Pennsylvania Music Educators Association

2026 PMEA AT-LARGE ORCHESTRA AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS  
Time Frame: Monday, January 26, 2026 - Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at NOON
*There is no fee to submit this audition

Piccolo

• Eligibility: District Orchestra 1st chair  players on Piccolo or Flute (if there is no dedicated Piccolo applicant)
• The 1st chair player (Piccolo or Flute - if there is no dedicated Piccolo applicant) from each District’s ORCHESTRA who has qualified for Region Orchestra and will participate in the Region Festival will have the opportunity using the online program to audition for the PMEA All-State Festival and will be assigned to the Orchestra.    
• Applicants will be notified at the Region Orchestra Festival and via the website - www.pmea.net of the results. 

English Horn

• Eligibility: District Band or Orchestra 1st chair  players on Oboe or English Horn   
• The 1st chair player (Oboe or English Horn- if there is no dedicated English Horn player), from each District’s CONCERT BAND OR ORCHESTRA who have qualified for and will participate in the Region Festival, will have the opportunity using the online program to audition for the PMEA AllState Festival and be assigned to the ORCHESTRA.      
• Applicants will be notified at the Region Orchestra Festival and via the website - www.pmea.net of the results. 

Bass Clarinet

• Eligibility: District Band 1st chair  player on Bass Clarinet
• The 1st chair player from each District’s CONCERT BAND who has qualified for and will participate in the Region Festival, will have the opportunity using the online program to audition for the PMEA All-State Festival and be assigned to the ORCHESTRA.   
• Applicants will be notified at the Region Orchestra Festival and via the website - www.pmea.net of the results. 

Directors who wish to have their students (grades 10-12 only) considered for selection should:

1. Complete the application form online. The Director must be a current PMEA member. All student applicants must upload a headshot photo - (ABOVE the SHOULDERS) labeled LAST NAME, FIRST NAME (i.e. Smith, John)
2. The Audition selections must be submitted online. The audition selections must be recorded from start to finish without cuts and/or splices. Do NOT use a metronome when recording any of the audition selections. SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS on how to submit EACH SELECTION are listed BELOW as well as on the Application. ARMS, FINGERS and HEAD must be visible when submitting the application for recording. NO EARBUDS or HEADPHONES are permitted to be used in the recording. The best camera angle would be behind or at a side angle of the applicant with a clear view of the hands and music. To obtain the best audio quality, a good microphone as well as high-end computers or digital recording devices for the recording equipment are suggested. * NEW- A VIDEO outlining “how to make a better recording online for submission” is available on the PMEA website. Please take the time to review the recording instructions.
3. No identifying clothing may be worn (i.e. no school t-shirts, no name identification, no PMEA, NAfME All Eastern or National shirts). Additionally, please do NOT include any identifying information (student name/school name) in the video file name or in the contents of the recording.
4. The “Window of Opportunity” to submit begins Monday, 1/23/2026 and ends at NOON, Tuesday 2/17/26. Once completed, a confirmation email will be sent to the address used to register. Please check your SPAM filters for any communications and also check with your IT Administrator if a school email address is used and no email is received.  
5. The director is asked to view the file and verify the recorded audition is consistent with the  student’s level of performance.
6. Although PMEA checks to ensure the videos play in the correct format and the file can be opened- PMEA is NOT responsible for the content repertoire of the video.  

Please label the audition files as follows: Excerpt 1; Excerpt 2.