USC Thornton School of Music
Choral & Sacred Music Audition/Interview
Information
BA, MM, DMA
Established
by Charles C. Hirt in 1946, the Department of Choral and Sacred Music has long
been an innovator and leader in the development of degree programs specifically
designed for the choral conductor and religious affiliated musician.
Prerequisite
The
applicant must hold a bachelor's degree with music major
and have at least one year of experience conducting an orchestra.
Prescreen Recording
- BA applicants: Two selections, in
contrasting styles, from the standard solo vocal repertoire. Applicants
are encouraged to prepare at least one of these selections in a foreign
language. Should you have conducting experience, please provide video
footage.
- BA applicants: A Statement of Purpose (not
more than two pages, 12-point type, double-spaced): what are your personal
and career goals as a musician? Why do you want this degree and what do
you hope to do upon successful completion of this program? And why, in
particular, do you want to study at USC?
- MM and DMA applicants: A choral ensemble
performance of a minimum of 10 minutes and a rehearsal of a minimum of 10
minutes conducted by the applicant, including choral works from several
periods and styles, with at least one being a twentieth/twenty-first
century composition. Although the stated application deadline is December
1, graduate choral applicants are encouraged to submit all materials by
November 1 in order to allow greater time for pre-screen processing.
- DMA applicants are required to submit a
“Personal Introductory Video” as part of their SlideRoom Portfolio. For
detailed instructions click here.
- DMA applicants must take GRE verbal,
quantitative, writing (no subject) test.
- MM applicants are preferred to have
had a minimum of two years of experience as the conductor of a choral
ensemble, however potential MM candidates are reviewed based upon
potential, and ability to apply new concepts. DMA applicants should have a
minimum of four years of experience as the conductor of a choral ensemble
(for both MM and DMA, this can be full or part-time; church, synagogue,
professional or community chorus).
- All applicants must submit a brief resume
with Thornton’s SlideRoom application specifically noting conducting
experience and a repertoire list divided into categories of works sung,
works studied or conducted in rehearsal, and works conducted in
performance.
- All applicants are required to submit 3
Letters of Recommendation via the SlideRoom portal. For DMA applicants,
one of these letters must be from a professor who has assessed a
substantial research or analysis paper that the applicant has written.
- A scholarly writing sample must be submitted
with Thornton’s SlideRoom application (not more than 10 pages, an excerpt
from a larger paper is acceptable).
- A Statement of Purpose (not more than two
pages, 12-point type, double-spaced): what are your personal and career
goals as a musician? Why do you want this degree and what do you hope to
do upon successful completion of this program? And why, in particular, do
you want to study at USC?
BA live audition
Based on
the results of the pre-screen, the faculty will invite a select group of
applicants to the USC campus in Los Angeles for a live audition, which is
REQUIRED for admission to the Choral and Sacred Music program. At the live
audition, each applicant will perform two solo vocal selections, for which an
accompanist will be provided. In addition, applicants will be asked to
demonstrate basic sight singing and pitch retention ability and will also take
a one hour test covering basic aural and written theory skills. An interview
with the faculty is also part of the audition process.
MM/DMA live audition
Based on
the results of the pre-screen, the faculty will invite a select group of
applicants to the USC campus in Los Angeles for a live audition, which is
REQUIRED for admission to the Choral and Sacred Music program. At the live
audition, each candidate will conduct a choral ensemble on a predetermined
composition and rehearse an additional selection during a 20 minute live
audition. Additionally, applicants will take examinations in choral literature,
sight-singing, pitch retention, harmonic function, and keyboard skills.
Moreover, each applicant will perform a solo vocal selection, for which an
accompanist will be provided. DMA applicants must have taken the Graduate
Record Examination (GRE) within the past FIVE years and have
scores sent to USC. See Test Score Guidelines page
for details.
Important
notes
- Scans (PDF format) of official transcripts from
all post-secondary institutions you have attended must be uploaded into
SlideRoom. Official transcripts are issued by the registrar’s office of
each institution. Unofficial transcripts or documents printed from an
on-line student system will not be accepted. Please note that official
transcripts must also be submitted separately to the USC Graduate
Admission office following the guidelines here.
- Also, all letters of recommendation should
be submitted by recommenders through the SlideRoom portal.
- Late arrival of materials such as GRE &
TOEFL results, Transcripts, etc. might impact potential financial awards
should the candidate be accepted.
Applications
for spring admission are not accepted for this program.
For more
details about the undergraduate program refer to the
USC Choral and Sacred BACM Handbook
For more
details about the about the graduate program refer to the
USC Choral and Sacred Graduate Handbook
Updated
on 08/15/2018