When are Connecticut All-State auditions?

Region auditions come first. Northern (Hall) and Western (Danbury) are Saturday, November 14, 2026. Eastern (East Lyme) and Southern (Foran, Milford) are Saturday, November 21, 2026; register by October 26, 2026. All-State is Saturday, January 30, 2027, live at North Haven High School, with a snow date of February 6, 2027. The $30 All-State audition fee is due by Friday, January 22. The All-State Festival runs April 8-10, 2027 at the Klein Memorial Auditorium.

What is on the Connecticut All-State audition?

Four components for every woodwind and brass player: the required solo for your instrument, major scales, a chromatic scale, and sight-reading. The adjudicator picks one major scale from your instrument's published list, played tongued with its arpeggio, and the chromatic is slurred in a printed rhythmic pattern. Cadenzas are not performed.

Is the Connecticut audition live or recorded?

Live and in person. A virtual option is not published.

Is there sight-reading on the Connecticut audition, and how long do I get?

Yes. Sight-reading is part of every woodwind and brass audition. The public PDF does not give the study time, length or level.

When will I find out if I made Region or All-State?

Northern and Western Region acceptance is December 4, 2026. Eastern and Southern Region acceptance is December 11, 2026. The channel is not named. The All-State release date is not on the public pages. Ask your director. Who pays the Region $24 or the All-State $30 is not published.

What if I miss a rehearsal after I make All-State?

A missed-rehearsal rule is not on the public pages. CMEA's festival policies and teacher handbook need a login. Ask your director. The festival is April 8-10, 2027 at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, with concerts Friday evening April 9 and Saturday afternoon April 10.

Do the scales have to be memorized?

Yes, all of them. And All-State candidates must prepare additional keys beyond the Region list for their instrument, so the full set is larger than what a Region audition requires.

What music do I need, and does the edition matter?

The repertoire runs on a published four-year rotation for 2025-2028: named etudes for Region, named solos for All-State. The edition matters: you must use the specified edition and hold an original, a purchased digital copy with receipt, or a public domain copy, or perform from memory.

How should I start preparing?

The scales are the biggest cumulative load, so start them first, slowly enough that accuracy and a good sound never break, and add the extra All-State keys early rather than late. Get the specified edition of your solo ordered now, and make sight-reading a small daily habit since it is a scored component.

All-State posting

Connecticut All-State band audition requirements

Live in-person audition.

CMEA | Northern Region high school

Start with one passage

Check CMEA's Northern Region high school requirements for your instrument. Audition date: November 14, 2026.

Begin your etude with a short passage. Confirm the official packet with your director.

No public results-list URL is stated. Festival policies and CTFest require a login.

Plan with Virtunity

First month free for eligible new subscribers.

Available on iPhone. The browser version is in early testing.

Last checked October 6, 2026 | Official source: https://cmea.org/student-events/northern-region/northern-region-high-school/

What to work on this week

Use this plan for your next round, a solo, or next season. Not taking another audition? Choose music with your director and use the same steps.

5 minutes - Read before playing. Find the required passage in the official packet. Mark its start and end. Count through a rhythm that needs attention.
10 minutes - Work on one small chunk. Choose a few notes or a short phrase. Play slowly enough to follow the notes and rhythm.
10 minutes - Connect two chunks. Practice the next small section. Then join the sections, paying attention to the connection.
5 minutes - Record and listen. Record the joined passage. Follow the score while listening. Write down one thing to revisit.

Dated tryouts

Northern Region high school auditions are in person Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Hall High School (snow date November 21, 2026); the audition fee is $24. Fees must be postmarked October 26, 2026. Acceptance date December 4, 2026.
Source Read September 23, 2026.
Western Region high school auditions are in person Saturday, November 14, 2026 at Danbury High School (snow date November 28, 2026); the audition fee is $24. Fees must be postmarked October 26, 2026. Acceptance date December 4, 2026.
Source Read September 23, 2026.
Eastern Region high school auditions are in person Saturday, November 21, 2026 at East Lyme High School (snow date November 28, 2026); the audition fee is $24. Register by October 26, 2026; fees must be postmarked November 2, 2026. Acceptance date December 11, 2026.
Source Read September 23, 2026.
Southern Region high school auditions are in person Saturday, November 21, 2026 at Foran High School in Milford (snow date November 28, 2026); the audition fee is $24. Register by October 26, 2026; fees must be postmarked November 2, 2026. Acceptance date December 11, 2026.
Source Read September 23, 2026.

This page reports what the official organization posted. Virtunity does not write audition requirements.

Confirm every date and requirement with your director. Organizations update packets.

Back to all states

CMEA

Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA)

2026-27 materials are posted.

Ensembles: All-State Concert Band, All-State Jazz Band, All-State Orchestra
Season: 2026-27
Audition window: All-State auditions Saturday, January 30, 2027 at North Haven High School, snow date February 6, 2027. The $30 audition fee is due by Friday, January 22, 2027. All-State Festival April 8-10, 2027 at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, with concerts Friday evening April 9 and Saturday afternoon April 10, 2027.
Instruments: winds, brass, and percussion (strings also audition for the orchestra)

What the organization posted

Live in-person audition. Every woodwind and brass audition includes the required etude or solo, major scales, a chromatic scale, and sight-reading; cadenzas are not performed on any woodwind or brass solo. All scales are memorized. The chromatic scale is slurred ascending and descending in a printed rhythmic pattern. One major scale, selected by the adjudicator from the published list for that instrument, is tongued ascending and descending and is followed by its arpeggio in the same number of octaves. Required keys and octave counts are tabulated per instrument, and All-State candidates must prepare additional keys beyond the Region list (for example Bb clarinet adds Ab, Db, Gb, E, and Cb/B on top of the Region keys, with a 3-plus octave E to G chromatic). Repertoire runs on a published four-year rotation for 2025-2028: Region uses named etudes, All-State uses named solos. 2026-27 All-State solos include flute Enesco Cantabile & Presto (International), Bb clarinet Mozart Concerto K.622 mvt. 1 (Schirmer/Hal Leonard), bass clarinet Bozza Ballade (Southern), oboe Mozart Sonata after K.370 mvts. 1-2, bassoon Mozart Concerto K.191 mvt. 3, alto saxophone Creston Sonata Op. 19 mvt. 1, and trumpet Kennan Sonata mvt. 1 (Alfred). Students must use the specified edition and must hold an original, a purchased digital copy with receipt, or a public domain copy, or perform from memory.

Notes

Connecticut runs Region auditions first and a separate All-State audition; one 2025-2028 rotation document covers both, so students must read the correct column. Audition and festival dates come from the companion page https://cmea.org/all-state/. The festival also includes Mixed Choir and Treble Choir, excluded here as out of band scope. The repertoire hub still links a percussion SharePoint file that was not opened. The public May 2024 percussion PDF at https://cmea.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CMEA-HS-PC-ETUDE-LIST-2025-2028-2.pdf was read September 23, 2026: 2026-27 Region uses Cirone #25, Peters Journey pages 18-19 and McMillan Telemann Sonatina page 5; All-State uses Delecluse #4, Friese/Lepak Hanson Symphony No. 3 movement 3 and Rubank Country Gardens. Jazz repertoire is a separate PDF on cmea.org. Source: https://cmea.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CMEA-HS-WW-Brass-Aud-Rep-List-2025-2028-2.pdf.

Retrieved from the organization's page on September 23, 2026.

HS Region and All State Repertoire Lists 2025-2028 - CMEA

Practice for CMEA with your audition tempo, tuner and drone on one screen

Virtunity is a practice app built by a band director. Set up each scale and excerpt, then work it up a step at a time.

Scan with your iPhone to get Virtunity

Practice now in your browser: free tuner, metronome and drone

How it fits each part of this audition

Scales: Set up each scale in Virtunity and practice it with the metronome at your audition tempo, with the tuner and drone in the same window. Scale Checker confirms scale notes on your iPhone. Notes only. Not tone, rhythm or a complete performance.
Prepared etude or solo: Keep the PDF in your Music Library and set the piece up in practice with the metronome, tuner and your notes beside it. Start under tempo: good reps in a row move the tempo up a step, and Keep lets you stay at the old tempo.
Sight-reading: Sight Reading Sprint in the Lab puts one note at a time on the staff for a 60-second round of fast note reading. It is not a full sight-reading excerpt, so read something new every day too, and keep your counting steady with the Lab's rhythm modules.
Tone and intonation: Every judge listens for these. The tuner shows your note and how sharp or flat it is, and the drone gives you a steady reference pitch for long tones.
Tempo: Tap tempo finds a marked tempo, and subdivision clicks keep your eighths, triplets and sixteenths even.

For students 13 and up. Virtunity helps you prepare. Your playing on audition day earns the chair.

How All-State band auditions work in Connecticut

Connecticut's All-State Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Orchestra are run by the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA). The state runs Region auditions first and a separate All-State audition, and one repertoire document covers both on a published four-year rotation for 2025-2028: Region uses named etudes, All-State uses named solos, so make sure you are reading the correct column for your audition.

For the 2026-27 cycle, All-State auditions are live and in person on Saturday, January 30, 2027 at North Haven High School (snow date February 6), with the $30 audition fee due by Friday, January 22. The All-State Festival follows April 8-10, 2027 at the Klein Memorial Auditorium. The All-State festival fee is TBD. Committees place the ensembles.

Every woodwind and brass audition includes four components: the required solo, major scales, a chromatic scale, and sight-reading. All scales are memorized. The adjudicator selects one major scale from the published list for your instrument, played tongued ascending and descending and followed by its arpeggio; the chromatic scale is slurred both directions in a printed rhythmic pattern. All-State candidates must prepare additional keys beyond the Region list, so the scale load is real and it is cumulative.

The solos are serious repertoire - the 2026-27 list includes the Mozart Clarinet Concerto first movement, the Creston Alto Saxophone Sonata, and the Kennan Trumpet Sonata - and CMEA enforces editions: you must use the specified edition and hold an original copy, a purchased digital copy with receipt, or a public domain copy, or perform from memory. Cadenzas are not performed.

Connecticut audition questions, answered

When are Connecticut All-State auditions?: Region auditions come first. Northern (Hall) and Western (Danbury) are Saturday, November 14, 2026. Eastern (East Lyme) and Southern (Foran, Milford) are Saturday, November 21, 2026; register by October 26, 2026. All-State is Saturday, January 30, 2027, live at North Haven High School, with a snow date of February 6, 2027. The $30 All-State audition fee is due by Friday, January 22. The All-State Festival runs April 8-10, 2027 at the Klein Memorial Auditorium.
What is on the Connecticut All-State audition?: Four components for every woodwind and brass player: the required solo for your instrument, major scales, a chromatic scale, and sight-reading. The adjudicator picks one major scale from your instrument's published list, played tongued with its arpeggio, and the chromatic is slurred in a printed rhythmic pattern. Cadenzas are not performed.
Is the Connecticut audition live or recorded?: Live and in person. A virtual option is not published.
Is there sight-reading on the Connecticut audition, and how long do I get?: Yes. Sight-reading is part of every woodwind and brass audition. The public PDF does not give the study time, length or level.
When will I find out if I made Region or All-State?: Northern and Western Region acceptance is December 4, 2026. Eastern and Southern Region acceptance is December 11, 2026. The channel is not named. The All-State release date is not on the public pages. Ask your director. Who pays the Region $24 or the All-State $30 is not published.
What if I miss a rehearsal after I make All-State?: A missed-rehearsal rule is not on the public pages. CMEA's festival policies and teacher handbook need a login. Ask your director. The festival is April 8-10, 2027 at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, with concerts Friday evening April 9 and Saturday afternoon April 10.
Do the scales have to be memorized?: Yes, all of them. And All-State candidates must prepare additional keys beyond the Region list for their instrument, so the full set is larger than what a Region audition requires.
What music do I need, and does the edition matter?: The repertoire runs on a published four-year rotation for 2025-2028: named etudes for Region, named solos for All-State. The edition matters: you must use the specified edition and hold an original, a purchased digital copy with receipt, or a public domain copy, or perform from memory.
How should I start preparing?: The scales are the biggest cumulative load, so start them first, slowly enough that accuracy and a good sound never break, and add the extra All-State keys early rather than late. Get the specified edition of your solo ordered now, and make sight-reading a small daily habit since it is a scored component.