Audition Week Weather Policy
Baltimore has its share of difficult weather, but auditions go on regardless, even if The Johns Hopkins University is closed.
Snow in our region is usually moderate, often disappearing within a few days of falling. Still, every ten years or so we get hit hard. A case in point was Audition Week of 2002. We had a twenty-seven inch snowfall during the two days before Audition Week began. Everything in Baltimore was cancelled...
...except auditions at Peabody.
The reason we stick to this policy is that many of our auditioners travel great distances to visit us. They often get here early, so they are in the neighborhood and are able to come for an audition regardless of the weather. To get through the mess in 2002 we asked those coming to audition to keep their personal safety in mind, and then to get here as soon as they could. The Peabody community came together and we did whatever was necessary to ensure that everyone was heard. In some cases people sent us tapes. In other cases we scheduled auditions at special times. Somehow it all worked out.
Still, there are some things you can do make a weather problem less critical.
- If at all possible, plan to travel to Peabody the day before your audition. It will allow time for delays and also give you a chance to get some rest and some practice before starting with your activities.
- If you are planning to drive here, especially from within the northeast corridor, check out the Amtrak schedule as a back-up. The trains are pretty reliable in bad weather, and we are only a short distance from the train station. In all cases, get here as soon as you can. Even if you miss your audition time, we can usually work you in.
- If you are unusually worried (think phobic) about ice and snow, you can send us a "snow recording." This is especially practical if you already have a recording made up for auditioning at other schools. We will keep your tape on file but will not use it unless something prevents you from getting here. Be sure it is clearly marked "SNOW RECORDING," with your name. Otherwise we may mistake it for a pre-screening recording.
