Purdue Bands & Orchestras Instrument Travel Fund - Spain 2026

Purdue Bands & Orchestras is taking to the sky on March 14th, 2026, to share the talents of the Wind Ensemble and Purdue Jazz Band with music lovers and friends across Spain. The two ensembles will perform in and explore Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona over spring break. For many of our students, this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and PBO wants to do everything in our power to support them getting there. Because the students will be traveling with their own instruments, there are additional costs. We launched an instrument travel crowdfunding campaign on Friday, February 13th, at 12:00 AM with the goal of $10,000 to offset the cost of flying their instruments to and from Spain. Your generosity could lighten the load and relieve some of the financial baggage. Use the link below to participate in our 30-day campaign that closes the night before they take flight! Every dollar makes a difference. 

Instrument Travel Fund

CURRENT STUDENT INDOOR AUDITIONS

For current and returning Purdue Bands & Orchestras Students planning to audition for a concert band, jazz band, and orchestra.

Openings in all orchestras for violin, viola, cello, and bass.

Updated Feb 18, 2026.

Audition Dates 

  • Submit a virtual audition by March 25th. Any audition received after this date cannot be guaranteed priority placement.  

Submit an Audition 

  • See recording instructions and audition requirements below. 

Audition Requirements 

  • One prepared solo or etude (2-3 minutes in length.) 
  • Students will play alone, without accompaniment. 
  • Please prepare two scales of your choosing (ascending and descending in three octaves.) 
  • For Philharmonic consideration choose two from the following: 
  • Violin – A, C, E-flat major 
  • Viola/Cello – D, F, A major 
  • Bass – E, F, G major 
  • If you do not have access to the instruments needed to perform your audition, please contact Caitlin (caitlin@purdue.edu) for alternative audition instructions. 

Enrolling in an Orchestra 

  • Students currently enrolled in PBO: Place your current Orchestra course (or the orchestra in which you are most likely to be placed) near the top of your batch registration preferences, if possible, to help avoid conflicts. Note: this is not your official, final placement – that only comes from Prof. Bodony. Final placements will be communicated in July 2026. 
  • Students not currently enrolled in PBO: Please enroll for the exact ensemble you have been assigned by Prof. Bodony. If you have a scheduling conflict, please communicate with him to see if it can be approved or if another ensemble might work. 

Recording Process Instructions 

  • You will not need anything more advanced than a smartphone to record. You are to play alone, without accompaniment. 
  • At the beginning of your video, state your first and last name and the instrument you are playing. Example: “Hi, I’m Adam Bodony, and I’m auditioning on Viola d’Amore.” 
  • Make sure your face, hands, and fingerboard are visible as much as possible. 
  • You MAY record etudes and scales separately and splice together, but each selection should itself be done in a single take. Submit only a single file, NOT separate files for each component of the audition. 
  • Do not add any special audio effects or on-screen text. Keep it as simple as possible. No autotune, no AI! No metronomes! 
  • We recommend you upload the audition as an UNLISTED (not private) YouTube file. NOTE: if you make it “public” that means you are sharing your audition with everyone. Alternatively, you may choose to upload to a file storage service like Google Drive or Dropbox that allows you to share a viewable link but verify that the video is unlocked for anyone with the link before submitting. 
  • There will be no sight-reading component.