This is an excerpt from a study that David M. Sickle published in the Winter 1990 edition of the International Society of Bassists journal. I thought it would be of interest to many of my readers. It is a survey of 53 North American orchestras and what repertoire (excerpts and solos) they asked for their double bass auditions. This is the final repertoire list and the number of times requested by the various orchestras. This study was done 16 years ago and things have certainly changed in the 53 orchestras surveyed, but this list should still give students an idea of the repertoire required for a professional audition in the United States and Canada. Also, I omitted the pieces which were asked by only one orchestra–many are obscure, and if only one out of 53 North American orchestras asks for that particular piece it should not be a number one priority for practicing.

Required Solo………………………Times Requested

Solo of Choice……………………………………34
Bach: any Cello Suite……………………………9
Bach Bourees from Cello Suite No. 3…………..5
Bottesini Concerto in B………………………….5
Vanhal Concerto………………………………….4
Koussevitzky Concerto…………………………..4
Dittersdorf Concerto…………………………….3
Baroque Sonata…………………………………..2

Excerpts…………………………….Times Requested

Beethoven Symphony No. 9……………………..36
Beethoven Symphony No. 5……………………..32
Strauss Ein Heldenleben………………………….26
Mozart Symphony No. 40………………………..21
Strauss Don Juan…………………………………17
Verdi Otello………………………………………..17
Mahler Symphony No. 1………………………….16
Mozart Symphony No. 35………………………..15
Britten Young Person’s Guide…………………….14
Brahms Symphony No. 1………………………….13
Brahms Symphony No. 2………………………….12
Prokofiev Lt. Kije…………………………………..12
Stravinsky Pulcinella………………………………12
Shostakovich Symphony No. 5…………………..10
Mozart Symphony No. 39…………………………10
Ginastera Variaciones Concertante……………..10
Beethoven Symphony No. 7………………………9
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4…………………….9
Mahler Symphony No. 2……………………………9
Bach Suite No. 2 in B………………………………8
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique……………………8
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4…………………….7
Bach Violin Concerto in E………………………….6
Beethoven Symphony No. 3………………………6
Schubert Symphony in C Major…………………..6
Smetana Bartered Bride……………………………6
Saint Saens Elephant………………………………5
Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra…………………5
Wagner Meistersinger Prelude…………………….5
Mozart Symphony No. 41………………………….5
Haydn Symphony No. 8……………………………3
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6…………………….3
Brahms Symphony No. 4…………………………..3
Haydn Symphony No. 88………………………….3
Haydn Symphony No. 31………………………….3
Verdi Rigoletto……………………………………..3
Mozart Marriage of Figaro…………………………2
Strauss Death and Transfiguration………………2
Bruckner Symphony No. 7…………………………2
Schoenberg Chamber Symphony…………………2
Franck Symphony in D…………………………….2
Dvorak Symphony No. 9…………………………..2
Mozart Per Questa Bella Mano……………………2
Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 3……………….2
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet……………………….2
RimskyKorsakov Scheherazade………………….2
Ginastera Concerto for Strings…………………..2
Verdi La Forza Del Destino………………………..2

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Here is a list of the orchestras that David Sickle surveyed:

Austin Symphony
Boston Symphony
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra (no longer exists)
Columbus (OH) Symphony Orchestra
Columbus (GA) Symphony Orchestra
Delaware Symphony Orchestra
Denver Symphony
Detroit Symphony
Florida Orchestra
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Grand Rapids Symphony
Hartford Symphony
Honolulu Symphony
Houston Symphony
Jacksonville Symphony
Kansas City Symphony
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Louisville Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
National Symphony Orchestra
New Mexico Symphony
New York Philharmonic
North Carolina Symphony
Omaha Symphony
Orchestra Symphonique de Quebec
Oregon Symphony
Philadelphia Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Rochester Symphony
Sacramento Symphony
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
San Antonio Symphony
San Diego Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
San Jose Symphony (no longer exists)
Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Spokane Symphony Orchestra
Springfield (MA) Symphony
Symphony Novia Scotia
Syracuse Symphony
Toledo Symphony
Toronto Symphony
Tuscon Symphony (hippies)
U.S. Air Force Symphony Orchestra
Vancouver Symphony
Virginia Symphony

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