Over the last decades, every possible industry has been transformed by technology. And yet, there is at least one sector that never changed, and that is still tied to old processes and stiff methods. It’s the orchestral excerpt practice. 

As every classical music student knows very well, orchestral excerpts are key. They are made up of one or more pages of an orchestral score, where a specific instrument has a relevant role, or plays a more complex line. In short, something you must face (and practice) if your dream is to join a symphony orchestra – auditions are based on orchestral excerpts. 

Here’s why classical students (and professionals) find themselves studying dozens, sometimes hundreds of these pages over the years. In an ideal world, they would have their chance to practice enough with an actual orchestra, in person. But this doesn’t really happen. High costs, planning and scheduling needs make this not a viable option, even for world-class music academies. Music students, and even professionals, end up playing along a recording, or browsing for that performance online, pressing play a moment before starting to practice on their instrument. 

And what about the parts? Again, in an ideal world, these would be available, print-ready, and categorized. You would be able to search by author or title, and the bar numbers would match those of the orchestral score. But once again, that’s not what thousands of students experience around the world. The huge amount of time they spend searching for parts, finding the starting measure inside the entire orchestral score (most of the time on paper), is definitely time they take away from actual practice. 

It was when talking about these challenges, and these out-of-date methods, that Matteo Magli and Cristiano Calaresu decided to join forces and skills. The orchestral excerpt practice needed a boost – and that’s what Maponos is. By merging their varied backgrounds (classical music, orchestration, mixing, and mastering) and adding a touch of resourcefulness, they imagined and then created it. With Maponos, practicing orchestral excerpts will be a completely new experience.