Frost School of Music | University of Miami

Strings Audition Information

Prescreen is required for Regular Decision applicants in the following areas: contemporary/CAM, jazz, flute, keyboard, tuba/euphonium, viola, and violin

Violin

Prescreening and On-Campus Audition Requirements

• Any major scale. Play 3 octaves: slowly for tone and intonation (3 to a bow); faster for technique and intonation (6 to 12 to a bow).
• 1st movement of a major Concerto
• Two contrasting movements from a Bach Sonata or Partita
• An additional work of the applicant's choice

Viola

Prescreening and On-Campus Audition Requirements

• Any major scale. Play 3 octaves: slowly for tone and intonation (3 to a bow); faster for technique and intonation (6 to 12 to a bow)
• A Prelude and dance movement from a Bach Cello Suite, or two contrasting movements from a Bach Solo Violin Sonata or Partita

Performance majors

• A movement from a classical or major concerto
• An original work for viola of the candidates choice

The Bach and concerto should be performed by memory

All other music majors

• A movement from a classical or major concerto, or a piece of the candidates choice. Suggested level of repertoire:
• Bloch “Suite Hébraïque”
• Bruch “Romanze”
• Hummel “Fantasy”

Cello

All applicants

• Any 3-octave major or minor scale with arpeggio.
• An etude from any one of the following: Popper, Piatti, Duport, Grutzmacher, Schroeder.
• Two contrasting movements from the Six Suites for Cello of J.S. Bach.  One movement should be a Prelude. Performance majors should play from memory.

Performance majors

• First movement of a cello concerto from the standard repertoire.  Repertoire suggestions:
• Dvorak, “Concerto in B Minor”
• Haydn, “Concerto in C or D Major”
• Schumann, “Concerto in A minor”
• Shostakovich
• Elgar 1st and 2nd movement together (or last movement)

All other music majors

• Any movement of a concerto
• Any movement of a Bach Suite
• Any etude
• Scale and arpeggio of candidate’s choice

Double Bass

All applicants

• One required scale: Any 2 octave major or minor scale with arpeggio.
• One required solo (choose from the following): 
• Capuzzi, “Concerto in F Major Mvt. 1”
• Dragonetti, “Concerto Mvt. 1”
• Marcello, “Sonata No. 2 in E minor”
• Bach, Sterling ed. Bourees I and II from Suite No. 3
• Two required Orchestra excerpts: Beethoven, “Symphony No. 5 Scherzo and Trio”
• Choose 1 (one) of the following excerpts:
• Wagner, “Prelude to Die Meistersingers”
• Mozart, “Symphony No 40 Mvt 1”: twenty measures before letter C to five measures after letter C (Zimmerman ed.)
• Beethoven, “Symphony No. 9 Mvt. IV”: Recitative followed by 16 of the Ode to Joy (the second “Allegro assai”)

Optional: Any etude on the level of: Sturm Book 1, or Simandl 30 etudes.

Updated on 09/03/2018