Because it's so important to pick the right player, an audition day is stressful for everybody. Auditions need to be run efficiently and candidates handled courteously. A wrong choice could be made if a good candidate plays badly because he's put off by poor organization or harsh treatment. I've never agreed with the view that auditions should be as unpleasant as possible so the player with the hardest neck wins. An orchestra needs players who are sensitive as well as tough.

There's a wide range of procedures for auditioning, but this is typical:

The position is advertised, and any suitable players known to the conductor or the audition committee are contacted and told about the opening, in the hope that they'll apply. If there are hundreds of applications, the candidates are screened, and only the most qualified are invited to attend the audition.

An audition committee (usually between six and twelve people) is either appointed by management, elected by the orchestra, or a combination of both. The committee includes the conductor and the players who work most closely with the vacant position: for a first oboe opening, the other first woodwind players would be there. The committee hears the candidates, discusses them, and then votes by secret ballot, with the conductor getting more than one vote. Management and union may be represented, and in some places the full orchestra attends.