The National Repertory Orchestra’s chief executive officer Dave DePeters said he wraps each season wondering how the next one could possibly top the last, yet somehow it happens every time. 

For an educational organization that earned its reputation for producing renowned classical musicians, figuring out ways to outdo itself is always a feat. 

Competing against the 2023 season, the National Repertory Orchestra looked to up its game, yet again, in the 2024 season. The season kicked off Saturday, June 22, and featured one of the biggest names in classical music, six-time Grammy winning conductor Leonard Slatkin.

DePeters said Slatkin, who in addition to earning six Grammys has been nominated 35 times, is a “massively sought after conductor” and has unmatched experience. 

The last name Slatkin holds some weight in the classical music world. Slatkin has had a 60-year career in the industry and is the son of Felix Slatkin, who served as a concertmaster for Frank Sinatra. 

DePeters said Slatkin isn’t just a phenomenal conductor, he’s a phenomenal educator who takes a holistic approach to teaching. Slatkin isn’t just working on the piece he is conducting with the students, he’s holding seminars on how to execute the perfect audition and what the standards of professionalism are in the industry. 

In addition to getting the opportunity to learn from Slatkin, this year’s class also gets the opportunity for tutelage from another major name in music, Michael Stern. Stern is the son of world famous violinist Isaac Stern, who holds the Presidential Medal of Freedom and is credited with saving Carnegie Hall from being demolished in 1960. He currently serves as the music director for the National Repertory Orchestra.

Stern has a lengthy list of accolades, including serving as the Music Director for the Youth Music Culture Guangdong at the request of Yo-Yo Ma, who is perhaps the most well-known cellist in the world and has 19 Grammys. 

“Michael’s been at the very pinnacle of music for his entire career … he has conducted orchestras all over the world,” DePeters said. 

The level of instruction is part of what helped the National Repertory Orchestra earn  a reputation as an institution that consistently pumps out successful alumni. It also creates a great deal of demand. 

DePeters said the organization receives somewhere between 700 and 800 applicants each year. The application includes a 10-minute audition tape. That makes for upwards of 116 hours of audition tapes to pore over yearly.

The National Repertory Orchestra staff does not tackle the over 116 hours of audition tapes alone. It sources alumni of the organization and professional musicians who all watch each audition 2-3 times and rank the musicians in their respective instruments. 

Once the list has been narrowed down to around 175 audition tapes, it then goes to Stern, who is tasked with cutting down the list to 80. 

DePeters said that just being a phenomenal musician isn’t going to cut it for this audition process and musicality is what often sets people apart. 

“People who have a good sense of what the music is saying and are able to portray that through their performance very well are who we are looking for,” DePeters said. 

Ticket prices for the National Repertory Orchestra don’t necessarily reflect the quality of music people are paying for because it’s a goal of the organization to make music accessible for the local community. 

Out of the approximately 100 shows the orchestra plays, 85 of them are free. For the ones that aren’t free, DePeters said there’s no tickets above $55. 

The orchestra has around 40 events on its calendar this season. DePeters said the students are constantly on the grind.

“There’s around 18 orchestral concerts in eight weeks,” DePeters said. “A college, where many of the students might have just been, might do one concert in an eight to 12 week period,” DePeters said. 

For scheduling and more information about the National Repertory Orchestra, visit NROmusic.org.