Conservatory - Colburn School

Strings

Alumni Share Tips for Audition Success

https://www.colburnschool.edu/alumni-share-tips-audition-success/

Violin

Prescreening Repertoire

The first step of the audition process is for you, the applicant, to upload a prescreening video by the December 1st application deadline. Piano accompaniment is required. The prescreening recording must contain the following repertoire:

The prescreening recording must consist of a concerto from the list below (only required movements) with accompaniment. No other material is required or requested.

Live Audition Repertoire

If you are invited to audition, you must prepare works from each category listed below. All violin audition repertoire must be memorized, with no exceptions. Piano accompaniment is required. A list of pianists will be provided.

Audition repertoire is the same for both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Scales
All 3-octave major and minor scales, using melodic and harmonic forms of minors

Arpeggios
All 3-octave arpeggios, major and minor

Etudes
Choice of any Dont or Gavinés etude, or a Paganini Caprice

Bach
One movement of the applicant’s choice

Concerto Movement

Choose one work from this list; prepare movements as indicated:

• Barber, Concerto, Op. 14 (first and last movements)
• Bartok, Concerto No. 2 (entire work)
• Beethoven, Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (first movement)
• Brahms, Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 (first movement)
• Bruch, Concerto #1 in G minor, Op. 26 (first and last movements)
• Bruch, Scottish Fantasy (entire work)
• Conus, Concerto in E minor (first movement including cadenza)
• Dvorak, Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 (first or third movement)
• Ernst, Concerto in F# minor (first movement)
• Glazunov, Concerto (complete work)
• Karlowicz, Concerto in A Major, Op. 8 (first movement)
• Khachaturian, Concerto (first movement)
• Korngold, Concerto (first movement)
• Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole, Op. 21 (two movements required: either first or fifth PLUS either second, third, or fourth movements)
• Mendelssohn, Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (first movement)
• Paganini, Concerto #1 in D Major, Op. 6 (first movement including cadenza)
• Prokofiev, Concerto #1 in D Major, Op. 19 (first movement)
• Prokofiev, Concerto #2 in G minor, Op. 63 (first movement)
• Saint-Saens, Concerto #3 in B minor, Op. 61 (first movement)
• Shostakovich, Concerto (last movement beginning at cadenza)
• Sibelius, Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 (first movement)
• Tchaikovsky, Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 (first movement)
• Walton, Concerto (entire work)
• Wieniawski, Concerto #1 in F# minor, Op. 14 (first movement)
• Wieniawski, Concerto #2 in D minor, Op. 22 (first and last movements)
• Vieuxtemps, Concerto #4 in D minor, Op. 31 (first and last movements)
• Vieuxtemps, Concerto #5 in A minor, Op. 37 (first movement including cadenza)

Other: One virtuoso piece of the applicant’s choice

Viola

Prescreening Repertoire

The first step of the audition process is for you, the applicant, to upload a prescreening video by the December 1st application deadline. The prescreening recording must contain the following 4 repertoire selections:

1. Any Bach Cello Suite prelude or any movement from Bach’s Violin Sonatas and Partitas
2. One of the following:

A. Any two movements from a solo work by Hindemith or Reger
B. Pendercki Cadenza for Solo Viola
C. Any Paganini Caprice

D. A work that is comparable to those listed A-C.

3. Stamitz or Hoffmeister Concerto – 1st movement (with cadenza)
4. One piece of your choice. You can play either one movement or the entire work. Selections 1, 2 and 3 must be performed by memory. Selection 3 must be performed with piano. Please upload each work as an individual track.

Live Audition Repertoire

If you are invited to audition, you must prepare a work from each category listed below. No substitutions. These works have been chosen in conjunction with our collaborative piano faculty. Piano accompaniment is required. A list of pianists will be provided.

Category 1
Bartok, Concerto (1st or 3rd movement)
Hindemith, Der Schwanendreher (1st or last movement)
Paganini, La Campanella
Paganini, Sonata per la Grand Viola
Walton, Concerto (1st or 2nd movement)

Category 2
Bloch Suite Hebraique (1st movement)
Brahms, Sonata in Eb (1st movement)
Brahms, Sonata in F minor (1st movement)
Bridge, Allegro Appassionato
Clarke, Sonata (1st or 2nd movement)
Hindemith, Op. 11/4 (1st movement)
Rochberg Sonata (1st movement)
Schubert Arpeggione Sonata (1st movement)
Schumann, Marchenbilder (1st or 3rd movement)
Shostakovich, Sonata (2nd movement)
Vieuxtemps Sonata, 1st movement (without the introduction)

Category 3

One piece of your choice from selections 1, 2 or 3 from the prescreening list. You may perform the same work you submitted for your prescreening video.

Cello

Prescreening Repertoire

The first step of the audition process is for you, the applicant, to upload a prescreening video by the December 1st application deadline. Piano accompaniment is required. The prescreening recording must contain the following repertoire:

• The prescreening recording must consist of the first movement of a concerto from the list below and the applicant’s choice of any virtuoso piece (which need not be from the list). All material must be played from memory.

Live Audition Repertoire

If you are invited to audition, you must prepare works from each category listed below. All violoncello audition repertoire must be memorized, with no exceptions. Piano accompaniment is required. A list of pianists will be provided.

Scales
All 3-octave major and minor scales, using melodic and harmonic forms of minors

Arpeggios
All 4-octave arpeggios, major and minor

Etudes
Choice of Popper #6 or #9 AND any Piatti Caprice

Concerto Movement
Prepare the first movement of one of the following, unless otherwise noted:
• Barber, Concerto
• Dvorak, Concerto, B minor, Op. 104
• Haydn, Concerto, D Major
• Prokofiev, Symphonie Concertante, Op. 125
• Schumann Concerto
• Tchaikovsky, Rococo Variations, Op. 33 (complete)
• Shostakovich, Cadenza and final movement, Concerto No. 1 in E-Flat Major

Other
One virtuoso piece such as:
• Davidoff, At the Fountain, Op. 20 #2
• Chopin, Polonaise Brillante, Op. 3
• Paganini, Moses Variations
• Popper, Elfentanz

Double Base

Prescreening Repertoire

The first step of the audition process is for you, the applicant, to upload a prescreening video by the December 1st application deadline. Piano accompaniment is required. The prescreening recording must contain the following repertoire:

The prescreening video must include the first movement from one of the standard concertos listed below (without cadenza); one movement of the player’s choice from the Suites for Solo Cello by J.S. Bach; and all of the same audition orchestral excerpt requirements listed in the audition repertoire specific to your program below.

Live Audition Repertoire

If you are invited to audition, you must prepare works from each category listed below. Piano accompaniment is required. A list of accompanists will be provided. There is no memorization requirement for double bass.

Bachelor of Music (BM) and Performance Diploma (PD) Applicants

Scales
Two 3-octave major and minor scales, using melodic and harmonic forms of minor

Arpeggios
Two 3-octave arpeggios, major and minor

Concerto
1st movement from one of the following standard double bass concertos (without cadenza)

• Bottesini
• Dittersdorf
• Dragonetti
• Koussevitsky
• Vanhal

Bach
One movement from any of the violoncello suites

Orchestral Excerpts
choose three different composers below and perform one excerpt from each, for a total of three excerpts

• J.S. Bach
• Beethoven
• Brahms
• Mozart
• Strauss

Master of Music (MM), Artist Diploma (AD) and Professional Studies Certificate (PSC) Applicants

Scales
All 3-octave major and minor scales, using melodic and harmonic forms of minor

Arpeggios
All 3-octave arpeggios, major and minor

Concerto
1st and 2nd movements from one of the following standard double bass concertos (without cadenza)

• Bottesini
• Dittersdorf
• Dragonetti
• Koussevitsky
• Vanhal

Bach
One movement from any of the violincello suites

Orchestral Excerpts 

One standard excerpt from each of the following composers, for a total of five excerpts

• J.S. Bach
• Beethoven
• Brahms
• Mozart

Strauss

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Updated on 08/08/2018​

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