WYSO Late Audition Sign-up

Thank you for your interest in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO)!

This audition registration form is for new prospective students interested in joining WYSO for the upcoming season.

Deadline to submit this form: August 7, 2026

After submitting this form, you will receive a confirmation email with detailed instructions for your video audition, required audition materials, and access to the audition excerpts.

Late auditions will be conducted by video only. Complete instructions for recording and submitting your audition will be provided after your registration has been received.

Please note that late auditions are intended only for instruments and age levels where openings remain in our orchestras. For the 2026–27 season, we are accepting late auditions for:

STRINGS (approximately ages 8–13, entry/intermediate level)

Viola 
Cello
Double Bass

WOODWINDS (ages 11+)

Oboe (advanced high school level)
Bassoon (intermediate to advanced high school level)

BRASS (ages 11+, intermediate to advanced high school level)
Trumpet 
Horn 
Trombone 

If your instrument is not listed above, please contact the WYSO office at wyso@wysomusic.org before submitting this form to determine whether we are able to consider a late audition.

NOTE: Students may audition for WYSO only once per season. If you auditioned during the spring, you are not eligible for a late audition. Late auditions are intended only for students who missed the spring auditions or recently moved to the area.

Opus One Orchestra
An introductory string orchestra for young musicians beginning their ensemble experience. Students in Opus One develop foundational orchestral and technical skills while building confidence as ensemble musicians. Players should demonstrate developing music-reading skills, a steady sense of pulse, reliable intonation in first position, and an understanding of basic ensemble etiquette. 

Sinfonietta Orchestra
A string orchestra for developing musicians with prior ensemble and private study experience. Students in Sinfonietta demonstrate increasing technical independence and musical maturity. Players should be comfortable shifting between first and third positions, with emerging use of higher positions as required by the repertoire. Vibrato is becoming more consistent, and students continue developing tone quality, bow control, and expressive playing. 

Concert Orchestra
The gateway full orchestra experience where students are typically in middle school and high school. String players should demonstrate reliable shifting through third and fifth positions, consistent vibrato, secure intonation & tone quality, increasingly expressive playing, and growing facility with advanced bow strokes such as spiccato and hooked bowings. Members generally perform individually at an intermediate to advanced high school level and contribute confidently within a full orchestral setting.

Philharmonia Orchestra
Performs advanced orchestral literature at the high school level. String players demonstrate confident shifting throughout much of the instrument’s range, refined vibrato control, strong tone production, and reliable execution of advanced bowing techniques, including off-the-string strokes. Students maintain consistent intonation in complex passages and demonstrate strong sight-reading, ensemble awareness, and musical independence. Members generally perform individually at an advanced high school level.

Youth Orchestra
WYSO’s premier orchestra. Youth Orchestra performs advanced orchestral repertoire comparable to that found in pre-college and collegiate programs. String players are expected to demonstrate secure technique throughout the full range of the instrument, including advanced shifting, double stops, chords, harmonics, and sophisticated bow control across a variety of styles and articulations. Vibrato should be highly developed. Members perform individually at a pre-college or college level.