Auditions: What to Expect

Suggested Audition Materials

• Guitar

  Guitar applicants for a degree in music should prepare three works that best exemplify their musical and technical abilities of the applicant's choice.

   

• Organ

  Applicants auditioning on organ should prepare two to three contrasting works in addition to a four-part hymn of the applicant’s choosing.

   

• Percussion

  Audition materials should include contrasting compositions. Works from any of the major etude books written for the respective instruments are also suitable. Applicants auditioning on mallet instruments will be asked to play scales.

   

• Piano

  Applicants auditioning on piano are expected to perform two to three works from different historical periods and styles. Memory of performed works is desirable but not required. Applicants may also be asked to sight-read.

   

• Strings

  String applicants for a degree in music should prepare two works that best exemplify their musical and technical abilities and a three-octave scale (two-octave for double bass) of the applicant's choice. The following repertoire is offered as a guide to applicants in choosing materials for the audition but is not prescriptive.

   

• Violin

  • One movement of an unaccompanied sonata or partita of Bach, or a movement from the Telemann unaccompanied Fantasias for violin, or a movement of a Baroque sonata by a composer such as Bach, Handel, or Corelli.
  • A movement of a concerto from the standard repertory by a composer such as Viotti, Mozart, Mendelssohn, or Bruch, or a short character piece such as the Beethoven Romance in F or the Saint-Säens Havanaise.
  • A three-octave scale of the applicant's choice.

   

• Viola

  • A movement from one of the unaccompanied works by Bach for cello or violin.
  • Two contrasting movements from the Telemann concerto, or one movement from a standard concerto of greater difficulty, such as concertos by J. C. Bach, Handel, Hoffmeister, Stamitz, Hindemith, Walton, or Bartók, or a short character piece such as the Hindemith Trauermusik or the Weber Andante e Rondo Ongarese.
  • A three-octave scale of the applicant's choice.

   

• Cello

  • One movement of a standard concerto, such as those by Boccherini, Haydn, Lalo, or Saint-Saëns, or two contrasting movements of a sonata by composers such as Eccles, Vivaldi, or Marcello.
  • One movement from a Bach suite.
  • A three-octave scale of the applicant's choice.

   

• Bass

  • One movement from a major concerto, such as Capuzzi, Koussevitzky, or Bottesini, or one movement from a Baroque sonata by a composer such as Eccles, Marcello, or Vivaldi.
  • One standard etude (Simandl, J. Hrabe or Storch-Hrabe).
  • One standard orchestral excerpt (Beethoven, Brahms, or Mozart).
  • A two-octave scale of the applicant's choice.

   

• Voice

  Prospective students should be prepared to sing from memory three solo selections from standard art song, folksong, opera, oratorio, musical theatre repertoire, and/or commercial repertoire. The selections should be contrasting in style and tempo, and highlight technical proficiency and use of expression. The pieces should be for voice with piano accompaniment, and we welcome a work written by an underrepresented composer or from a non-Western tradition.

   

• Winds

  Applicants auditioning on a wind instrument should prepare at least two contrasting pieces that reflect their musical interests and strengths. These may include etudes, movements from classical works, or selections from jazz repertoire. Significant technical exercises are also welcome if they showcase the applicant’s musicality and proficiency. Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate technical facility through scales or other exercises appropriate to their chosen style (e.g. chromatic, major/minor scales, modes, blues scales). The primary focus of the audition is expressive, stylistically informed performance.

   

• Composition Majors

  In addition to satisfying the audition requirement in the primary performance medium, applicants for the bachelor of arts in music with a concentration in contemporary composition must also be prepared to share at least two or three samples of creative compositional work in-person at the time of audition. This work may consist of scores, recordings and/or other digital media. Applicants unable to travel to campus should contact Brenda Ross (bross@bucknell.edu).