GMEA District 12 High School Honor Orchestra
Selected Excerpts and Scales
See below for the selected excerpts and scales for auditions on Thursday, September 17, 2026 at Kennesaw Mountain HS. Your teacher has your audition time.
Please arrive 30 minutes prior to your audition time. Enter through the main entrance, signs will be posted.
Violins:
- Excerpt #2, start at m. 5 to the end
- Excerpt #3, all
- G melodic minor scale and arpeggio. Scale slurred 2 at EN = 120 BPM (3 octaves), Arpeggio detaché at QN = 60.
Note: Violins will travel through three rooms, one for each excerpt and the scale. Students will be limited to approximately 45 seconds of performance time in each room. Please be sure you are playing scales and arpeggios at the correct tempo.
Viola:
- Excerpt #2, all (be sure sure to play top of divisi)
- Excerpt #3, all
- C melodic minor scale and arpeggio. Scale slurred 2 at EN = 120 BPM (3 octaves), Arpeggio detaché at QN = 60.
Cello:
- Excerpt #3, all
- Excerpt #4, start 3rd line, second measure (m. 12) to the end
- C melodic minor scale and arpeggio. Scale slurred 2 at EN = 120 BPM (3 octaves), Arpeggio detaché at QN = 60.
Bass:
- Excerpt #2, Start at m. 5 to the end
- Excerpt #3, all
- G melodic minor scale and arpeggio. Scale slurred 2 at EN = 120 BPM (2 octaves), Arpeggio detaché at QN = 60.
2026 Guest Conductor
Paul Hostetter, Columbus State University
The GMEA District 12 High School Honor Orchestra is an orchestra comprised of the top players in Cobb County, Georgia. Auditions are held each September and the event takes place over a two day period in November. Each year, the students get to rehearse and perform under the baton of a well-known guest conductor.
Detailed Information...
Audition Registration
Deadline to register for the audition is: September 3 by 11:59pm.
Audition times for 9/17 will be sent out by September 8.
You or your students can register for the event here:
Audition Registration Form https://forms.gle/6SHsD98Q3BRvpaeQA
Audition Fee
There is a $10/student audition fee that will be collected by your school
Audition Excerpts
Audition Excerpts can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/dbtjwrct (this is the UPDATED link with the version 2 corrected cello excerpts)
Up to 2 excerpts and up to 2 scales will be chosen for the audition.
The Chosen Excerpts and Scales will be posted here at 8pm on Wednesday, September 16 (the evening before the audition)
Audition Date/Location
Auditions will take place on September 17 from 4:30pm – 8:30pm.
There will be signs posted around the campus directing parents/students to the correct location.
All events (audition, rehearsals, and concert) will be held at:
Kennesaw Mountain High School, 1898 Due West Rd, Kennesaw, GA 30152. Google Maps Link
Honor Orchestra Event
- Thursday, November 5, Sectionals and rehearsal from 4:30-8:00pm
- Friday, November 6, 8:30am-4:00pm
- Friday, November 6, 6:00pm – Concert
Note: There is a $35/student acceptance fee that may be collected by your school
Event Location: Kennesaw Mountain High School, 1898 Due West Rd, Kennesaw, GA 30152. Google Maps Link
Georgia State University Partnership
We are excited to partner with Georgia State University’s School of Music this year who will be
providing their wonderful faculty for our sectionals on Thursday!
Conductor
We are excited to announce that our conductor for this year’s District 12 Honor Orchestra will be
Paul Hostetter, Director of Orchestral Studies at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University.
Maestro Hostetter is an incredible musician and engaging educator. If your students don’t know him, please
feel free to share his bio: https://www.paulhostetter.com
Repertoire Listening
Sponsor: William Harris Lee & Co.
William Harris Lee & Co will be the 2026 District 12 Honor Orchestra sponsor who will be at the event for
repairs and have instruments available for trial for our students. They are also kindly printing programs and
providing our students with music folders.
Questions? Contact us! Koji Mori, coordinator, Harrison Cook, site host