, in A Minor, movement 1
Pjotr Iljitsj Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme, Opus 33, theme & variations 1-3
Camille Saint-Saëns - Cello concerto No. 1, Opus 33, in A Minor, movement 1
Antonín Dvořák - Cello concerto, Opus 104, in B Minor, movement 1
Edward Elgar - Cello concerto, Opus 85, in E Minor, movement 1

Double bass (orchestral tuning)

Serge Koussevitsky - Double Bass concerto, in E Minor, movements 1 and 2
Giovanni Bottesini - Double Bass concerto No. 2 in A Minor, movements 1 and 2
Carl Dittersdorf - Double Bass concerto No. 2, in D Major, movements 1 and 2
Johann Baptist Vanhal - Double Bass concerto, in C Major, movements 1 and 2
Reinhold Glière - Four Pieces, Opus 9/32, Praeludium or Intermezzo
Franz Schubert - Arpeggione Sonata, D.821, movement 1

Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Flute concerto, KV. 313, in G Major, movement 1
Franz Benda - Flute concerto No. 1, in E Minor, movement 1
Jacques Ibert - Flute concerto, movement 1
Henri Dutilleux - Sonatine for flute and piano
Georges Hüe - Fantaisie
Robert Muczynski - Sonata for flute and piano, Opus 14, movement 1

Oboe

Richard Strauss - Concerto for Oboe, in D Major, movement 1
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Oboe concerto, K314, in C Major, movement 1
Joseph Haydn - Oboe concerto in C Major, movement 1
Bohuslav Martinu - Oboe concerto, movement 1
Robert Schumann - Romance, Opus 94, No. 1
Hendrik Andriessen - Ballade (only for students in the first year Bachelor)

Clarinet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Clarinet concerto, KV. 622, in A Major, movement 1
Carl Maria Von Weber - Clarinet concerto No. 1, opus 73, in F Minor, movement 1
Louis Spohr - Clarinet concerto No. 1, Opus 26, in C Minor, movement 1
Louis Spohr - Clarinet concerto No. 4, in E Major, movement 1
Franz Vincenz Krommer - Concerto for clarinet and orchestra, Opus 36, in E-flat Major, movement 1
Carl Stamitz - Clarinet concerto No. 3, in B-flat Major, movement 1

Bassoon

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Bassoon concerto, K191, in B-flat Major, movements 1 and 2
Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Grand concerto, in F Major, movement 1
Camille Saint-Saëns - Bassoon sonata, Opus 168, in G Major, movements 1 and 2
Franz Berwald - Konzertstück for bassoon, opus 2
Carl Maria von Weber - Bassoon concerto, Opus 75, in F major, movements 1 and 2
Edward Elgar - Romance for bassoon and orchestra, Opus 62
Paul Hindemith - Bassoon sonata

Horn

High horn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Horn concerto No. 2, KV417
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Horn concerto No. 4, KV495
Richard Strauss - Horn concerto No. 1, Opus 11
Low horn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Horn concerto No. 1, KV412
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Horn concerto No. 3, KV447
Hermann Neuling - Bagatelle

Trumpet

(candidates are free to choose E-flat/B-flat/C-trumpet for their solo piece)
Joseph Haydn - Trumpet concerto, Hob.VIIe/1, in E-flat Major, movements 1 and 2
Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Trumpet concerto in E-flat Major, movement 1
Arthur Honegger - Intrada
George Enescu - Légende
Oskar Böhme - Trumpet concerto, Opus 18, movement 1
Alexander Arutunian - Trumpet concerto, in A-flat Major

Tenor trombone

Ferdinand David - Concertino for trombone and orchestra, movement 1
Henri Tomasi - Concert for trombone and orchestra, movement 1
Launy Grøndahl - Trombone concerto, movement 1 (only for students in first and second year Bachelor)
Eugene Bozza - Ballade (only for students in the first and second year Bachelor)

Bass trombone

Ernst Sachse - Concertino, movement 1
Alexander Lebedev - Concerto in one movement
Eugene Bozza - New Orleans

Tuba

Bass Tuba F/Eb
Ralph Vaughan Williams - Concerto, deel 1 (with cadenza)
Richard Strauss - Hoornconcert nr. 1 (arr. Anderson or original) movement 1
Johann Sebastian Bach - Flute for flute in Eb (original or arrangement of choice) mvt 1
Bruce Broughton - Sonate voor tuba en piano, deel 1

Contrabastuba CC/BBb

Vladislav Blazevich - Solo Etude
Henri Casadesus (attr. to Johann Christian Bach) - Adagio in D minor (arr. MacKenzie/Olka)

Harp

Händel concerto for harp, 1st movement

Piano/celesta

A solo piece of your choice

Timpani / Percussion

No solo piece

Saxophone

Alto Saxophone

Alexander Glazunov - Concerto until cadenza
Jacques Ibert - Concertino da Camera part 1
Lars-Erik Larsson - 1st movement to cadenza

Tenor Saxophone

Frank Martin - Ballade
Heitor Villa-Lobos - Fantasia - part 1