Please read the following guidelines carefully before beginning your application to the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra and before sending any questions to the Verbier Festival Team.
There are two different ways to apply to the VFJO: 1) live audition (except percussion candidates, who can only apply via video), or 2) video audition. Both ways of auditioning are equally judged and neither has an advantage over the other.
All VFJO applicants must be able to speak fluent English – English is the language used by the coaches and conductors, and candidates must have a high level of English in order to take part in the programme.
WHO MAY APPLY
PROGRAMME DATES
HOW TO APPLY
APPLICATION FEE
COSTS FOR SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS
REFUND POLICY
AUDITION REPERTOIRE
MAKING YOUR VIDEO
LIVE AUDITION CITIES
RESERVE LIST
FAQ
CONTACT
who may apply
Applicants to the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra must be aged 15 to 18 on 1 July 2025, and may be of any nationality, coming from any part of the world.
Musicians are invited to become members of the Junior Orchestra for one edition of the Verbier Festival. They may be re-invited twice; these re-invitations are not guaranteed. To be re-invited, musicians must be aged 18 or younger on the last day of the Festival.
programme dates
VFJO musicians must arrive in Verbier on 13 July and depart on 4 August. Musicians must be available for this entire period.
Successful candidates, whether minors (under age 18) or adults, are required to sign an agreement with the Fondation du Verbier Festival, thereby committing to the entire Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra summer session from 13 July to 4 August 2025 and accepting all its rules.
how to apply
Applications to the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra programme are accepted by Video Audition through the getAcceptd on-line platorm. Google Chrome is recommended as browser for use with the platform.
The language of application documentation is English.
Live Audition Application Deadline: 12 December 2024 (23:59 EST)
Video Audition Application Deadline: 16 January 2025 (23:59 EST)
All candidates must provide:
- Contact information (name, address, etc.)
- Application Information
- Date of birth, nationality, etc.
- School / Teacher history
- Uploads/Audition
- For applicants under 18 on 1 July 2025: Written Consent (in English) from Parent or Legal Guardian
- Passport/ID
- CV describing academic, professional and other relevant experience
- Photo/headshot (landscape orientation)
- Self-presentation video, proving that you are able to speak English fluently and discussing your motivation to join the VFJO programme
- If applying via video submission: video upload (see audition repertoire requirements)
- Payment of application fee (by credit card only)
application fee
All candidates are required to pay a USD 50 non-refundable application fee. This fee is accepted by credit card only through the getacceptd application platform.
Thanks to the generosity of donors to the Festival, application fees will be waived for the following candidates:
- Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation Scholarship holders
- Swiss Citizens born or resident in the Cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Juras, Neuchâtel, Valais or Vaud
- Ukrainian Citizens
- Russian Citizens
To obtain this exemption, please send proof of eligibility (i.e. a scan of your passport, a letter proving your canton of residence or proof of your affiliation with the CMK Foundation) to the following address: orchestras@verbierfestival.com.
Please note you must request a fee waiver before you submit your application. We will not be able to reimburse application fees if you have paid for them and afterwards request a fee waiver.
You must request your fee waiver by the following dates: 9 December (live auditions) and by 13 January (video auditions). We will not be able to provide fee waivers after these dates.
costs for successful applicants
Successful candidates will be required to pay a participation fee of CHF 1,500 to take part in the VFJO’s three-week programme. This fee is intended to partially offset the costs of accommodation, meals and supervision for students. VFJO musicians are also required to organise and pay for their own return journey to Verbier, entry visa fees, health insurance, instrument insurance (if necessary) and to provide their own pocket money.
The remainder of training costs (CHF 8,000) is covered by the Verbier Festival with the help of generous donors, sponsors and public funders.
Thanks to the generosity of the Loterie Romande, Swiss citizens born or resident in the cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Juras, Neuchâtel, Valais or Vaud will be exempt from paying the participation fee.
When is payment made?
A non-refundable deposit of CHF 500 is due on acceptance of the invitation to the orchestra (invitations extend at the beginning of March 2025).
The second and final payment of CHF 1,000 is due before 15 June 2025.
How is the payment made?
Payments can be made by electronic bank transfer only.
Detailed instructions on how to pay fees will be provided in each candidate’s invitation letter.
refund policy
Application fees will not be reimbursed for any reason.
Participation fees (both the deposit and final payment) are only refundable with a valid medical reason. A doctor’s certificate is required to make a reimbursement claim.
audition repertoire
Please download the audition repertoire requirements for your instrument here:
Make sure to read very carefully your instrument PDF before sending any questions to the Verbier team.
making your video
Please read ALL of the following instructions before starting your application or recording your video:
- Please note that you must perform all the works/orchestral excerpts listed under ‘Audition Repertoire’ above. You must play the works as if you were giving a live audition (i.e. straight-through in the order listed). The recording must be made in one shot, without cuts or edits.
- Please take into account the size of the room and its acoustic as well as the distance from the camera: the more reverberative the room, the closer you will need to be to the camera (usually 3 metres or 10 feet).
- The use of artificial reverberation or any other audio modification via post-production (editing, splicing, etc.) is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification. You may use an external microphone (e.g., Zoom Q8) to achieve better sound quality and add this sound to the video afterwards, without cuts, edits or sound effects.
- IMPORTANT: watch and listen to your recording to be sure it represents what you want to the jury to consider.
live auditions cities
The schedule of live auditions is preliminary and we recommend you do not make travel arrangements until you receive your audition invitation. The audition days may be adjusted according to the number of applicants.
You will receive your exact audition date and time between the period 18-31 December 2024, via the GetAcceptd platform. Please make sure to regularly login into your GetAcceptd profile to check whether your audition details have been sent. Please only contact our team after 31 December if you have not received your time.
Berlin: 11, 12, 13 February 2025
Geneva: 24, 25, 26 January 2025
New York: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 February 2025
Paris: 2, 3 February 2025
Vienna: 5, 6 February 2025
Zurich: 8, 9, 10 February 2025
You may email our team if you have a preferred day of audition (for example, if there are 3 days scheduled in your city, but you can only make 1 of them), but please note that we cannot guarantee to be able to schedule your audition on the day you need.
reserve list
If your audition is of the required standard but there is no longer a space in the orchestra for your instrument, you will be placed on the reserve list.
Reserve list candidates are invited only if there’s a cancellation, and we therefore cannot guarantee that you will be invited, and when exactly we would contact you. Please note that cancellations sometimes happen at the very last minute, so it could be that you are invited to join the orchestra right up until the start of the training period (13 July 2025).
There are many factors involved in considering which applicant to invite from the reserve list, and we therefore cannot let you know what position you hold on the list.
faq
Q: I will be younger than 15 or older than 18 on 1 July 2025
The VFJO does not accept applications from candidates younger or older than the stated requirements. Musicians aged 18 may apply to either the VFJO or VFO. Musicians aged 18 to 28 may consider applying for the VFO.
Q: When will I find out the result of my audition?
You will be notified by email no later than 7 March 2025.
Q: May I bring a pianist to my live audition or record my video with a pianist?
No, all auditions are unaccompanied.
Q: How do I pay the application fee?
The application fee is paid on the GetAcceptd website using a credit card. You pay when you are submitting the application. Unfortunately this is the only way you can pay the application fee.
Q: I am not a Swiss national but I live and study in Geneva – can I have an application fee waiver?
No, unfortunately not – fee waivers are only for Swiss Citizens born or resident in the Cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Juras, Neuchâtel, Valais or Vaud.
Q: I was born in Zurich, and I study in Zurich – can I have an application fee waiver?
No, unfortunately not – fee waivers are only for Swiss Citizens born or resident in the Cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Juras, Neuchâtel, Valais or Vaud.
Q: Does the quality of sound for video applications matter that much?
Yes, the sound quality is of great importance for your video audition. Please refer to ‘Making your Video’ above.
Q: Can I play a different concerto movement or a different excerpt than the one listed under ‘Audition Repertoire’?
No. You must play the concerto movement or excerpts listed for your instrument. In order for the jury to evaluate all candidates fairly, no changes are allowed.
Q: Can my CV be in a language other than English?
Yes, we accept CVs in English, French, German or Spanish.
Q: Do I need to record my video with or without the score/sheet music?
You may record your video with the score/sheet music.
