The few and the proud are adding an SFCM grad to their number.

2021 graduate Belinda Rosen has won the position as English horn/oboe of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. Initially a pianist, Rosen picked up the clarinet in the 4th grade before adding the flute and oboe, though she ultimately ended up solely focusing on the oboe and continued honing her craft while at the LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts in Manhattan.

Her experience with the Armed Forces family of bands started in California: “A couple of years ago, I was asked to play with the Air Force Band of the Golden West as the only civilian on their Southern California tour,” Rosen says. “So that was a first-hand insight to the military band life; I really had no clue what to expect, but I enjoyed it so much and that kind of opened my horizons to opportunities like these,” she adds, quipping, “The job security of a military band is also extremely enticing. If all goes well in my first term and I continue to re-enlist, there is extreme comfort in knowing that I can be set for life.” (Band members serve for a maximum of 30 years, and can draw a pension after 20 years of service, among other benefits.)

“The vibe in these bands is just so positive,” Rosen enthused. “Everyone is so unbelievably nice, and their playing is at such an amazingly high level, so to me, it's just the whole package, and I feel so fortunate to be joining this community.”

 
Rosen did say the audition was a little out of the ordinary, in that candidates are auditioning at a military base and must check in with a guard upon entry: “Seeing these guards in their uniform each carrying a gun is intimidating on its own.” Days were busy and long: There were 61 players in just the preliminaries and the following day Rosen was on the base from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. where she played the semi, final, and super-final rounds.

“Auditions are the hardest things that we as musicians have to do,” Rosen says. “I've had plenty of losses along the way, but I feel like those fueled me: The way I was able to bounce back from these losses is what created the resilience and strength that I needed to move forward with this audition.”

Eugene Izotov and Belinda Rosen.

She continues: “In the past, I don't think I realized that the committee really wants you to succeed. They want you to play well because they’re looking for the right person. I used to come in with this negative mindset, like, ‘Oh, they are putting this excerpt on because they want to cut people,’ and that was definitely not doing me any favors. “Instead, I looked at each audition as an opportunity to bring my best self to the stage.” Eugene Izotov [whom she studied with at SFCM] told me, ‘You want to make the audition committee fall in love with you.’ You want to be the candidate behind the screen that turns heads and compels them to keep listening, so I brought that mindset to this audition this time.”

Three is a trend: Rosen is the third SFCM grad taking their talents to D.C. this year. Michail Thompson (trumpet, '23) and Nate Berry (trombone, '24) won positions with the National Symphony Orchestra and the U.S. Army Field Band, respectively.

A job in "The President's Own"—who often play engagements in high-security areas like the White House—carries its own set of rules to adjust to. “I don’t have to go through basic training, which I feel very fortunate about.  But, I will be becoming a staff sergeant and learning to salute and address other marines by their official titles,” for example.   Rosen says. “It’s not like starting an orchestra job, which is the world I’ve lived and breathed in for the last few years.”

Happily, the job win coincides with a personal goal Rosen set for herself years ago: To land a full-time position by the time she turned 30, a birthday she celebrated recently. “I'm really glad that I was able to pull out the win for this one,” she says. “And along the way I’ve changed how I approach auditions: I used to go to every audition I could. There's something to be said for getting as much experience with that environment as possible, but looking back, for the first 15 or so I went on, I really had no business being there because I just wasn't prepared to the level that I really needed to be at. Becoming more selective about auditions let me focus on ones that I really wanted and that put me in the best mindset to prepare and perform.”

“By the time I stood in front of the committee for this final audition,” Rosen says, “I had already made peace with the unknowns. I knew I was as prepared as possible, and I trusted in the process.” For anyone looking to follow in her footsteps, she shares the following advice—as well as a deep gratitude for Eugene Izotov and her time at SFCM.

“Auditioning is about more than just playing your best in a specific moment. It's about bringing everything you've learned, everything you've experienced, and everything you've worked for to that single performance. And at the end of the day, it's all about believing in yourself. If you've prepared thoroughly, taken risks, and trusted your abilities, the rest will fall into place.”

Learn more about studying oboe and English horn at SFCM.