New England Conservatory
Audition Information | New England
Conservatory
Conducting
Audition Information
Prescreening
portfolios are required of:
Prescreening video
recordings are required of:
Cello, Chamber
Music, Clarinet, Collaborative Piano, Conducting, Contemporary Improvisation,
Flute, French Horn, Harp (dual degree only), Jazz Composition, Jazz
Performance, Oboe, Piano, Saxophone, Trombone (Tenor &Bass), Trumpet,
Violin, Viola, Vocal Performance, Vocal Pedagogy Choral Conducting (MM & GD) Note: To be eligible for a live audition invitation, conducting applicants who are not native speakers of English must submit an official TOEFL score report showing a passing score of 79 iBT by December 1. |
The prescreening submission should be between 15 and 20 minutes in length and should include both rehearsal and performance footage in which the applicant is visible.
Selected applicants will be invited to NEC for an audition in front of one of the NEC Choral Department's ensembles, and an interview and examination with Erica Washburn. Repertoire for this audition, a seating chart for the ensemble, and interview/examination materials will be provided at least one month prior to the audition.
Wind Ensemble Conducting (MM, GD
& DMA)
Note: To be eligible for a live audition invitation, conducting
applicants who are not native speakers of English must submit an official TOEFL
score report showing a passing score of 79 iBT by December 1.
The prescreening submission should be between 15 and 20 minutes in length and should include both rehearsal and performance footage in which the applicant is visible.
After review, selected applicants will be invited to NEC for an examination and interview with faculty, and will audition in front of a live ensemble.
Orchestral Conducting (AD)
Under the direction of NEC's Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood Director of Orchestras, Hugh Wolff, the highly-selective AD in Orchestral Conducting program is designed to develop the artistic and leadership skills needed for a professional orchestra career.
The two-year, graduate-level curriculum features course work in score reading, instrumentation, orchestration, and performance practice, along with private studio, to reinforce a student's understanding of the conductor's art and craft. The AD conductor will lead approximately ten sectionals during the school year with NEC symphonies and serve as cover conductor for a number of concerts.
She/he will conduct one full NEC Symphony Orchestra concert (or two half concerts) during each spring semester and may conduct NEC Opera productions. The conductor will also learn fundraising and marketing skills from NEC's Institutional Advancement Office and collaborate with NEC's Entrepreneurial Musicianship and Community Programs and Partnerships departments on education and outreach.
The conductor will travel to Brussels occasionally to observe Hugh Wolff's rehearsals and concerts with the National Orchestra of Belgium. Through mini-apprenticeships with partner organizations like the Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, and the Handel + Haydn Society, the conductor will become well versed in all the styles and genres they may encounter in the professional world. There will also be some flexibility for the Artist Diploma conductor to continue to engage in professional activities outside of NEC.
Current and former students
Recent NEC alumni are emerging as the next generation of orchestra leaders. Joshua Weilerstein is the Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, after having served as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic from 2011-2014. Aram Demirjian is Music Director of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, following an Associate Conductor position with the Kansas City Symphony. Lio Kuokman is currently the Assistant Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Earl Lee is the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s RBC Resident Conductor. Nathan Aspinall is the Assistant Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony. Andres Lopera is Assistant Conductor with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Matthew Szymanski is the founder and Music Director of the Boston-based orchestra Phoenix.
Updated on 09/29/2018