Suggested Audition Repertoire

Audition RepertoireThe audition candidate should prepare approximately 10 minutes of music for the audition. Entire pieces are not required—individual movements or excerpts are acceptable. The candidate should prepare a combination of materials that showcase their technical and lyrical abilities. Examples of suitable repertoire are listed below.

Voice

For the BM in Vocal Performance, BM in Music Education, BA in Music or BM in Composition with a concentration in Voice, please be prepared to present:

  • Two to three songs in contrasting styles.  One piece must be in a language other than English. Transfer applicants should prepare three songs. You must be prepared to sing all pieces from memory.
  • Students and educators are encouraged to select repertoire that is representative of the student’s personal experiences and culture.

A pianist will be provided. Please bring sheet music for all audition selections.

The requirements for the MM in Vocal Performance degree program are as follows:

  • Five pieces in contrasting styles and languages. You must be prepared to present all selections from memory.
  • Students and educators are encouraged to select repertoire that is representative of the student’s personal experiences and culture. 

A pianist will be provided. Please bring sheet music for all audition selections.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Voice Area coordinators with any questions.

Jonathan Smucker, Jacque Scharlach, Voice Area Coordinators

Piano

All piano applicants should play a piece chosen from these examples or comparable pieces.

  • Any of the J. S. Bach WTC, book I or II, except Numbers one and eight.
  • Any of the Six French Suites or English Suites, Toccatas by J. S. Bach.
  • Any first movement of a sonata by Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven.
  • Any piece from volumes 5 or 6 of Bartók's Mikrokosmos.
  • Any of the Brahms's Intermezzi.
  • Any of the ¹ó²¹²Ô³Ù²¹²õ³Ù¾±±ð²õ³Ùü³¦°ì±ð, Opus 12, Robert Schumann.
  • Chopin's Nocturnes, Mazurkas, Polonaises, Ballads.
  • Any Romantic Work, e.g. Brahms, Schumann, Chopin.

BM applicants must prepare three different works by different composers or from three different style periods for a total of approximately twenty minutes of memorized music.

Graduate applicants should prepare three different and complete works (all movements) and be ready to play them from memory.  If videos are sent, they should be unedited (no splicing).

Organ

It is not necessary for the applicant to have studied organ prior to college entrance. It is, however, required that he/she have a minimum of five years of piano study. Therefore, the applicant should be prepared to audition on both piano and organ, if he/she has studied both. The applicant should prepare 2 contrasting works from this suggested repertoire list.

  • "Ich ruf u dir" Orgelbuchlein, Bach
  • Seventy-nine Chorales, Dupre.
  • Partitas, Pachelbel
  • Various works from Italian composers
  • "Jesu, meine Freude", Walther Variations
  • Vingt-quatre Pieces, Langlais
  • Prelude and Fugue, E minor, BWV 533 ("The Cathedral"), Bach
  • "Jesu, meine Freude" Orgelbuchlein, Bach
  • Toccata in B minor, Gigout
  • Es ist ein Ros'entsprungen, Brahms
  • A prelude and fugue by J.S. Bach, or a fugue alone, if not part of  a complete work
  • Fugue in G minor, BWV 578, Bach
  • "In dir ist Freude" Orgelbuchlein, Bach
  • Cantabile, Franck
  • Cortege et Litanie, Dupre
  • Suite Medievale, Langlais
  • Chorale, A minor, Franck
  • Piece Heroique, Franck
  • Litanies, Alain
  • A Sonata or comparable work by Mendelssohn or Brahms

Violin

  • 3 octave major and minor scales
  • One etude
  • One movement from an unaccompanied Bach Sonata or Partita
  • One movement of a concerto

Viola

  • 3 octave major and minor scales
  • One etude
  • One movement from an unaccompanied Bach Sonata or Partita
  • One movement of a concerto

Cello

  • Two contrasting movements (one fast and one slow) from a standard sonata by Marcello, Handel, or comparable material
  • An etude by Dotzauer, Popper, or comparable material
  • Common scales in two or three octaves

Double Bass

  • Two contrasting movements or pieces from the standard repertory.
  • One major and one minor scale.
  • OR Permission of the instructor.

Guitar

Applicants should be prepared with major and minor scales through the fifth position, two pieces for solo guitar, and an etude of moderate difficulty by Sor, Carulli or Carcassi.

Flute

Bachelor of Music - Education, Bachelor of Music - Performance and Bachelor of Arts - Music candidates:
Two contrasting pieces of choice that best represent your current level.
This can include etudes/studies, single movements of multi-movement works, flute parts from ensemble works, etc. 
Please feel free to contact one of our flute professors if you are unsure of what to prepare.

Master of Music candidates:
First and Second movements of W.A. Mozart's Concerto for Flute in G or D major. 
A single 20th or 21st Century piece of your choice.
Two orchestral excerpts displaying a balance of technical and lyrical playing from the following list:
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3, mm 328 - 360
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, Mvt. 2, mm 135 - 183
Brahms: Symphony No. 4, Mvt. 4, mm 67-105
Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun,  Figure 2 to 3
Dvorak: Symphony No. 8, Mvt. 4, Figure D-E
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Scherzo, 12 before P to end.
Ravel: Daphis et Chloe Suite No. 2, Figure 176-179
 

Oboe

In addition to playing scales from memory (all major and minor scales, two octaves to high D), the audition candidate should prepare approximately 10 minutes of music for the audition. Entire pieces are not required - individual movements or excerpts are acceptable. The candidate should prepare a combination of materials that showcase their technical and lyrical abilities. Examples of suitable repertoire:

  • Concerto for Oboe in C Major (arr. Benjamin), Cimarosa
  • 48 Studies for Oboe, Op. 31 (Southern), Ferling
  • Concerto for Oboe in C Minor, Marcello
  • Oboe Quartet in F Major, K. 370, Mozart
  • Two Fantasy Pieces, Nielsen
  • Sonata for Oboe, Op. 166, Saint-Saëns
  • Sonata for Oboe in G Minor, Telemann

Clarinet

Any piece from Stubbin;s Recital Literature for Clarinet, Volume I or II (published by Wahr, Ann Arbor, Michigan); or any of the following:

  • Rhapsody for Solo Clarinet, Osborne
  • Concertino, Weber
  • Concerto #1, Weber
  • 32 Etudes, C. Rose. (please prepare a slow and fast etude)
  • Sonata, Poulenc
  • Three Pieces for Clarinet, Stravinsky
  • Concerto (A Clarinet only), Mozart
  • Estudio #27, Bedoya
  • Hommages Etudes, Kovacs (please choose one: Debussy, Weber, de Falla, Strauss)
  • Solo de Concours, Messager
  • Concert and Contest Selection, (Rubank please choose one of the following: Mozart Minuet k.334 or Pierne Canzonetta)

Major scales up to 4 sharps and 4 flats, 2 octaves. Full Chromatic scale, low E to high G [4 ledger lines]

Bassoon

The audition candidate should prepare approximately 10 minutes of music for the audition. Entire pieces are not required—individual movements or excerpts are acceptable. The candidate should prepare a combination of materials that showcase their technical and lyrical abilities. Examples of suitable repertoire are listed below.

  • Choose from Weissenborn Studies, Op.8, Book II: No.4, No.25 or No.28
  • Sonata in f minor, Telemann, movements I and II
  • Sonata in Bb Major, Mozart - movement I

All major and minor scales at a minimum tempo of quarter = 96 bpm in eighths.

Saxophone

Two movements or etudes of contrasting nature from below:

  • Sonata, Eccles, pub. Southern.
  • Sonata, Jacobi, pub. Southern.
  • Sonata, Heiden, pub. Schott
  • Aria, Bozza, pub. Leduc
  • Sicilienne, Lantier
  • Tableaux de Provence, Maurice
  • Concerto in Eb, Glazounov
  • Chanson et Passpied, Rueff
  • Solos for the Alto Saxophone Player, Teal
  • 48 Famous Etudes, Ferling (slow/fast)
  • Selected Studies, Voxman

Trumpet

Prepare two selections or movements that contrast in tempo and style, one of which may be a representative etude.

Suggestions include:

  • Trumpet Concerto, Haydn
  • Trumpet Concerto, Hummel
  • Trumpet Concerto, Arutunian
  • Andante and Allegro, Ropartz
  • Petite Piece Concertante, Balay
  • Concert Etude, Goedicke

Note: Any candidate should feel free to contact trumpet teacher John Freeman with questions or for  further suggestions about repertoire or how to best prepare for the audition

French Horn

  1. G or F two octave chromatic scale
  2. Two selections or movements that contrast in tempo and style from the list below or of similar difficulty:
  • Horn Concerto No. 2, Mozart (one movement only)
  • Concerto No. 1, Strauss (one movement only)
  • Sonate, Vignery
  • Any etude by Kopprasch, Maxime-Alphonse, or Gallay; or an etude of similar difficulty
  • One piece of choice, or orchestral excerpts of choice

Note: Any candidate should feel free to contact our horn faculty with questions or for further suggestions about repertoire or how to best prepare for the audition.

Trombone and Euphonium

Any etude from Melodious Etudes for Trombone, Joannes Rochut, and one of the following: (a slow and a fast movement)

  • Six Sonatas for Trombone and Piano, Galliard.
  • Morceau Symphonique, Guilmant.
  • Two Latin Dances, Lauren Bernofsky
  • Sonata in Bb Major, Vivaldi-Ostrander
  • Clef Studies, Blazhevich (any etude)

Tuba

  • Air and Bouree, Bach-Bell.
  • Variations on Theme by Handel, Beethoven-Bell.
  • Sonatine for Tuba and Piano, Walter Hartley.
  • Any Solo from Solos for the Tuba Player, Wekselblatt.

Percussion

  • ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ARE REQUIRED FOR PERCUSSION AUDITIONS
    • One four mallet marimba or vibraphone solo of the candidate’s choosing
    • One two mallet xylophone, marimba, or vibraphone solo
    • One orchestral style snare drum etude (such as Delecluse, Cirone, Peters, etc.)
    • One rudimental style snare drum etude (such as Wilcoxon, Pratt, etc.)
    • One timpani etude of your choice (such as Peters, Hochrainer, Goodman, Firth, etc.).
  • Optional: snare drum, mallet, or timpani excerpts from the standard orchestral repertoire

Composition

Present two or three original compositions for any instrumental combination (score and audio recording, if possible). Email the material to the Composition Area coordinator (or a link to dropbox or google drive)

Jazz Studies

  • Major, harmonic, melodic minor scales
  • Sight reading
  • 3 jazz standards of varying styles (pre-recorded rhythm section preferred)