As the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra just learned, if at first you don’t succeed, it’s probably not worth trying again.
The orchestra conducted a contest on YouTube for musicians to submit clips to perform with the PSO at two concerts, but the contest ended Monday without a winner.
Despite flying in four candidates to audition for the PSO’s signature concert in the late fall, the orchestra failed to find anyone talented enough to win the prize, which included a $10,000 paycheck.
“We were very pleased with the four finalists. But we always maintained the right not to pick a winner,” said Robert Moir, the PSO’s vice president, in a press release.
“That’s where we set the bar, that’s what we were looking for. We did not find it,” said Moir to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The contest started in February on the PSO’s YouTube page. More than 100 eligible videos were picked, but only eight made it to the semifinals. A public vote of 22,000 votes in April decided which four would be flown to Pittsburgh to audition for the spot.
At least they got a free trip out of it.
Photo by Cory Seeman/Flickr