You got the list.
Do you know the traps?
Every list has the excerpts that scare you. The 32nd note variation that is never clean. The bowstroke in the Scherzo that goes wonky under pressure. The shifts in Heldenleben that get farther and farther away the more nervous you are.
Whether this is your first audition or your fifteenth, I'll help you hear and fix the small details that decide whether you get cut or move on.
I've sat on the Los Angeles Philharmonic audition committee for 25 years. Pick the excerpts you need, and I'll take you through them in four live sessions.
See the modules
One module. Two weeks.
You play for me, live, every session.
I teach the excerpts
Every excerpt in the module, start to finish. Tempo, character, bowings, what I listen for on the committee, and where players lose the job.
You post video
Send a recording to the private group. I listen to it before your session, so we start working at minute one.
Open masterclass
You play for me, live, while the others listen. Everyone learns from everyone — the way a real audition studio works.
A week off
Time to absorb it and put the work in before the next module starts. I don't cram this.
Six modules.
Buy one, buy three, buy all of them.
Modules 1 and 2 are on every list, period. The rest are where I see players hit walls. Take the ones you need.
Basics I
- Beethoven 5
- Brahms 2
- La Mer
- Mendelssohn Scherzo
Basics II
- Brahms 3
- Beethoven 8
- Verdi Offertorio
- Mozart 35
Strauss
- Don Juan
- Ein Heldenleben
- Every excerpt from both
The Russians
- Tchaikovsky 4 & 6
- Prokofiev 5
- Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet
- Shostakovich 5
The Unusual
- Mahler 5
- Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
- Mozart 40
- Plus the odd ones that show up
Orchestral Solos
- Brahms Piano Concerto
- Rossini William Tell
- Strauss Don Quixote
- Shostakovich 1
Concertos
Not an excerpt module. How a committee actually hears your concerto — what registers in the first fifteen seconds, and what quietly works against you.
I have the fingerings, the bowings, and the performance tradition for every excerpt on the list.Gloria Lum · 25+ years on the LA Phil audition committee
My parts. My fingerings.
Yours to keep.
Thirty years of markings from the LA Phil cello section, handed to you as a PDF.
My scanned parts
The parts I actually perform from, with my bowings and fingerings. Not a generic edition — the ones that work.
A "traps" one-sheet per excerpt
The specific places I hear players fail. One page. Print it and put it on your stand.
Video review before your session
Post your recording to the private group. I come to your session already knowing what to fix.
The room
Eight cellists working the same excerpts at the same time. You hear every note of my coaching, not just your own.
Gloria Lum
I've played cello in the Los Angeles Philharmonic for over 30 years, and I've sat on the Auditions Committee for 25 of them — listening to hundreds of candidates across nearly every instrument in the orchestra.
The analytical side of my brain is always listening for correct style, precise intonation, and rock solid rhythm. But the emotional side is hoping the musician can bring their best playing to the critical moment. Simply put, I'm always pulling for the candidates.
Playing an audition isn't rocket science. But you need very specific knowledge and techniques in order to win, and that's what I teach here.
"Gloria has such a wealth of knowledge — not just about practical fingerings and bowings for orchestral excerpts, but also about what it takes to maintain a full and fulfilling career as an orchestral cellist."Evan KahnFormer principal cello, San Francisco Opera
"Gloria pushed my audition preparation to a new level, which led me to win my very first professional orchestra audition. Her insight into the audition process is unlike any other cellist I've experienced."Ryan DoerrAssistant principal cello, Des Moines Symphony
$600 a module.
No bundle math.
Take one module or take all six — the price per module doesn't change. What changes is how much time you get with me.
- 4 live sessions on Zoom
- My scanned parts + traps sheets
- Video review before you play
- 8 seats maximum
- Everything in all six modules
- Two private lessons with me — real playing lessons, use them whenever you hit a wall
- Priority seat in every module
Add a private lesson to any module for $175. I cap every module at eight seats so everyone plays.
Before you enroll
Do I have to take them in order?
No. Every module stands alone. Start with Strauss if Strauss is what's keeping you up.
What if I can't make a session live?
I record every session and post it to the group, so you can catch anything you miss.
Am I good enough for this?
If you're preparing orchestral auditions — student, freelancer, or already sitting in a section — you're in the right room.
When do the modules run?
Mondays and Saturdays, 90 minutes to two hours, with a break between modules. Every module's dates are listed on its card above.
Do I need to submit video?
Before I coach you, yes. It's the reason my coaching is specific instead of general.
What if a module doesn't fill?
If a module doesn't reach minimum enrollment I reschedule it, and you can move your seat or take a refund.
How would it feel to walk into your next audition already knowing the traps?
Take one module with me and find out.