KU Symphony Orchestra

About the Director | General Information | How to Join | Graduate Orchestral Conducting | Printed Orchestra Excerpts

About the orchestra

The University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra offers you a fun and challenging musical environment in which to learn and grow as a person and musician. KU orchestras are open to music majors and non-majors alike.

If you are considering majoring in music, you will have the opportunity to be challenged to your highest level in preparation for a professional career in music. Please visit the Department of Music and Dance website to apply to audition to become a music major and to be considered for scholarship.

In addition to applying to become a music major, you will also need to fill out an application to the University of Kansas. Those interested in obtaining scholarships are invited to visit the KU Scholarship website.

Prospective students are invited and encouraged to visit campus. To schedule your visit, please make an appointment with the Visitor Center (785) 864-3911. Please let them know you are interested in making an appointment to visit with the Director of Orchestral Activities and see the facilities.

How to Join

Membership in the KU Symphony is by blind audition and is open to all qualified students at the University.

For winds and percussion, auditions take place the first week of classes fall semester and again at the end of fall semester for placement in the spring, and are heard by the conductors and the appropriate applied music Professor. Information on these auditions may be obtained here.

For strings: auditions take place the first week of each semester and are heard by the conductors and the appropriate applied music Professor. Auditions consist of prepared excerpts and sight-reading. The prepared excerpts for strings may be downloaded here.