Music at the Juilliard School

Strings audition information

Violin (MM)

Prescreen Repertoire

The completeness and thoughtfulness of live audition repertoire submitted with the application is a factor in the decision whether to invite a candidate for an audition.

1. A slow and fast movement from a 19th-, 20th-, 21st-century concerto.
2. One movement from an unaccompanied Bach sonata or partita.
3. One Paganini caprice.

Live Audition Repertoire

Of Nos. 1, 3 and 4, one work must be a selection composed since 1960.

• Memorization of music since 1960 is encouraged but optional. All other compositions must be performed from memory except for duo sonatas.
• 
  
• Please minimize piano accompaniment interludes.

A complete concerto from the 19th-, 20th-, 21st-century.

1. Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach sonata or partita. No repeats please, unless ornamented. A dance section and its double constitute one movement. The Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in d minor will satisfy this requirement.
2. 
   
3. A Classical-era sonata for violin and piano. If the Beethoven Concerto is chosen for No. 1, a Romantic or 20th- or 21st-century sonata should be played.
4. 
   
5. At least one brilliant concert piece.
6. 
   
7. One Paganini caprice.

Accompanist information

• Works with piano accompaniment must be accompanied for the live audition.
• We encourage you to use a Juilliard accompanist for your audition.
• Accompanists will be provided free of charge for the audition; please note that accompanists charge fees for rehearsals.
• A list of accompanists will be provided approximately two weeks before auditions. You must contact an accompanist from the list two weeks prior to your audition and provide him/her with a piano score of the repertoire for the audition.
• If you wish to bring your own accompanist, you may do so. However, Juilliard will not pay him/her, nor can your Juilliard audition be rescheduled around your accompanist's availability.
• If you plan to play with a Juilliard-provided accompanist, please carefully consider general familiarity of your repertoire. Juilliard cannot guarantee accompanists will know unusual or non-standard repertoire. Please be particularly mindful to select contemporary works that have become standard repertoire or have piano parts which are easily sight read. If the Juilliard accompanists hired for your audition day are unable to learn or sight read a non-standard work, you may need to play that work unaccompanied.

Violin (DMA)

Prescreen Repertoire

• The completeness and thoughtfulness of live audition repertoire submitted with the application is a factor in the decision whether to invite a candidate for an audition.

1. A slow and fast movement from a 19th-, 20th-, 21st-century concerto.
2. 
   
3. One movement from an unaccompanied Bach sonata or partita.
4. 
   
5. One Paganini caprice.

Live Audition Repertoire

Of Nos. 1, 3, and 4, one must be a contemporary selection composed since 1960.

• Memorization of music since 1960 is encouraged but optional. 
• 
  
• All other compositions must be performed from memory except duo sonatas.
• 
  
• Please minimize piano accompaniment interludes.

1. A complete concerto from the 19th-, 20th-, 21st-century.
2. 
   
3. A complete Bach sonata or partita. No repeats please, unless ornamented.
4. 
   
5. A sonata for violin and piano. If the Beethoven Concerto is chosen for No. 1, a Romantic or 20th- or 21st-century sonata should be played.
6. 
   
7. Two contrasting brilliant concert pieces.
8. 
   
9. Two Paganini caprices.
10. 
    
11. A complete concerto by Mozart. The candidate is strongly encouraged to offer his or her own cadenzas.

Callbacks

The DMA audition process will take at least two days. In general, you should plan to be available for the entire day following the scheduled audition date.

You must be available for all portions of the audition process in order to be considered for admission.

Upon the strong recommendation of the audition panel, you may be invited to a required interview with members of the Doctoral Governance Committee, usually on the day following your audition. Interviews are scheduled daily by the Admissions Office as audition results become available. This interview is, in effect, your callback.

If you are not invited to the interview, you may reasonably conclude that you are no longer under consideration for admission.

You must also take a written exam in music theory and music history. Exams are given Monday through Friday during the audition week and include exercises in harmonization and counterpoint, as well as a music history component. In general, only those invited to interview need write the exam; however, it may be written on any date that it is offered.

Accompanist information

Works with piano accompaniment must be accompanied for the live audition.

• We encourage you to use a Juilliard accompanist for your audition.
• Accompanists will be provided free of charge for the audition; please note that accompanists charge fees for rehearsals.
• A list of accompanists will be provided approximately two weeks before auditions. You must contact an accompanist from the list two weeks prior to your audition and provide him/her with a piano score of the repertoire for the audition.
• If you wish to bring your own accompanist, you may do so. However, Juilliard will not pay him/her, nor can your Juilliard audition be rescheduled around your accompanist's availability.
• If you plan to play with a Juilliard-provided accompanist, please carefully consider general familiarity of your repertoire. Juilliard cannot guarantee accompanists will know unusual or non-standard repertoire. Please be particularly mindful to select contemporary works that have become standard repertoire or have piano parts which are easily sight read. If the Juilliard accompanists hired for your audition day are unable to learn or sight read a non-standard work, you may need to play that work unaccompanied.

Viola (MM)

Prescreen Repertoire

Two movements from a Bach suite, sonata, or partita.

1. 
   
2. First movement of:

•  A sonata or equivalent work for viola, solo or with piano. In the interest of encouraging exploration of a wider range of repertoire, the following works are EXCLUDED from this requirement: the two Brahms Sonatas, the Schubert Arpeggione, and the Rebecca Clarke Sonata.
• We strongly encourage candidates to choose works originally written for viola. Examples include (but are not limited to): W. F. Bach C minor Sonata, L. Boccherini C minor Sonata (original viola sonata, not cello), Weber Andante and Rondo Ongarese, Vieuxtemps Sonata Op. 36 or Unfinished Sonata, Reger 3 Suites (unaccompanied), Hindemith any of three sonatas with piano or four unaccompanied sonatas, York Bowen two sonatas, A. Bax Sonata, Ligeti Unaccompanied Sonata, Babbitt Piece for Viola and Piano, etc.

Or

• A concerto such as the Bartok, Hindemith Kammermusik no. 5, Konzertmusik, or Der Schwanendreher or the Walton, etc.

Live Audition Repertoire

• All compositions except for duo sonatas should be memorized.
• 
  
• Of Nos. 2 and 3, one must be a 20th or 21st-century composition.

1. A complete solo Bach suite, sonata, or partita.
2. 
   
3. A complete sonata or equivalent work for viola, solo or with piano. In the interest of encouraging exploration of a wider range of repertoire, the following works are EXCLUDED from this requirement: the two Brahms Sonatas, the Schubert Arpeggione, and the Rebecca Clarke Sonata.
• 
  
• We strongly encourage candidates to choose works originally written for viola. Examples include (but are not limited to): W. F. Bach C minor Sonata, L. Boccherini C minor Sonata (original viola sonata, not cello), Weber Andante and Rondo Ongarese, Vieuxtemps Sonata Op. 36 or Unfinished Sonata, Reger 3 Suites (unaccompanied), Hindemith any of three sonatas with piano or four unaccompanied sonatas, York Bowen two sonatas, A. Bax Sonata, Ligeti Unaccompanied Sonata, Babbitt Piece for Viola and Piano, etc.
4. 
   
5. A complete concerto such as the Bartok, Hindemith Kammermusik no. 5, Konzertmusik, or Der Schwanendreher or the Walton, etc.
6. 
   
7. A short work for viola, solo or with piano, up to about 10 minutes duration composed after 1945 by composers such as Babbitt, Carter, Persichetti, Penderecki, Kurtag, Ligeti, Zimmermann etc.

Accompanist information

Works with piano accompaniment must be accompanied for the live audition.

• We encourage you to use a Juilliard accompanist for your audition.
• Accompanists will be provided free of charge for the audition; please note that accompanists charge fees for rehearsals.
• A list of accompanists will be provided approximately two weeks before auditions. You must contact an accompanist from the list two weeks prior to your audition and provide him/her with a piano score of the repertoire for the audition.
• If you wish to bring your own accompanist, you may do so. However, Juilliard will not pay him/her, nor can your Juilliard audition be rescheduled around your accompanist's availability.
• If you plan to play with a Juilliard-provided accompanist, please carefully consider general familiarity of your repertoire. Juilliard cannot guarantee accompanists will know unusual or non-standard repertoire. Please be particularly mindful to select contemporary works that have become standard repertoire or have piano parts which are easily sight read. If the Juilliard accompanists hired for your audition day are unable to learn or sight read a non-standard work, you may need to play that work unaccompanied.

Viola (DMA)

Prescreen Repertoire

1. Two movements from a solo Bach suite, sonata, or partita.
2. 
   
3. First movement of :
• A sonata or equivalent work for viola, solo or with piano. In the interest of encouraging exploration of a wider range of repertoire, the following works are EXCLUDED from this requirement: the two Brahms Sonatas, the Schubert Arpeggione, and the Rebecca Clarke Sonata. We strongly encourage candidates to choose works originally written for viola. Examples include (but are not limited to): W. F. Bach C minor Sonata, L. Boccherini C minor Sonata (original viola sonata, not cello), Weber Andante and Rondo Ongarese, Vieuxtemps Sonata Op. 36 or Unfinished Sonata, Reger 3 Suites (unaccompanied), Hindemith any of three sonatas with piano or four unaccompanied sonatas, York Bowen two sonatas, A. Bax Sonata, Ligeti Unaccompanied Sonata, Babbitt Piece for Viola and Piano, etc.
• OR
• A complete concerto EXCLUDING the Bartok, Walton and Hindemith “Der Schwanendreher”; again encouraging exploration of wider repertoire.We strongly encourage candidates to choose works originally written for viola. Examples include (but are not limited to): A. Rolla Concerto in E-flat Major, Vanhall C Major, Hindemith Kammermusik No. 5 or Konzertmusik, Y. Bowen Concerto, W. Piston Concerto, K. Penderecki Concerto, J. Harbison Concerto, etc.

Live Audition Repertoire

• Of Nos. 2 and 3, one must be a 20th or 21st-century composition
• 
  
• All compositions except for duo sonatas should be memorized.

1. A complete solo Bach suite, sonata, or partita.
2. 
   
3. A complete sonata or equivalent work for viola, solo or with piano. In the interest of encouraging exploration of a wider range of repertoire, the following works are EXCLUDED from this requirement: the two Brahms Sonatas, the Schubert Arpeggione, and the Rebecca Clarke Sonata.
• 
  
• We strongly encourage candidates to choose works originally written for viola. Examples include (but are not limited to): W. F. Bach C minor Sonata, L. Boccherini C minor Sonata (original viola sonata, not cello), Weber Andante and Rondo Ongarese, Vieuxtemps Sonata Op. 36 or Unfinished Sonata, Reger 3 Suites (unaccompanied), Hindemith any of three sonatas with piano or four unaccompanied sonatas, York Bowen two sonatas, A. Bax Sonata, Ligeti Unaccompanied Sonata, Babbitt Piece for Viola and Piano, etc.
4. 
   
5. A complete concerto EXCLUDING the Bartok, Walton and Hindemith “Der Schwanendreher”; again encouraging exploration of wider repertoire.
• 
  
• We strongly encourage candidates to choose works originally written for viola. Examples include (but are not limited to): A. Rolla Concerto in E-flat Major, Vanhall C Major, Hindemith Kammermusik No. 5 or Konzertmusik, Y. Bowen Concerto, W. Piston Concerto, K. Penderecki Concerto, J. Harbison Concerto, etc.
6. 
   
7. A short work for viola, solo or with piano, up to about 10 minutes duration composed after 1945 by composers such as Babbitt, Carter, Persichetti, Penderecki, Kurtag, Ligeti, Zimmermann etc.

Callbacks

The DMA audition process will take at least two days. In general, you should plan to be available for the entire day following the scheduled audition date.

• You must be available for all portions of the audition process in order to be considered for admission.
• Upon the strong recommendation of the audition panel, you may be invited to a required interview with members of the Doctoral Governance Committee, usually on the day following your audition. Interviews are scheduled daily by the Admissions Office as audition results become available. This interview is, in effect, your callback.
• If you are not invited to the interview, you may reasonably conclude that you are no longer under consideration for admission.
• You must also take a written exam in music theory and music history. Exams are given Monday through Friday during the audition week and include exercises in harmonization and counterpoint, as well as a music history component. In general, only those invited to interview need write the exam; however, it may be written on any date that it is offered.

Accompanist information

Works with piano accompaniment must be accompanied for the live audition.

We encourage you to use a Juilliard accompanist for your audition.

Accompanists will be provided free of charge for the audition; please note that accompanists charge fees for rehearsals.

A list of accompanists will be provided approximately two weeks before auditions. You must contact an accompanist from the list two weeks prior to your audition and provide him/her with a piano score of the repertoire for the audition.

If you wish to bring your own accompanist, you may do so. However, Juilliard will not pay him/her, nor can your Juilliard audition be rescheduled around your accompanist's availability.

If you plan to play with a Juilliard-provided accompanist, please carefully consider general familiarity of your repertoire. Juilliard cannot guarantee accompanists will know unusual or non-standard repertoire. Please be particularly mindful to select contemporary works that have become standard repertoire or have piano parts which are easily sight read. If the Juilliard accompanists hired for your audition day are unable to learn or sight read a non-standard work, you may need to play that work unaccompanied.

Cello (MM)

Prescreen Repertoire

1. One movement from the standard cello repertoire, such as Dvorak, Schumann, Haydn D or C, Lalo, Shostakovich, Barber, Herbert, Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante, Elgar, or Saint-Saëns. Must be performed from memory.
2. 
   
3. A Bach prelude and one other movement from any Bach suite (the prelude and movement should come from the same Suite). Must be performed from memory.

Live Audition Repertoire

1. A complete concerto from the standard cello repertoire, such as Dvorak, Schumann, Haydn D or C, Lalo, Shostakovich, Barber, Herbert, Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante, Elgar, or Saint-Saëns. Must be performed from memory.
2. 
   
3. A Bach prelude and one other movement from any Bach suite (the prelude and movement should come from the same Suite). Must be performed from memory.
4. 
   
5. One virtuoso piece such as those listed: Popper Spinning Song or Elfentanz, Paganini Moto Perpetuo, Faure Papillons, Boccherini Sonata L’Imperatrice, Piatti Caprices or Popper Etudes, Davidoff At the Fountain, Schubert Arpeggione Sonata 1st movement, or Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capricioso.
6. 
   
7. One work composed after 1945 such as works by Carter, Sessions, Dutilleux, Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Shapey, etc. which is 6-8 minutes in length. (The work may be either a complete short piece or a complete movement from a larger work.)
8. 
   
9. A short lyrical piece such as Saint-Saëns The Swan, Fauré Après un Rêve, Chopin/Popper Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9, No. 2, Mendelssohn Songs Without Words, Chopin Sonata slow movement, Schumann Five Pieces in Folk Style, 2nd movement, Schumann Fantasy Pieces, 1st movement, or the choice of the applicant.
10. 
    
11. First movement of a Classical or Romantic sonata. If Beethoven Op. 5 #1 or #2 is chosen, please only play the Rondos (last movements).

Accompanist information

Works with piano accompaniment must be accompanied for the live audition.

We encourage you to use a Juilliard accompanist for your audition.

Accompanists will be provided free of charge for the audition; please note that accompanists rge fees for rehearsals.

A list of accompanists will be provided approximately two weeks before auditions. You must contact an accompanist from the list two weeks prior to your audition and provide him/her with a piano score of the repertoire for the audition.

If you wish to bring your own accompanist, you may do so. However, Juilliard will not pay him/her, nor can your Juilliard audition be rescheduled around your accompanist's availability.

If you plan to play with a Juilliard-provided accompanist, please carefully consider general familiarity of your repertoire. Juilliard cannot guarantee accompanists will know unusual or non-standard repertoire. Please be particularly mindful to select contemporary works that have become standard repertoire or have piano parts which are easily sight read. If the Juilliard accompanists hired for your audition day are unable to learn or sight read a non-standard work, you may need to play that work unaccompanied.

Cello (DMA)

Prescreen Repertoire

One movement from a concerto from the standard cello repertoire, such as Dvorak, Schumann, Haydn D or C, Lalo, Shostakovich, Barber, Herbert, Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante, Elgar, or Saint-Saëns Must be performed from memory

A complete Bach suite. Must be performed from memory

Live Audition Repertoire

1. A complete concerto from the standard cello repertoire, such as Dvorak, Schumann, Haydn D or C, Lalo, Shostakovich, Barber, Herbert, Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante, Elgar, or Saint-Saëns. Must be performed from memory

2. A complete Bach suite. Must be performed from memory.

3. One virtuoso piece such as those listed: Popper Spinning Song or Elfentanz, Paganini Moto Perpetuo, Faure Papillons, Boccherini Sonata L’Imperatrice, Piatti Caprices or Popper Etudes, Davidoff At the Fountain, Schubert Arpeggione Sonata 1st movement, or Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capricioso.

4. One work composed after 1945 such as works by Carter, Sessions, Dutilleux, Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Shapey, etc. which is 6-8 minutes in length. (The work may be either a complete short piece or a complete movement from a larger work.)

5. A short lyrical piece such as Saint-Saëns The Swan, Fauré Après un Rêve, Chopin/Popper Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9, No. 2, Mendelssohn Songs Without Words, Chopin Sonata slow movement, Schumann Five Pieces in Folk Style, 2nd movement, Schumann Fantasy Pieces, 1st movement, or the choice of the applicant.

6. A complete Classical or Romantic sonata. If Beethoven Op. 5 #1 or #2 is chosen, please only play the Rondos (last movements).