Graduate Audition Content
Performance
Remember to complete the application form and include it with your emailed materials or print it out and bring it to your in-person audition.
Graduate Instrumental
- Perform works from the standard repertoire for your instrument that demonstrate your technical and expressive abilities. You should perform at a level appropriate to someone who has completed an undergraduate degree in Music.
See Requirements for Specific Instruments
- Performance should be at least 15 minutes.
Graduate Voice
- Audition repertoire must include at least five vocal works which represent three of the four major style periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Twentieth Century/Contemporary) in the following four languages: English, Italian, French, and German.
- Works selected should also include at least one operatic aria and one oratorio aria, one of which must contain a recitative. No more than two arias may be presented, but the two selected must represent contrasting style periods.
- The remaining audition material must consist of art song repertoire and should also represent a variety of styles.
- All audition repertoire, other than the oratorio selection (which may be performed with music), must be performed from memory.
- If you feel your performance of the required pieces does not fully demonstrate the integration and limits of your full-voiced pitch range, you may add a series of vocalises to your recording or in-person audition.
- If you choose, you may include additional selections. However, the required five works should be presented first in both online recordings and in-person auditions.
Graduate Piano/Keyboard
- Perform three works from the standard repertoire in contrasting styles and different periods of music that demonstrate your technical and expressive abilities. You should perform at a level appropriate to someone who has completed an undergraduate performance degree in Music.
- Performance should be memorized and at least 15 minutes.
- Suggested works could include Bach, "Preludes and Fugues," or movements from any Suite or Partita; larger works of Chopin such as a Ballade, or Brahms, including any of his later works from Op 116-119. One modern work is highly desirable as well including any composition by Bartok, Debussy or Prokofiev.
- For online audition, in addition to the three works, include a recording of you performing at least 4 scales and arpeggios of your choice a minimum of 4 octaves hands together, ascending and descending in parallel motion. Two scales must be in major and two must be harmonic minor (not C major or C minor). Suggested keys are: E and Eb Major: g and f harmonic minor in sixteenth-notes at M. M. (quarter note value) = 100.
- For onsite auditions: You will be asked to perform your three selected works as well as the scales and arpeggios noted above.