Winning Your Orchestra Seat Katherine Siochi

Precision Under Pressure: Winning Your Orchestra Seat Bay Area Harp Academy Summer Workshop Tuesday, July 7, 2026 6:30 to 7:30 PM (Zoom) Instructor: Katherine Siochi Principal Harpist, San Francisco Symphony Workshop Description Preparing for an orchestra audition requires much more than simply learning the notes. In this workshop, Katherine Siochi shares the strategies used by professional orchestral harpists to prepare excerpts efficiently, perform consistently under pressure, and present confident, polished auditions. Topics include: • Building an effective audition practice routine • Learning excerpts efficiently • Developing consistency and reliability • Managing performance anxiety • Understanding what audition committees are listening for • Mock audition preparation • Long term professional development Whether you are preparing for youth orchestra auditions, college auditions, conservatory programs, or professional orchestra auditions, this session provides practical tools that can immediately improve your preparation. ⸻ About Katherine Siochi Katherine Siochi is Principal Harpist of the San Francisco Symphony and an internationally respected performer and educator. She has extensive experience preparing harpists for youth orchestra, conservatory, and professional orchestra auditions. Her teaching combines technical precision with thoughtful musical preparation, helping students develop consistency, confidence, and artistry under pressure. ⸻ Workshop Resources Orchestra Excerpt Database A comprehensive spreadsheet listing the most frequently requested orchestral excerpts. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... ⸻ New York Philharmonic Digital Archives One of the most valuable free resources available. Search for a piece by title, then select Related Parts to view historical harp parts used by the New York Philharmonic. https://archives.nyphil.org/asset-man... ⸻ Presentation Slides Workshop slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/... ⸻ Video Katherine Siochi    • Winning Your Orchestra Seat Katherine Siochi   ⸻ Suggested Listening Spend time listening to multiple recordings of each excerpt. Compare: • Tempo • Rubato • Tone color • Dynamics • Phrasing • Balance within the orchestra Listening to different orchestras helps develop stylistic awareness and prepares you to make informed musical decisions. ⸻ Practice Tips Before each practice session, ask yourself: • What is today’s specific goal? • Can I play this excerpt perfectly three times in a row? • Am I practicing slowly enough to build consistency? • Can I start from any measure? • Could I perform this confidently if my audition were tomorrow? Remember: Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Deliberate, thoughtful repetition builds dependable performance. ⸻ Additional Bay Area Harp Academy Resources Students preparing for auditions may also find these BAHA resources helpful: • The 90/30/7/1 Progress Planner, which helps break long term goals into manageable weekly and daily practice objectives. THE 90_30_7_1 PROGRESS PLANNER.docx • Bay Area Harp Academy Curriculum, featuring carefully selected repertoire for progressive technical and musical development from Levels 1 through 3. 2023-2024 Music Curriculum For Levels 1-3.pdf • MTAC Harp Syllabus, for technical requirements, repertoire suggestions, and theory expectations across all Certificate of Merit levels. MTAC Harp Syllabus Requirements_FINAL 2021.pdf