New student Audition information:

Prospective students will be expected to prepare:

  • NYSSMA Level 6 solo piece (about five minutes in length)

  • The designated excerpts for your instrument (listed below on this page)

  • Prospective students will also be asked to sight-read

The panel of judges will be comprised of select RPO musicians and RPYO’s Music Director, Jherrard Hardeman.

Percussionist do NOT have to prepare a solo. They are only responsible for the listed excerpts/etudes in the PDF below.

Auditions for the 26/27 Season will occur in April 2026. Applications will open no later than Feb. 1, 2026. There is a $25 application fee associated with auditioning.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out via email to aallaire@rpo.org should you have any questions.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Friday, April 11th - Applications and Fee DUE

Friday, April 18th - Applicants will be notified via email of their audition date/time slot

Saturday, April 26th - Monday, April 28th - Audition Days

Tuesday, May 6th - Applicants will be notified of audition results

Friday, May 16th - Decision Day! Accepted applicants must accept/decline RPYO membership offer

Please note: We have the same Decision Day as the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra (HYSO), to allow fairness to students auditioning for both groups.

FAQs:

We have compiled answers to frequently asked questions both about the RPYO audition process, as well as the RPYO program as a whole.