Auditions | College of Music | University of Colorado Boulder

Brass Audition Information

Trumpet

Pre-screening Recording

Pre-screening recordings are not required for all graduate trumpet applicants.

Live Auditions

Please prepare the following repertoire:

1. One movement of a solo work from the Baroque literature, played with piccolo trumpet 

2. First movement from a standard Classical era concerto 

3. A portion of a standard French recital piece 

4. A late 20th century, or early 21st century solo piece 

5. Four standard orchestral excerpts 

6. Etude No.2, from Trente-six Etudes Transcendantes by Theo Charlier (Leduc) 

7. Optional 
• A non-Classical piece (jazz tune, free improvisation) 


Recorded Auditions
 

Live auditions are strongly preferred, although a recorded audition (live performance or studio recording) may be submitted in place of a live audition. Please see the Recorded Audition Guidelines for information on submitting a recording.

A live audition is required to qualify for Teaching Assistantships. Applicants unable to travel for a live audition should contact their respective faculty member directly. Requirements for a recorded audition are identical to a live audition. Editing within a movement is prohibited. Any indication of editing may disqualify the candidate from admission. The recording (audio/video) must be in a digital format with high quality audio. 
Please note that while recorded auditions will be given full consideration, the best demonstration of your musical ability is through a live audition.

Trombone

Pre-Screening Recording

Pre-screening recordings are not required for trombone or bass trombone applicants. Optional pre-screening recordings will be reviewed and assessed at your discretion.

Live Auditions

Tenor Trombone

Solo work(s) of the applicant’s choice (piano accompaniment is optional).

The following list demonstrates the performance level expected for graduate study (other works of similar difficulty may be substituted)

1. Bozza – Ballade 

2. Casterede – Sonatine 

3. Duttilleux – Choral, Cadence et Fugato 

4. Ewazen – Sonata 

5. Grondahl – Concerto 

6. Hindemith – Sonate 

7. Jacob – Concerto 

8. Peaslee – Arrows of Time 

9. Ropartz – Piece in E-flat minor 

10. Orchestral Excerpts: Please select several from the following list:
    Mozart – Tuba Mirum from Requiem 

    Berlioz – Hungarian March 

    Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries 

    Ravel – Bolero 

    Rossini – La gazza ladra 

    Rossini – William Tell 

    Saint–Saens – Symphony No. 3 (Organ) 

    Mahler – Symphony No. 3 

    Brahms – Symphony No. 1 or No. 4 

11. Optional Material: Please feel free to include other material that demonstrates your performance abilities – jazz, contrasting etudes, unaccompanied literature etc. 
 

Bass Trombone

Solo work(s) of the applicant’s choice (piano accompaniment is optional).

The following list demonstrates the performance level expected for graduate study (other works of similar difficulty may be substituted)

1. Bozza – New Orleans 

2. Casterede – Fantasie Concertante 

3. Defaye/Knaub – Deux Danses 

4. Koetsier – Allegro Maestoso 

5. Lebedev – Concerto in One Movement 

6. Spillman – Concerto 

7. White – Tetra Ergon 

8. Wilder - Sonata
9. 
Orchestral Excerpts: Please select several from the following list: 

   Beethoven – Symphony No. 9 

   Haydn – The Creation 

   Berlioz – Hungarian March 

   Wagner – Ride of the Valkyries 

   Wagner - Entry of the Gods into Valhalla 

   Schumann – Symphony No. 3 (Rhenish) 

   Respighi – Fountains of Rome 

   Rossini – William Tell 

10. Optional Material: Please feel free to include other material that demonstrates your performance abilities – jazz, contrasting etudes, unaccompanied literature etc. 


Recorded Auditions


Live auditions are strongly preferred. A recorded audition (live performance or studio recording) may be submitted in place of a live audition. Please see the Recorded Audition Guidelines for information on submitting a recording.

A live audition is required to qualify for Teaching Assistantships. Applicants unable to travel for a live audition should contact their respective faculty member directly. Requirements for a recorded audition are identical to a live audition. Editing within a movement is prohibited. Any indication of editing may disqualify the candidate from admission. The recording (audio/video) must be in a digital format with high quality audio. 
Please note that while recorded auditions will be given full consideration, the best demonstration of your musical ability is through a live audition. 


Horn

Pre-Screening Recording

Pre-screening recordings are not required for all graduate horn applicants.

Live Auditions

Required Solo Work (Piano Accompaniment Optional)

•

• First movement of a Mozart Concerto for Horn in E-flat (K. 417, K. 447, or K. 495).

Solo Work of Choice (Piano Accompaniment Optional)


A solo work of the candidate’s choice. This repertoire may include (but is not limited to):

1. Bozza En Forêt or Sur les Cimes 

2. Glière Concerto for Horn, Op. 91 

3. Hindemith Concerto for Horn 

4. Jacob Concerto for Horn and Strings 

5. Persichetti Parable VIII 

6. Schumann Adagio and Allegro 

7. Strauss, R. Concerto No. 1 or Concerto No. 2 


Orchestral Excerpts


Please prepare the following excerpts: 


1. Beethoven Symphony No. 3, mvt. III (horn 2) 

   Brahms Symphony No. 2, mvt. I and II (horn 1) 

   Mahler Symphony No. 5, mvt. III (obbligato horn) 

   Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, mvt. I low tutti (horn 1) 

   Strauss, R. Till Eulenspiegel, calls (horn 1 and 3) OR Ein Heldenleben, opening (horn 1) 

   Wagner Götterdämmerung, Siegfried’s Rhine Journey Short Call (horn 1) 


Recorded Auditions


Live auditions are strongly preferred. A recorded audition (live performance or studio recording) may be submitted in place of a live audition. Please see the Recorded Audition Guidelines for information on submitting a recording.

A live audition is required to qualify for Teaching Assistantships. Applicants unable to travel for a live audition should contact their respective faculty member directly. Requirements for a recorded audition are identical to a live audition. Editing within a movement is prohibited. Any indication of editing may disqualify the candidate from admission. The recording (audio/video) must be in a digital format with high quality audio. 
Please note that while recorded auditions will be given full consideration, the best demonstration of your musical ability is through a live audition.

Tuba and Euphonium

Pre-Screening Recording

Pre-screening recordings are not required for all graduate tuba/euphonium applicants.

Live Auditions

Applicants should prepare a full recital. Recital repertoire should represent multiple styles (i.e. Baroque transcriptions, Classical Period, any appropriate sonatas and/or concerti from the 20th/21st centuries, unaccompanied work). All literature should be well considered for the particular degree plan you wish to enter. The audition selections will be chosen from the recital repertoire.

Four or five excerpts from the major orchestral and band literature Typical first and/or second round selections are acceptable for both tubists and euphoniumists. Please have at least four or five ready to go. Tubists should demonstrate their proficiency on both the bass and contrabass tubas. If the applicant doubles on euphonium and wishes to include it as part of their audition, the applicant should select repertoire based on experience.

Most graduate-level auditions will have a sight-reading component as well. The literature will be selected from both familiar and unfamiliar repertoire.

Recorded Auditions


Live auditions are strongly preferred. A recorded audition (live performance or studio recording) may be submitted in place of a live audition. Please see the Recorded Audition Guidelines for information on submitting a recording.

A live audition is required to qualify for Teaching Assistantships. Applicants unable to travel for a live audition should contact their respective faculty member directly. Requirements for a recorded audition are identical to a live audition. Editing within a movement is prohibited. Any indication of editing may disqualify the candidate from admission. The recording (audio/video) must be in a digital format with high quality audio.

Please note that while recorded auditions will be given full consideration, the best demonstration of your musical ability is through a live audition.

Updated on 08/23/2018