Please read the following guidelines carefully before beginning your application to the Verbier Festival Orchestra and before sending any questions to the Verbier Festival Team.
There are two different ways to apply to the VFO: 1) live audition (except harp and percussion – these instrument groups 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 VFO 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
ORCHESTRA SECTION OPENINGS
HOW TO APPLY
APPLICATION FEE
COSTS FOR SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES
REFUND POLICY
AUDITION REPERTOIRE
MAKING YOUR VIDEO
LIVE AUDITION CITIES
RESERVE LIST
FAQ
CONTACT
who may apply
Applicants to the Verbier Festival Orchestra must be aged 18 to 28 on 1 July 2025, and can be of any nationality, coming from any part of the world.
Musicians are invited to become members of the 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 29 or younger on the last day of the Festival.
Successful candidates are required to sign an agreement with the Fondation du Verbier Festival, thereby committing to the entire Verbier Festival Orchestra summer session from 30 June to 4 August 2025, and accepting all rules of the Orchestra.
Candidates must be able to speak English in order to take part in the VFO. All written and spoken communication to the orchestra is in English, and it is also the language used by the coaches and conductors.
programme dates
VFO musicians must arrive in Verbier 30 June and depart on 4 August 2025. Musicians must be available for this entire period.
Information for Harpists
As harp is not required in all pieces, the arrival and departure dates of harpists may differ slightly from those stated above.
orchestra section openings
The following sections of the VFO do not currently have an opening for 2025:
- Clarinet
- Bass Trombone
- Percussion
Applicants may still apply for positions in sections without openings and, if the selection panel deems that the application is of a high enough standard to be accepted, the candidate will be placed on the reserve list and may be invited if one of the current VFO members cancels. For more information, refer to the Reserve List section below.
Information for Harpists
Depending on repertoire, successful harp candidates may be asked to perform in one of the other Verbier Festival orchestras (Verbier Festival Junior and/or Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra).
how to apply
Applications to the Verbier Festival 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
- Passport/ID
- CV describing academic, professional and other relevant experience
- Photo/headshot (landscape orientation)
- 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 70 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 candidates
The Verbier Festival will cover the cost of return travel (i.e., both the arrival and return journeys) from each musician’s place of residence to Verbier, capped at the following amounts:
CHF 100 – residents of Switzerland and border regions (e.g., areas of France near Geneva)
CHF 350 – residents of Europe (including all countries that are members of the “Council of Europe”, plus Belarus and Kosovo. For more information, click here).
CHF 500 – residents of the Middle East (as defined here).
CHF 1200 – residents outside of Europe and the Middle East as defined above
Should a musician require a different travel routing, he/she will be responsible to organise, and pay for, his/her own travel, up to the capped amounts above. Students are reimbursed for travel costs after the Festival.
The Verbier Festival also covers all training/tuition costs, provides lodging, and lunches and dinners.
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 audition 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 (30 June 2025).
faq
Q: I will be younger than 18 or older than 28 on 1 July 2025. May I still apply?
We do not accept applications from candidates younger or older than the stated requirements. Musicians aged 15 to 18 may consider the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra. Musicians aged 18 may apply to either the VFO or VFJO.
Q: When will I find out the result of my audition?
You will be notified by email no later than 7 March 2025.
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: Will I be told what position I’m on in the reserve list?
No – 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.
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: May 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 permitted.
Q: May 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.
Q: May I bring a pianist to my live audition or record my video with a pianist?
No, all auditions are unaccompanied.
