Oboe Audition Repertoire for American Orchestras

The list of orchestral excerpts and solo pieces asked on a professional audition will vary. The excerpt list will likely include many of the standard excerpts, repertoire that will be played in the coming season, and the occasional surprise. Looking through lists of excerpts that have been asked on previous auditions, you can quickly see patterns in the most-often requested excerpts. If you've reached the level in your studies where you are exploring orchestral excerpts, you already have a good idea of what most of these standard excerpts are. 

As you become familiar with the audition process, you will see that auditions for principal positions generally only ask for principal parts. Auditions for second chair and English horn will ask for a mix of both second and principal parts. When auditioning for English horn, you will also play oboe excerpts, as you will often be doubling or be may asked to step up to fill in for second or principal oboe. 

An excellent, extensive list complied by Patricia Emerson Mitchell: 

Past Audition Repertoire for American Orchestras

Here is typical list of excerpts you might be asked to prepare for a professional oboe audition: 

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

PRINCIPAL OBOE

PRINCIPAL OBOE

REPERTOIRE LIST

I. Solo Works (all required):

    A. Mozart: Oboe Concerto in C Major

    B. Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F Major

    C. Strauss: Oboe Concerto in D Major

II. Excerpts required of each player:

    A. Beethoven: Symphony No. 3

    B. Beethoven: Symphony No. 6

    C. Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

    D. Beethoven: Fidelio (long solo)

    E. Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini Overture

    F. Berlioz: Romeo and Juliet (Romeo alone solo)

    G. Brahms: Symphony No. 1

    H. Brahms: Symphony No. 3

    I. Brahms: Violin Concerto

    J. Bruckner: Symphony No. 5

    K. Debussy: La Mer

    L. Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde, mvts. 2 and 6

    M. Mahler: Symphony No. 3, 2nd mvt. opening

    N. Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3

    O. Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin

    P. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

    Q. Rossini: La Scala di Seta Overture

    R. Schubert: Symphony No. 9, ?Great C Major?

    S. Schumann: Symphony No. 2

    T. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 1

    U. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7

    V. Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite (1949)

    W. Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale

    X. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4