DATES & AUDITION OPTIONS
2025 Rochester Audition Dates:
Undergraduate: Friday February 14, 21, 28
Graduate: Saturday February 15, 22 and March 1
2025 Remote Audition Option: Any undergraduate or graduate applicant who would like to audition virtually should upload their pre-screening requirements within their application by December 1st. If approved, applicants will be asked to submit their final audition recording by February 1st.
PRESCREENING AND AUDITION REQUIREMENTS
Undergraduate
PIANO – APPLIED MUSIC MAJORS
Pre-screening Requirement: By December 1, all undergraduate piano performance applicants must upload a preliminary audition recording. Repertoire requirements for the pre-screening recording must include at least two works representing different styles, plus one virtuoso etude by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Bartok, or Ligeti (etudes in slow tempos such as Chopin Op 10 #3, Op 10 #6, Op 25 #7 or Rachmaninoff Op 39 #2 are not acceptable). Applicants may record each movement of multi-movement works on a separate, unedited track.
BM Final audition repertoire requirement:
Applicants must prepare an audition program to be performed from memory, including:
- One virtuoso concert etude (see etude requirement listed above)
- A complete* work by Bach that contains a fugue
- A complete* Classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert
- A complete* Romantic work from the 19th century
- A complete* work from the 20th or 21st century
When choosing repertoire for this category, we encourage you to explore the works of underrepresented composers, ones who reflect different racial, gender, ethnic and cultural traditions. To get started, we recommend the following resources:
*Complete works policy:
-
- All Sonatas, Variations, Suites, and other individual works written with multiple movements must be prepared in their entirety
- Sets of pieces that are intended to be performed together must be prepared in their entirety (For example: Schumann Carnaval, Davidsbündlertanze, or Kreisleriana; Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition; Franck Prelude, Chorale and Fugue).
- A selection or selections from sets of pieces not necessarily intended to be performed together are acceptable, but must total at least eight minutes in length. (For Example: Rachmaninoff or Debussy Preludes; Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit or Miroirs; Brahms Klavierstücke).
Graduate
PIANO – PERFORMANCE & LITERATURE MAJORS
MM and DMA (Performance & Literature): Pre-screening Requirement: By December 1, graduate piano performance applicants must upload a preliminary audition recording. The pre-screening recording must be a minimum of 30 minutes in duration of solo music. Repertoire requirements for the pre-screening recording must include at least two works representing different styles, plus one virtuoso etude by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Bartok, or Ligeti (etudes in slow tempos such as Chopin Op 10 #3, Op 10 #6, Op 25 #7 or Rachmaninoff Op 39 #2 are not acceptable). Applicants may record each movement of multi-movement works on a separate, unedited track.
MM and DMA Final audition requirements: Applicants must prepare an audition program (minimum 60 minutes) to be performed from memory, including:
- one virtuoso concert etude by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Bartok, or Ligeti (etudes in slow tempos such as Chopin Op 10 #3, Op 10 #6, Op 25 #7 or Rachmaninoff Op 39 #2 are not acceptable).
- at least three complete* works representing different styles
When choosing repertoire for your audition, we encourage you to explore the works of underrepresented composers, ones who reflect different racial, gender, ethnic and cultural traditions. To get started, we recommend the following resources:
*Complete works policy:
- All Sonatas, Variations, Suites, and other individual works written with multiple movements must be prepared in their entirety.
- Sets of pieces that are intended to be performed together must be prepared in their entirety. (For Example: Schumann Carnaval, Davidsbündlertanze, or Kreisleriana; Mussorgsky PIctures at an Exhibition; Franck Prelude, Chorale and Fugue).
- A selection or selections from sets of pieces not necessarily intended to be performed together are acceptable, but must total at least eight minutes in length. (For Example: Rachmaninoff or Debussy Preludes; Ravel Gaspard de la Nuit or Miroirs; Brahms Klavierstücke).
PIANO - NON-PERFORMANCE MAJORS
MAJORS IN COMPOSITION, MUSIC EDUCATION, OR THEORY
Applicants for each degree must prepare an audition program including three contrasting pieces from three different stylistic periods, including one piece by Bach. Selections should be performed from memory. If interviewing live applicants will audition while on campus. Applicants interviewing remotely should submit all other application materials by December 1st and must upload their audition recording within their online application by February 1st. 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 performance & literature majors.
Applicants in jazz studies and contemporary media should refer to the section on jazz for their audition requirements.