For undergraduate applicants, the audition day at Eastman includes a general convocation, theory and musicianship testing, a question-and-answer session for parents, a group interview with a staff member, and the audition. Composition, Music Education and Theory majors will have interviews scheduled with faculty members of those departments.
Repertoire listed below is for auditions to the Bachelor of Music degree. Other application requirements may apply.
Repertoire listed is subject to change but will generally not change after September 1. Audition repertoire, with the exception of voice, should be performed without accompaniment.
- Brass
- Composition
- Jazz
- Keyboard (Piano & Organ)
- Music Education
- Percussion
- Strings
- Theory
- Voice
- Woodwinds
Brass
EUPHONIUM
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
- Solos by Barat, Jacob, Capuzzi, Herbert L. Clarke, or other works of similar difficulty
- Etudes by Bordogni/Rochut, Blazhevich, Kopprasch, or Tyrell
- Band or orchestra excerpts as appropriate to training and experience
HORN
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
- Any complete concerto from the standard concerto repertoire, such as Mozart, Strauss, Gliere, Jacob, Haydn, etc.
- A movement from the standard recital repertoire, such as Hindemith, Ewazen, Beethoven, Schumann, Cherubini, etc.
- Three etudes from any three of the following: Maxime-Alphonse Etudes, Book 4, 5, or 6; Kling; Kopprasch; Neuling; Belloli; Gallay; Reynolds
- Three to five orchestral excerpts from the standard repertoire (Beethoven, Mahler, Brahms, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, etc.)
- All major and harmonic minor scales, 2-3 octaves, in eighth notes at quarter note=112-126, and corresponding arpeggios
TROMBONE, TENOR
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
- A solo work chosen from the following: Grondahl concerto, Jacob concerto, Wagenseil concerto, Hindemith sonata, Sulek sonata, Casterède sonata, Galliard sonata, Guilmant, Bozza, or a work of similar difficulty
- One etude from Rochut Melodious Etudes 1-24
- Orchestral excerpts as appropriate to training and experience
- Sight-reading in alto and tenor clefs
TROMBONE, BASS
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
- A solo work chosen from the following: Spillman concerto, George concerto, McCarthy sonata, Harley sonata, Galliard sonata, or a work of similar difficulty
- One etude from Rochut Melodious Etudes 1-24
- Orchestral excerpts as appropriate to training and experience
- Sight-reading in bass clef
TRUMPET
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 15th, and February 22nd
- Theme, double and triple tongue variations from either Arban’s Fantasy Brilliant or Carnival of Venice
- Either Hindemith, 1st movement; Haydn, 1st movement; Kennan 1st movement; Arutunian, opening through the slow section; Hummel, 1st movement; Tomasi, 1st movement
- Either Charlier Etude #1 or #4
- Orchestral excerpts: Mahler, Symphony No. 5 (opening); Beethoven, Leonore Overture No. 3 (offstage call); Stravinsky, Petrushka (Ballerina’s dance & waltz); Mussorgsky-Ravel, Pictures at an Exhibition (“Promenade”)
- Basic sight-reading and transposition
TUBA
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: To be announced
- One Bordogni melodic study
- One Kopprasch technical etude #17 or #21
- All scales
- Excerpts: Wagner, “Meistersinger” Overture (Letter J to the end), Berlioz Hungarian March, and Ride of the Valkyries
- Performance applicants must also play the cadenza from the Hindemith Sonata (mvt. 3) and either the Vaughn Williams Concerto (mvt. 1 & 2) or the Hindemith Sonata (mvt. 1 & 2); Music Education applicants whose instrument is tuba must play the Edward Gregson Concerto (mvt. 1 only) and the cadenza from Mvt. 3, Hindemith Sonata
Composition
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 15th and February 22th
Prescreening Requirement: Applicants must submit copies of a minimum of three or a maximum of four scores of original compositions via postal mail by the application deadline. Scores must be reduced to 11”x17” or smaller. Recordings of composed works are strongly encouraged, but not required. Due to the large number of scores and recordings submitted, materials will not be returned; do not submit originals.
Interview requirement: Composition applicants will be interviewed by the composition faculty. Interviews are not conducted at regional audition centers; all composition applicants must audition and interview in Rochester. On the same day the applicant interviews in Rochester, he or she will also be scheduled for an audition on his or her applied instrument or voice. Applicants should follow the repertoire guidelines given in this section. (Pianists: Note that there is a specific repertory listing for composition majors.)
Jazz
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
Prescreening Requirement: Before December 1, all applicants to the jazz studies and contemporary media program must upload a preliminary audition recording. The prescreening recording should comprise 3-4 varied jazz selections, each including improvisation. The guidelines given below apply to those invited for a live audition.
All Instruments (Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Guitar, Piano, Double Bass, Drumset)
Applicants invited to a live audition must perform two jazz auditions and an individual audition.
- Jazz audition: Applicants must be prepared to perform 3-4 jazz selections in varied styles and improvise on each of them. Applicants must bring lead sheets with them to this audition.
- Group improv session: performed with other applicants
- Individual audition (see below for requirements)
JAZZ DOUBLE BASS
Perform from each of the following categories:
- Etude by composers such as Storch-Hrabe (57 Studies), Simandl (Gradus Ad Parnassum), or Bille* (arco preferred)
- A Bebop melody by composers such as Charlie Parker (Donna Lee, Confirmation, etc.), Bud Powell (Web City, Celia, etc.), or other representative Bebop repertoire
- A walking bass line on a standard tune
JAZZ DRUM SET
Perform each of the following:
- Drum set solo: Thompson: Jazz Solos for Drum Set, V.1; Thompson: Modern Jazz Solos for Drum Set; or an appropriate transcription from a classic jazz drum set solo
- Snare drum etude by Wilcox or commensurate with NYSSMA Level 6
- Demonstration of various styles such as swing, latin, funk, brushes, etc.
JAZZ GUITAR
- Chord melody on a jazz standard (rubato or in tempo)
- Very short sight reading example
- 1 bebop head
- 1 chorus chord comping on a jazz standard
- 1 classical piece or étude (fingerstyle or with pick)
JAZZ PIANO
Perform representative repertoire from the following composers/idioms by memory:
- J.S. Bach (baroque era)
- Mozart (classical era)
- Chopin or contemporary composer
JAZZ SAXOPHONE
Examples of recommended repertoire:
- Any concerto or sonata from the standard repertoire, such as Glazunov, Creston, or equivalent
- Two etudes of contrasting tempo, such as Voxman, Ferling, or Karg-Elert
- Possible sight-reading
JAZZ TRUMPET
- Either Charlier Etude #1 or #4
- Either Haydn 1st movement; Kennan 1st movement or Hummel 1st movement
- Basic sight-reading
JAZZ TROMBONE
- A solo work chosen from the following: Grondahl concerto, Jacob concerto, Wagenseil concerto, Hindemith sonata, Sulek sonata, Casterède sonata, Galliard sonata, Guilmant, Bozza, or a work of similar difficulty
- One etude from Rochut Melodious Etudes 1-24
- Sight-reading in alto and tenor clefs
Keyboard
ORGAN
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 8th, February 15th and February 22nd
- At least one work by Bach or another Baroque composer
- Two selections by romantic or contemporary composers, one primarily lyrical and one primarily virtuosic
PIANO
Applied Majors pre-screening requirement: Before December 1, all undergraduate piano performance applicants seeking a live audition must upload a preliminary audition recording. The prescreening recording must be a minimum of 30 minutes in duration of solo music and include one virtuoso etude by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, or Scriabin (etudes in slow tempos such as Chopin Op 10 #3, Op 10 #6, Op 25 #7 and Rachmaninoff Op 39 #2 are not acceptable) and at least two works representing different styles. The following lists repertoire requirements by degree for applicants invited to a live audition and those auditioning only by recording.
Piano- Applied Music Majors
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 8th, February 15th and February 22nd
Applicants must prepare an audition program to be performed from memory, including:
- One virtuoso concert etude (must be the same etude submitted for pre-screening)
- A work by Bach that contains a fugue
- A complete classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert
- One Romantic work from the 19th century
- One work from the 20th or 21st century
Piano – Majors in Composition, Music Education, or Theory
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th and February 22nd
Applicants for each degree should prepare three contrasting pieces from three different stylistic periods, including one piece by Bach. Student compositions and pieces in jazz or popular styles are not acceptable for the purpose of this audition. Applicants who apply in these majors and audition on piano are not compared to applied piano majors.
Applicants in jazz studies and contemporary media should refer to the section on jazz for audition requirements.
Music Education
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
Music Education applicants who audition in Rochester, will be interviewed by the music education faculty.
A skills assessment will be administered to all undergraduate applicants to the major in Music Education. It consists of sight-reading rhythm and tonal patterns, sight-singing melodies, improvising on the major instrument/voice, and harmonizing a melody at the keyboard. A guide for this skills assessment test is found online at: Music Education Skills Assessment
On the same day the applicant interviews in Rochester, he or she will also be scheduled for an audition on his or her applied instrument or voice. Applicants should follow the repertoire guidelines given in this section for all undergraduate students. (Pianists: Note that there is a specific repertory listing for music education majors.)
Percussion
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 22nd
Pre-screening requirement: Before December 1, all undergraduate applicants seeking a live audition must upload a preliminary audition video recording. The following repertoire is required. Any substitutions, with the exception of where multiple options are offered, will not be acceptable.
Snare drum: Long Roll-
Delecluse Etude No. 1 – Play from the measure 1 to the downbeat of the 5th measure of line 7.
Wilcoxen or Pratt solo of the applicant’s choice.
Marimba:
Two Mallet solo:Bach from either the Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin or the Six Suites for cello alone. (2-3 minute excerpt of the solo from the beginning.)
Four mallets:2 minute excerpt or movement of a contemporary solo for marimba from the standard repertoire. Stout, Sammut, Abe, Burritt, Tanaka, Miki, etc.)
Timpani:
Etude from Hochrainer, Beck, Goodman, Firth or the equivalent demonstrating basic timpani concepts.
**Each applicant is expected to demonstrate intonation efficiency and accuracy by tuning the etude on the video recording prior to performing it.
The following lists repertoire requirements for applicants invited to a live audition and those auditioning only by recording. Audition must include snare drum, timpani and keyboard percussion. Suggested repertoire and methods from the following:
- Snare drum: Cirone Portraits in Rhythm; Delecluse Etude 1 or 6 from Douze Etudes; Peters’ Intermediate or Advanced Snare Drum Studies
- Timpani: Beck Sonata for Timpani; Carter Eight Pieces for Solo Timpani; Firth The Solo Timpanist, Hochrianer Etuden fur Timpani
- Keyboard percussion: 2 mallet Bach from the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin or the Six Suites for Solo Cello; Abe Dream of the Cherry Blossoms, Wind in the Bamboo Grove; Burritt October Night, Preludes, Creston Concertino for Marimba; Musser’s Etudes and Preludes; Sammut Rotations, Stout Mexican Dances, Astral Dance, Etudes; Tanaka Two Movements for Marimba: G. H. Green’s Xylophone Solos; Rosauro Concerto for Marimba
- Sight-reading required
- Orchestral Excerpts are also recommended from the standard repertoire. Audition may also include drum set.
Strings
VIOLIN
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
Pre-screening requirement: Before December 1, all undergraduate and graduate violin applicants seeking a live audition must upload a preliminary audition recording. The prescreening recording must include an etude in addition to 10 or more minutes of a violin concerto (unaccompanied is preferred).
The following lists repertoire requirements for applicants invited to a live audition and those auditioning only by recording.
- A movement of a concerto from the standard repertoire by a composer such as Mozart, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Bruch, Vieuxtemps, etc.
- Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach sonata or partita
- An etude from one of the standard etude books, such as those of Kreutzer, Fiorillo, Rodé, Paganini, or Dont
- Three-octave major and minor scales and arpeggios
VIOLA
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
- Three contrasting selections or major movements, which must be taken from three significant works representing different compositional periods. One of the selections must be by Bach.
- One etude or technical study
VIOLONCELLO
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: January 25th, February 1st, February 8th, and February 22nd
Pre-screening requirement: Before December 1, all undergraduate and graduate cello applicants seeking a live audition must upload a preliminary video audition recording. The prescreening recording must include 2 movements of an unaccompanied work by Bach and one movement from a standard concerto.
The following lists repertoire requirements by degree for applicants invited to a live audition and those auditioning only by recording.
- One movement of a standard concerto (preferably from memory)
- Sonata movement or other work of personal musical interest
- Two contrasting movements of a Bach suite (preferably from memory)
- Two contrasting etudes (e.g., Popper or Duport)
DOUBLE BASS
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
- One movement from one of the following double bass concerti: Bottesini, Capuzzi, Dittersdorf, Dragonetti, Koussevitsky, or Vanhal
- One contrasting solo work of the applicant’s choice
- One orchestral excerpt of the applicant’s choice from the standard repertoire
- Two scales (one major, one melodic minor) of the applicant’s choice in two or three octaves.
HARP
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 15th and February 22nd
- Three contrasting works of the grade of difficulty of: Ibert, Réflets dans l’eau; Natra, Sonatina or Prayer; Handel-Grandjany, Prelude and Toccata
- An etude selected from the Bach-Grandjany Etudes for Harp
GUITAR
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
Prepared repertoire should include three contrasting major works from different stylistic periods that best represent the applicant’s technical and artistic strengths.
Voice
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: January 25th, February 1st, February 8th and February 15th
Pre-screening requirement: Before December 1, all applicants in voice (regardless of major) must upload a preliminary audition recording.
- Three pieces in varying musical styles, in three different languages, one of which may be English. Non-native speakers of English must perform one piece in English.
Live audition – The guidelines given above apply to prescreening recordings and to those invited for a live audition – material submitted as part of the prescreening process may be performed at a live audition.
Theory
2013 Rochester Audition /Interview Dates: refer to dates and repertoire for your primary instrument audition; your theory interview will be scheduled on the same date as your audition.
Undergraduate theory applicants will be interviewed by the theory faculty. Interviews are not conducted at regional audition centers; all theory applicants must audition and interview in Rochester.
On the same day the applicant interviews in Rochester, he or she will also be scheduled for an audition on his or her applied instrument or voice. Applicants should follow the repertoire guidelines given in this section for all undergraduate students. (Pianists: Note that there is a specific repertory listing for theory majors.)
Woodwinds
BASSOON
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 15th, and February 22nd
- Standard concerto (i.e., Mozart, Weber)
- One or two etudes such as are found in Milde Concert Studies, Vol. I
- Two contrasting orchestral excerpts of the applicant’s choice as appropriate to training and experience
CLARINET
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
Pre-screening requirement: Before December 1, all clarinet applicants seeking a live audition must upload a preliminary audition video recording. Please make a video recording of the following: Please record repertoire in the order listed.
If approved from prescreening, the live audition should follow the same repertoire guidelines, and can present the same or different material. Both the prescreen recording and audition should be performed without accompaniment.
- First movement of Mozart Concerto (measure 57 to downbeat of measure 154)
- Debussy Premiere Rhapsodie or other French concours solo
- Solo work of your choice
- Etude #11 in 3/2 from Rose 32 Etudes
- Orchestral Excerpts
- Beethoven 6: Movement 1 (solo at the end of the movement); movement 2 (long solo)
- Mendelssohn scherzo: Opening through the end of the trills (dotted quarter = 76 to 84)
- Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol; movement 1 (both solos) and movement 3 (solo)
FLUTE
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
Pre-screening requirement: Before December 1, all flute applicants seeking a live audition must upload a preliminary audition recording. The pre-screening recording must include each of the following:
- Mozart: First movement from D or G major concerto
- Bach: 2 movements from a sonata or partita of your choice
- A work of your choice
- The following 4 standard orchestral excerpts (not the entire work):
- Beethoven: Leonore Overture (Flute/Bassoon duo only)
- Brahms: Symphony IV
- Mendelssohn: Scherzo from Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphosis
Live Audition – Each of the following:
- A Mozart concerto
- A sonata by Bach, Handel, or Telemann
- A solo piece of your choice
- Orchestral excerpts as appropriate to training and experience
OBOE
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
- Any concerto from the standard repertoire (such as Mozart, Marcello, Strauss, etc.) OR any sonata from the standard repertoire (such as Handel or Hindemith)
- A standard study, such as Barret or Ferling
- Orchestral excerpts as appropriate to training and experience
SAXOPHONE
2013 Rochester Audition Dates: February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, and February 22nd
Pre-screening requirement: Before December 1, all saxophone applicants seeking a live audition must upload a preliminary audition video recording. Please make a video recording of the following: Please record repertoire in the order listed. If approved from pre-screening, the live audition should follow the same repertoire guidelines, and can present the same or different material.
Examples of recommended repertoire:
- Any concerto or sonata from the standard repertoire, such as Glazunov, Creston, or equivalent
- Two etudes of contrasting tempo, such as Voxman, Ferling, or Karg-Elert
- Possible sight-reading
Applicants in jazz studies and contemporary media should refer to the section on jazz for additional requirements.
