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:

Violin (BM)

Prescreen Requirements;

1. 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 Shostakovich No. 1, you must perform the fourth movement and cadenza instead of the first movement.
2. Two movements from an unaccompanied sonata or partita by J.S. Bach (the Chaconne is considered one movement)

Audition Requirements;

1. 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. (memorized)
2. Two movements from an unaccompanied sonata or partita by J.S. Bach (memorized)
3. One Paganini Caprice (memorized)
4. First movement of a sonata for violin and piano, of contrasting style from the selected concerto

Viola (BM)

Prescreen Requirements;

1. The Prelude from a Bach Cello Suite, or a movement from a Bach solo violin sonata or partita
2. One movement of a sonata (solo or with piano)
3. One movement of a concerto. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
   • First movement with cadenza of the Stamitz D Major, Hoffmeister D Major, Rolla E-flat Major or Vanhal C Major
   • First or second movement of Walton
   • First or second and third movements of Bartok
   • Any movement of Hindemith Der Schwanendreher
   • A substantial fast movement of any 20th or 21st-century concerto

Audition Requirements;

Please consider the following to be guidelines rather than strict requirements; some flexibility in choice of repertoire is permitted.

1. The Prelude and any dance movement from a Bach Cello Suite, or two contrasting movements from a Bach solo violin sonata or partita
2. One movement from a major concerto
3. One movement from a sonata

One or more of the chosen selections should be performed from memory.

Cello (BM)

Prescreen Requirements;

1. A major movement of a concerto
2. The Prelude and any dance movement from a Bach Cello Suite

Audition Requirements;

Please consider the following to be guidelines rather than strict requirements; some flexibility in choice of repertoire is permitted.

1. A major movement of a concerto (memorized). For the Tchaikovsky Rococo, the full piece must be presented. For the Bloch Schelomo, rehearsal #20 through #30 must be included.
2. The Prelude and any dance movement from a Bach Cello Suite (memorized)
3. 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. One slow and one fast movement should be presented. No duo sonatas (Beethoven, Brahms, etc.) may be substituted in this category.
   • A Popper Etude or Piatti Caprice

Double Bass (BM)

Audition Requirements;

1. Two contrasting movements from the solo literature
2. An etude OR a movement from a Bach suite
3. Two contrasting orchestral excerpts

One or more of these chosen selections should be performed from memory.

Harp (BM)

Prescreening Requirements; (Dual Degree NEC/Tufts and NEC/Harvard applicants only):

1. One etude
2. One piece from the standard concert repertoire ranging 7 to 10 minutes in length 
3. Orchestral excerpt: Britten Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (cadenza only)

Audition Requirements;

1. One etude
2. Two pieces from the standard concert repertoire
3. Orchestral excerpt: Verdi La Forza del Destino

Updated on 10/02/2018