Student Recital Guidelines

All recital dates must be approved by the major teacher and the director of the concert office. The major teacher must attend the publicly-scheduled recital.

Recitals must take place during term – by December 11, 2009 in the first semester and April 30, 2010 in the second semester. They may not conflict with a concert directed by or featuring a School of Music faculty member or any other major event sponsored by the School of Music unless the student obtains written permission (email is acceptable) from the performing faculty member.

Degree Recitals are given by each degree, artist diploma, and certificate student in performance programs in the final year of residency. Some programs require more than one recital in an academic year, but only one recital, adjudicated by the faculty committee in the final year of residency, may be regarded as the degree recital.

Required recitals (recitals required by the department that are not degree recitals), with the exception of piano and harpsichord, may not take place in Sprague Hall. They may not take place in the evenings, or from April 1 to the end of the academic year. Because of the opera production schedule, opera students may schedule required recitals afternoons in April in Sudler Hall.

Informal recitals are recitals that are not required by the department. The guidelines for scheduling these recitals are the same as those governing required recitals. However, required and degree recitals have scheduling priority over informal recitals. The concert office reserves the right to deny booking an informal recital until most or all degree and required recitals have been scheduled, and may further limit informal recitals depending on the availability of concert staff and the congestion of the concert calendar.

All recitals, regardless of the venue or student’s major, require the submission of a Student Recital Contract signed by the major teacher and approved by the Director of the Concerts & Media Office. A signed contract is necessary for a recital to be listed in the School’s calendar of events and web site. Degree recital listings are also submitted to the Yale Bulletin and Calendar.

Download Recital Contract  

Print the contract, obtain signatures, and submit it to the Operations Office. You will receive a copy after it has been processed and approved. Your major teacher and accompanist may email their confirmation to vincent.oneppo [at] yale.edu. They should include the date and time of the recital in the subject line.

Students may be excused from Philharmonia and Chamber Music rehearsals on the day of their degree or required recitals with the permission of the conductor or faculty coach. Accompanists and other performers on recitals will not be excused from these rehearsals.

The recital repertoire is at the discretion and approval of the major teacher. Solo literature is primary. When repertoire requiring ensembles is programmed, small chamber groups are preferable. Recognizing that some students may wish to have orchestral accompaniment for a concerto, recitalists may assemble orchestras with the number of string players limited to sixteen, and with winds and brass as needed. Recitalists must schedule rehearsals carefully, as students will not be excused from rehearsals and performances of the Philharmonia or other School of Music ensembles in order to participate in another student’s recital program. Recitalists are required to provide at least one assistant to the stage manager if there is an orchestra on the program.

All degree recitals must be recorded.

Cancellation or postponement of a recital after approval of the recital contract requires submission of a Recital Cancellation Form, signed by the deputy dean, major teacher, and director of the Concerts & Media Office. Unless a doctor’s note is submitted with this form, the student will be subject to a $500 fine. Rescheduling will not occur until the Cancellation Form is submitted and, if applicable, payment is made.

Trading of dates is allowed only with permission of the major teacher(s), the director of the concert office, and the deputy dean, and must be requested in writing.

All requests for exceptions to these regulations must be submitted in writing to the director of the concert office and approved by the Performance Committee.