Audition Information | New England
Conservatory
Strings
Audition Information
Prescreening
portfolios are required of:
- All Composition and Jazz
Composition applicants
Prescreening video
recordings are required of:
- All Artist Diploma and DMA applicants, regardless of major
- All
undergraduate, MM, and GD applicants to:
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
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Violin (MM & GD)
Prescreen Requirements;
- Exposition from the first movement
of a major concerto for violin and orchestra written between 1800 and
1945. Stravinsky Concerto and Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 are also
acceptable. If you select the Shostakovich No. 1, you
must perform the fourth movement and cadenza instead of the first
movement.
- Two movements from an
unaccompanied sonata or partita by J.S. Bach (the Chaconne is considered
one movement)
- One Paganini Caprice
Audition Requirements;
- Complete major concerto for violin and
orchestra written between 1800 and 1945. Stravinsky Concerto and
Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 are also acceptable. (memorized)
- Complete unaccompanied work for violin by
J.S. Bach (memorized)
- Two Paganini Caprices (memorized)
- Complete sonata for violin and piano, of
contrasting style from the selected concerto
Viola (MM & GD)
Prescreen Requirements;
- The Prelude and any dance movement from
a Bach Cello Suite, or two contrasting movements from a Bach solo violin
sonata or partita
- A major movement of a concerto
- One complete sonata performed with piano
Audition Requirements (MM &
GD);
Please
consider the following to be guidelines rather than strict requirements; some
flexibility in choice of repertoire is permitted.
- A complete Bach cello suite, violin partita,
or sonata (memorized)
- A complete concerto (memorized)
- A complete sonata
- A piece of the applicant's choosing
One of
the above should have been composed in the last 25 years (Ligeti sonata is
allowed, but no other exceptions).
Audition Requirements (DMA)
Four
complete works of contrasting styles, one of which has been composed in the
last 25 years. The concerto and unaccompanied work should be performed
from memory.
Cello (MM & GD)
Prescreen Requirements;
- A major movement of a concerto
- The Prelude and any dance movement from a
Bach Cello Suite
- Two contrasting movements of a standard
sonata (e.g. Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff). The
sonata must be performed with piano.
- One of the following:
• A showpiece such as Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso,
Popper Elfentanz, or Davidoff At the Fountain
• An Italian sonata by Boccherini, Valentini or Locatelli
• A Popper Etude or Piatti Caprice
DMA
applicants should follow the full DMA live audition guidelines for their
prescreening.
Audition Requirements (MM &
GD);
Please
consider the following to be guidelines rather than strict requirements; some
flexibility in choice of repertoire is permitted.
- A complete concerto from the standard
repertoire (memorized)
- A complete Bach Suite (memorized)
- A complete work written after 1940
- One of the following: (memorized):
• A showpiece such as Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso,
Popper Elfentanz, or Davidoff At the Fountain
• An Italian sonata by Boccherini, Valentini or Locatelli
• A Popper Etude or Piatti Caprice
Optional: One movement of a standard sonata (e.g. Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin,
Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff). If played, the sonata must be rehearsed and
performed with a piano. A list of pianists is available from the Admissions
Office.
Audition Requirements (DMA);
- A complete concerto from the standard
repertoire (memorized)
- A complete Bach Suite (memorized)
- One movement of a standard sonata (e.g.
Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff). The sonata must be
rehearsed and performed with piano. A list of pianists is available from
the Admissions Office.
- A 20th or 21st century work of major
difficulty (e.g. Carter Sonata, Britten Solo Suite or Sonata, Poulenc
Sonate, Hindemith or Kodaly solo sonatas).
- One of the following: (memorized)
• A showpiece such as Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso,
Popper Elfentanz, or Davidoff At the Fountain
• An Italian sonata by Boccherini, Valentini or Locatelli
• A Popper Etude or Piatti Caprice
Double Bass
Audition Requirements (MM &
GD);
- Two contrasting movements of a
major concerto (memorized)
- One movement from a Bach Cello
Suite (memorized)
- Two contrasting orchestral
excerpts
- A short contemporary work
Audition Requirements (DMA);
- A complete concerto or sonata with
piano accompaniment (memorized)
- Two contrasting movements from a
Bach Cello Suite (memorized)
- A contemporary solo piece
- Standard orchestral excerpts of
contrasting tempi and styles
Harp
Prescreen Requirements; (Dual Degree NEC/Tufts and NEC/Harvard applicants only):
- One etude
- One piece from the standard
concert repertoire ranging 7 to 10 minutes in length
- Orchestral excerpt: Britten Young
Person's Guide to the Orchestra (cadenza only)
Audition Requirements (MM &
GD);
- One etude
- Two pieces from the standard
concert repertoire
- Orchestral excerpt: Berlioz Symphonie
Fantastique
Updated on 10/02/2018