Prescreening Recording and Audition Repertoire Guidelines for 2010-11

Piano

For the live audition, pianists should bring a typed list of their audition repertoire into the audition room for the faculty committee.

Prescreening Recording & Live Audition Guidelines:

1. A Bach prelude and fugue or another original work by Bach (not a transcription)
2. A sonata or variations by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert (for the recording, prepare at least two contrasting movements; for the live audition, prepare an entire work)
3. A larger Romantic nineteenth-century work
4. A twentieth- or twenty-first-century composition (for a multi-movement work, prepare at least two contrasting movements)

Organ

Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Representative works from the major areas of organ literature — a major Bach work, a Romantic work, and a contemporary work.

Live Audition Guidelines: Organ applicants are strongly encouraged, though not required, to perform different works from those on the prescreening recording. However, works should be chosen from the same three categories (see above). Applicants will also be asked to demonstrate sight-reading ability and other essential musical skills.

Violin

Prescreening Recording & Live Audition Guidelines:

1. A movement of an unaccompanied Bach sonata or partita
2. A movement of a Romantic or twentieth-century concerto
3. Any Paganini caprice
4. A short piece by Kreisler, Sarasate, de Falla, or comparable composer

Viola

Prescreening Recording & Live Audition Guidelines:

1. A movement of any of the Bach cello suites OR a movement of a suite for solo viola by Reger
2. A movement of a sonata by Schubert or Brahms
3. A movement of either the Bartók concerto OR the Walton concerto OR Hindemith's Der Schwanendreher

Cello

For the prescreening round, cellists must send a video (VHS or DVD in NTSC format). Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:

1. The first movement of the Haydn D Major Concerto OR the last movement of the Haydn C Major Concerto
2. The second movement of the Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante OR the first movement of the Shostakovich Concerto No. 1
3. The second movement of the Boccherini A Major Sonata (Allegro) OR the first and second movements of the Valentini Sonata

Bass

Prescreening Recording Guidelines:

1. A movement of a Bach cello suite
2. A movement of a concerto or sonata
3. Two contrasting orchestral excerpts

Live Audition Guidelines: Same as recording guidelines, plus a short contemporary piece.

Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:Representative selections from the major areas of the literature, including the following:

1. A major work by Bach
2. A major classical composition
3. A twentieth- or twenty-first-century composition

Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:

1. A work by Bach or another Baroque composer
2. A solo work from the standard repertoire, such as Impromptu by Faure, Suite by Britten, Feerie by Tournier, Serenade by Parish-Alvars, Fantasy on a Theme of Haydn by Grandjany, and so forth
3. A sonata from the standard repertoire by composers such as Casella, Tournier, Tailleferre, Hindemith, Houdy, and so forth

Flute

Prescreening Recording Guidelines:

1. Sonatine of Dutilleux (with piano)
2. The second movement of Mozart's Concerto in D Major
3. On piccolo: Rossini's Semiramide Overture (one of the standard excerpts)
4. A work of the applicant's choice

Live Audition Guidelines:
All flute applicants are expected to perform their audition with piano accompaniment.

1. The third movement of the Ibert concerto OR Jolivet's Chant de Linos
2. From memory: the second movement of Mozart's Concerto in D Major
3. The first movement of any Vivaldi C Major Piccolo Concerto

Oboe

Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Recordings must include piano accompaniment where applicable. Prepare 15-20 minutes of music of your choice, sampled from each of the following:

1. A major sonata
2. A solo piece or étude
3. A major concerto
4. Four varied orchestral excerpts

Live Audition Guidelines: Auditions must include piano accompaniment where applicable.

1. Two movements of a major sonata
2. Two movements of a Baroque concerto, sonata, or solo piece
3. Two movements of a major concerto (with cadenzas where applicable)
4. Six varied orchestral excerpts

Clarinet

Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:

1. A movement of a major sonata
2. A solo piece or étude
3. Two contrasting movements of a concerto
4. Several orchestral excerpts

Bassoon

Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Recordings must include piano accompaniment where applicable. Prepare 15 minutes of music of your choice, sampled from the following:

1. A sonata
2. A concerto (with cadenzas where applicable)
3. Two to four varied orchestral excerpts

Live Audition Guidelines:

1. At least two movements of a major sonata
2. At least two movements of a major concerto (with cadenzas where applicable)
3. Six varied orchestral excerpts

French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba

Prescreening Recording and Live Audition Guidelines:
We recommend that you prepare repertoire that will show your playing to the best advantage in the most variety possible instrumentally and musically. Your repertoire should display a broad range of genres, styles, range, and technical demand, and should include the following:

1. Four or more varied standard orchestral excerpts
2. Four or more selections from the solo repertoire (a "selection" is defined as a solo piece, étude, or an individual movement of a sonata or concerto)

Prescreening Recording Guidelines: All applicants must submit an unedited video (DVD or VHS in NTSC format) containing the following repertoire:

1. A major work for either marimba or vibraphone
2. One piece from Elliott Carter's Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
3. A solo piece for multiple percussion
4. An étude for snare drum

Live Audition Guidelines: Percussion auditions each last one hour.

1. A major work for either marimba or vibraphone (examples of acceptable works include, but are not limited to, Minoru Miki's Time for Marimba; Gordon Stout's Two Mexican Dances; Steven Mackey's See Ya Thursday; Philippe Manoury's Le Livre de Claviers; or Franco Donatoni's Omar)
2. A solo piece for multiple percussion (examples of acceptable works include, but are not limited to, Iannis Xenakis's Rebonds or Psappha; David Lang's Anvil Chorus; or James Wood's Rogosanti)
3. Jacques Delecluse's étude No. 1
4. Anthony Cirone's étude No. 32
5. Two pieces from Elliott Carter's Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
6. Two- and four-mallet marimba sight-reading will be required
7. The following orchestral excerpts:
• Timpani: Beethoven Symphony No. 9
• Timpani: Richard Strauss Burleske
• Timpani: Mozart Symphony No. 39
• Snare drum: Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
• Xylophone: Messiaen Exotic Birds
• Glockenspiel: Debussy La Mer

Opera

Prescreening Recording & Live Audition Guidelines: Prepare seven selections from the operatic, oratorio, and/or art song repertoire of contrasting style and language. Four of these selections should be operatic arias. Prescreening recordings may be submitted in CD or DVD format only.

Early Music, Oratorio, and Chamber Ensemble

Prescreening Recording Guidelines: Include seven selections from the oratorio and art song repertoire of contrasting style and language. Selections can be chosen from any period and may include opera arias or contemporary compositions. At least three selections should be from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In your selections, highlight your versatility as a performer.

Applicants should submit two copies of their audition CD. Each CD case should include the following information in type print: applicant's name, voice type, age, repertoire listing, and current school (if applicable). Please include a repertoire listing on the cases only, and label each CD with applicant's name and voice type.

Live Audition Guidelines: Please prepare five pieces of contrasting style, in at least three languages and from several periods. At least one of these pieces should be from the Baroque period and one from the Renaissance, or prior. For the audition, you may choose your first piece and the audition committee will choose one or two additional pieces. Opera arias and contemporary pieces are acceptable repertoire. Please demonstrate your flexibility as a performer. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate sight-reading ability and other essential musical skills.

Applicants must submit scores and compact discs of three recent works, each written for a different group of instruments, voice, and/or electronic media. Those applicants who advance beyond the prescreening round will be invited to New Haven for a 30-minute interview with the composition faculty.

Orchestral Conducting

Please submit a video (DVD or VHS in NTSC format) of up to twenty-five minutes in length. The video camera should be positioned behind the orchestra and pointed toward the front of the conductor. We are primarily interested in rehearsal footage, although some concert footage may be included. Those applicants invited to New Haven for a live audition will be expected to present a highly developed level of comprehensive musicianship, including theory, transposition, keyboard skill, and score reading. In addition, applicants will be asked to conduct several selections from the standard orchestral repertoire with a University ensemble.

Choral Conducting

Please submit a video (DVD or VHS in NTSC format) of up to fifteen minutes in length showing the conducting of both rehearsal and performance. Those applicants invited to New Haven for a live audition will be expected to present a highly developed level of comprehensive musicianship, including theory, transposition, keyboard skill, and score reading. In addition, applicants will be asked to conduct one or two assigned choral works with a University ensemble.