You know the list.
But do you know the traps?
Every list has 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 just get farther and farther away when you’re nervous.
Whether you’re playing your first audition or your fifteenth, this course will help you understand and nail the small details that make the difference between getting cut and moving on.
Pick the ones you need. Four live sessions each, with a cellist who has sat on the LA Phil auditions and renewals committee for over 20 years.
See the modules
"There’s a performance tradition behind every one of these excerpts — the fingerings, the bowings, what a committee expects to hear. That’s what we work on."Gloria Lum · 20+ years on the LA Phil auditions and renewals committee
One module. Two weeks.
Your playing in the room.
Gloria teaches
Every excerpt on the list, start to finish. Tempo, character, bowings, what the committee is listening for, and where players lose the job.
You post videos
Submit recordings to the private group all the way through — not just once. Gloria reviews them before your sessions, so the coaching starts at minute one.
Open masterclass
You play for her, live, in front of the group. Everyone learns from everyone — the way a real audition studio works.
A week off
Time to absorb and put the work in before the next one starts. Nothing is crammed.
Gloria Lum
Cellist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for four decades, and on its Auditions and Renewals Committee for over 20 years, 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."
"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
Six modules.
Buy one, buy three, buy all of them.
Modules 1 and 2 are on every list, period. The rest are where individual players hit walls. Take the ones that describe your problem.
Basics I
- Beethoven 5
- Brahms 2
- La Mer
- Mendelssohn Scherzo
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
Basics II
- Brahms 3
- Beethoven 8
- Verdi Offertorio
- Mozart 35
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
Strauss
- Don Juan
- Ein Heldenleben
- Every excerpt from both
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
The Russians
- Tchaikovsky 4 & 6
- Prokofiev 5
- Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
The Unusual
- Mahler 5
- Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
- Mozart 40
- Shostakovich 5
- Plus the odd ones that show up
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
Orchestral Solos
- Brahms Piano Concerto
- Rossini William Tell
- Strauss Don Quixote
- Shostakovich 1
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
You get her actual parts.
Markings and all.
Four decades of bowings, fingerings and margin notes from the LA Phil cello section — scanned and handed to you as a PDF.
Gloria's scanned parts
Her own performance parts, with the bowings and fingerings she uses. Not a generic edition — the ones that work.
A "traps" one-sheet per excerpt
The specific places committees hear players fail. One page. Print it and put it on your stand.
Video review, start to finish
Post your video before you play, and keep posting all the way through for continued feedback. Gloria comes to each session already knowing what to fix.
The room
Eight cellists working the same excerpts at the same time. You hear every note of coaching, not just your own.
Every session recorded
Recordings go out to everyone in the group. If you have to miss a session, you get the full video — you won’t fall behind.
$600 a module.
No bundle math.
Every module is $600 — one checkout each, take as few or as many as you want. The price never changes. What changes is how much of Gloria you get.
- A one-on-one session with Gloria — 60 to 90 minutes, online
- Pick the three that describe your problem
- A mock audition with Gloria and a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
- An extra session on concertos
- Priority seat in all six
Enroll module by module — there’s no bundle to buy. Take three and Gloria reaches out to schedule your one-on-one; take all six and she sets up the mock audition and concerto session. A private lesson can be added for $200 at checkout with any one of them. Seats are capped at eight 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 the problem.
What if I can't make a session live?
You're covered. Every session is recorded and sent out to everyone in the group, so if you have to miss one — a gig, a conflict, a time zone — you'll have the full video to watch on your own time. You won't fall behind, and you won't miss any of the coaching.
Am I good enough for this?
If you're preparing orchestral auditions — student, freelancer, or sitting in a section already — you're in the right room.
When do the modules run?
Mondays and Saturdays, 10am to 12pm Pacific — four sessions each, with a week off in between.
Do I need to submit video?
Before you're coached, yes — and you can keep submitting all the way through, as often as you want. It's the reason the coaching is specific instead of general.
What if a module is already full?
Each one caps at eight so everybody plays. When one fills, you'll land on the waiting list — you'll hear first if a seat opens, and before the next round goes public.
How would it feel to walk into your next audition already knowing the traps?
Take one module and find out.
You know the list.But do you know the traps?
Every list has 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 away when you’re nervous.
Whether it’s your first audition or your fifteenth, this course helps you nail the small details that decide whether you get cut or move on.
Pick the ones you need. Four live sessions each, with a cellist who has sat on the LA Phil auditions and renewals committee for over 20 years.
See the modulesOne module. Two weeks.Your playing in the room.
Gloria teaches
Every excerpt on the list, start to finish. Tempo, character, bowings, and where players lose the job.
You post videos
Submit recordings to the private group the whole way through. Gloria reviews them before your sessions.
Open masterclass
You play for her, live, in front of the group. Everyone learns from everyone.
A week off
Time to absorb and put the work in before the next one starts.
Six modules.Take the ones you need.
Modules 1 and 2 are on every list. The rest are where individual players hit walls.
Basics I
- Beethoven 5
- Brahms 2
- La Mer
- Mendelssohn Scherzo
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
Basics II
- Brahms 3
- Beethoven 8
- Verdi Offertorio
- Mozart 35
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
Strauss
- Don Juan
- Ein Heldenleben
- Every excerpt from both
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
The Russians
- Tchaikovsky 4 & 6
- Prokofiev 5
- Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
The Unusual
- Mahler 5
- Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
- Mozart 40
- Shostakovich 5
- Plus the odd ones that show up
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
Orchestral Solos
- Brahms Piano Concerto
- Rossini William Tell
- Strauss Don Quixote
- Shostakovich 1
Handouts, PDFs and links arrive two weeks before your first session.
You get her actual parts.Markings and all.
Gloria's scanned parts
Her own performance parts, with the bowings and fingerings she uses.
A "traps" one-sheet per excerpt
The specific places committees hear players fail. One page. Print it and put it on your stand.
Video review, start to finish
Post your video before you play, and keep posting all the way through for continued feedback.
The room
Eight cellists working the same excerpts at the same time. You hear every note of coaching, not just your own.
Every session recorded
Recordings go out to everyone in the group. Miss a session and you get the full video.
$600 a module.No bundle math.
Every module is $600 — one checkout each, take as few or as many as you want.
- A one-on-one session with Gloria — 60 to 90 minutes, online
- Pick the three that describe your problem
- A mock audition with Gloria and a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
- An extra session on concertos
- Priority seat in all six
Enroll module by module — there's no bundle to buy. Take three and Gloria reaches out to schedule your one-on-one; take all six and she sets up the mock audition and concerto session. A private lesson can be added for $200 at checkout with any one of them. Seats are capped at eight so everyone plays.
Eight seats.Then it closes.
Pick the module that describes your problem and get in the room.
See the modules