Index of Questions
The Longwood Sympony Orchestra is a non-professional, symphony orchestra made up of volunteer musicians, mostly from Boston's medical community. Longwood is devoted to performing the greatest classical repertoire and to serving the community through the proceeds of its concerts. Longwood plays five concert series annually, has 80 members, and has been performing in Boston for 18 years.
What kind of repertoire does Longwood perform?
In the last four seasons, Longwood has performed programs including Mahler's First Symphony, Brahms' Third Symphony, De Falla's Three-Cornered Hat, Wagner's Prelude to Tristan und Isolde, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
Send E-mail to the personnel manager to find out whether there are openings for your instrument.
Auditions occur in early September of each year.
Are there auditions besides the annual audition in September?
The LSO also auditions people during the regular season when certain instruments are needed. Please conact the personnel manager to arrange an audition.
What should I prepare for an audition?
Auditions for Longwood are not necessarily excerpt-oriented. Please bring two contrasting pieces that you feel best represent your current playing ability.
Do I have to be a doctor to join?
No. The LSO includes members who come from the financial, high-technology, legal, and even music professions.
No. Longwood is a volunteer organization.
Members pay annual dues of $160 to support the operating expenses of the orchestra. Students and senior citizens pay $80.
During the regular season, we rehearse on Thursdays, from 7-9:30pm. We hold additonal rehearsals Wednesday night (mandatory, same time) and Saturday morning (mandatory) the week of the concert.
Most rehearsals are at Boston Latin School. Directions to this and all other rehearsal/concert locations can be found here.
What is the attendance policy for rehearsals?
The Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday rehearsals the week of the concert are mandatory; although the other rehearsals are not mandatory, we require members not to miss more than two rehearsals per concert.
How many concerts are there per season, and where are they?
There are four Saturday evening concerts during the regular season, all at Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory's concert hall. There is also a summer concert of lighter classical music on the Esplanade during the month of August. In 1999, there was an additional August concert at the Walnut Hill School of the Arts in Natick, Mass.
When are the concerts, and what are the programs, for this season?
Here is a link to the current rehearsal and concert schedule.
Can I go on leave for a concert if my schedule is too busy?
Members often go on leave and return based upon their availability for any given concert.
How do I stay informed about schedule changes and other orchestra information?
Longwood operates an E-mail list service; when you subscribe to the list, you receive messages and reminders about changes in schedule. This is a lightly used service; there are only about 3-4 messages per week.
How do I sign up for the E-mail list service?
Send a message to majordomo@angus.mystery.com with the words "subscribe lso" in the body (not subject!) of your message.