Hi! I'm Daley Biddle, and I play violin. It's been my dream since high school to win a job playing with a full-time orchestra. Little did I know how competitive it actually is to win one of these jobs, where frequently up to 200 violinists come to audition for one job opening.

When the pandemic hit, all opportunities not just for performing live music, but also auditioning for orchestral positions, completely disappeared and have been nonexistent for over a year now. However, as the world slowly reopens, auditions are gradually starting to be announced again. I want to be in the best playing shape possible so I can be ready for any audition as soon as it is announced.

This past week, I was able to participate in a free online class called "Mock Madness," where we learned about how to be as prepared as we can possibly be, not only with the music we play, but also for all the stress and variables present on audition day. Rob Knopper, a percussionist in The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, coached us through his and other professional orchestral musicians' techniques for landing our dream jobs in spite of all the stress at an audition. As part of this free one-week course, we were given opportunities to earn points for a chance at a grand prize: not only did we have to participate by playing, but we were also encouraged to engage with other members with constructive and positive feedback on each others' playing and help to foster a supportive network of auditioning musicians. At the end of the week, I won and was offered this prize, which includes a 50% scholarship to Rob's 8-week summer course for in-depth audition preparation!

I would love to take advantage of such an amazing opportunity to get back into my best playing shape and also grow as a musician, but I could use some help! After being out of work for over a year, finances are tight and even with this scholarship prize, the expense is more than  I can afford on my own. This is also a bit time-sensitive, as registration for the program closes on April 14. I would so appreciate any support you can or want to give! Every little bit helps, and I'm thankful for all of it!

While I know this program is going to be a lot of work and probably pretty intense, I'm excited to have some smaller goals to work towards on my way to winning an audition this fall! Thank you for any and all support!