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VFO

Application Guidelines

Les candidatures pour l’édition 2024 des Academy & Orchestras Programmes du Verbier Festival sont maintenant closes.

Les directives suivantes datant de 2024 sont uniquement à titre de référence. Les directives pour 2025 seront publiées d’ici début octobre 2024.


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.

THE LANGUAGE OF APPLICATION DOCUMENTATION IS ENGLISH.

WHO MAY APPLY
PROGRAMME DATES
ORCHESTRA SECTION OPENINGS
HOW TO APPLY

APPLICATION FEE
COSTS FOR SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES
REFUND POLICY
AUDITION REPERTOIRE
MAKING YOUR VIDEO
RESERVE LIST
FAQ
CONTACT

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who may apply

Applicants to the Verbier Festival Orchestra must be aged 18 to 28 on 1 July 2024, 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 2 July to 5 August 2024, 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.

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programme dates

VFO musicians must arrive in Verbier on 2 July and depart on 5 August. Musicians must be available for this entire period.

Information for Harpists

As the harp is not required in all pieces, the arrival and departure dates of harpists may differ slightly from those stated above.

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orchestra section openings

The following sections of the VFO do not currently have an opening for 2024:

  • Tuba

Applicants may still apply for positions in sections without openings and, if the selection panel deems that the application is at a high enough standard to be accepted, the candidate will be place on the reserve list (see Reserve List section).

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).

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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.

Application Deadline: 18 January 2024

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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)
      • YouTube link or video upload of a video audition recording (see audition repertoire requirements)
    • Payment of application fee (by credit card only)

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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 Bern, 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.

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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
CHF 350: residents of Europe (including all countries that are members of the ‘Council of Europe’, plus Belarus and Kosovo.
CHF 500: residents of the Middle East
CHF 1,200: 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.

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refund policy

Application fees will not be reimbursed for any reason.

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audition repertoire

Applicants are required to submit video recordings of the solo and orchestral excerpts included on the excerpt list for their respective instruments.

excerpts

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making your video

Please read ALL of the following instructions before starting your application or recording your video:

  • Instructions on how to make a great audition video can be found here.
  • 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.
  • Applicants are not required to play the full movement of their selected concerto or solo work(s). Please focus on recording the first 3 to 5 minutes of solo playing from the movement of your choice (unless your instrument excerpts have more specific instructions), without any accompaniment.
  • Please take into account the size of the room and its acoustic as well as your 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.
  • IMPORTANT: watch and listen to your recording to be sure it represents what you want to the jury to consider.

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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 (2 July 2024).

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faq

Q: I will be younger than 18 or older than 28 on 1 July 2024. 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 Saturday 4 March 2024.

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: Can I use a pianist in my video audition?
No. All auditions are unaccompanied.

Q: Will I be told what position I’m on in the reserve list?
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. If you hold a reserve list position for the 2024 VFO and you are not invited, you will be able to audition for free for the 2025 VFO, as long as you are still eligible to apply in 2025.

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 CV’s 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.

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