Brass

trumpet, French horn, trombone, bass trombone, tuba

Instrumental auditions must be performed without accompaniment.

Prepare two movements of contrasting nature from the solo repertoire and three (3) orchestral excerpts. For your solo repertoire, you may choose from the suggested pieces below or make your own choices at a similar level of difficulty. We ask that you play the listed excerpts. In addition, please prepare all major and minor (natural, melodic, and harmonic) scales and arpeggios and be prepared to sight-read.

If you are submitting a recorded audition, please make sure that there is no accompaniment, and that the recording has not been edited and does not contain reverb. Recorded auditions should also include one major and three minor scales (one each: natural, melodic, and harmonic) and corresponding arpeggios. Each piece or selection may be uploaded as a separate video file with the title in English or the original language in the file name.

Trumpet

Suggested Repertoire:

• Haydn: Concerto
• Hindemith: Sonata

Orchestral Excerpts:

• Beethoven: Leonore (No. 2 and No. 3)
• Stravinsky: Petrushka (Ballerina’s Dance)
• Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

French Horn

Suggested Repertoire:

• Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 2, 3, or 4
• Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1 or 2
• Glière: Horn Concerto

Orchestral Excerpts:

• Strauss: Opening solo from Till Eulenspiegel
• Brahms: Symphony No. 3, 3rd Movement (Poco allegretto) solo, Horn 1, m. 98-110
• Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5, 1st Movement, Horn 1, Rehearsal 17-21

Trombone

Suggested Repertoire:

• Martin: Ballade
• Milhaud: Concertino d’Hiver
• Tomasi: Concerto

Orchestral Excerpts:

• Mozart: Tuba Mirum
• Ravel: Bolero
• Berlioz: Hungarian March

Bass Trombone

Suggested Repertoire

• Ewazen: Concerto
• T. R. George: Concerto

Orchestral Excerpts:

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
• Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
• Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries

Tuba

Suggested Repertoire:

• Hindemith: Sonata
• Vaughan Williams: Concerto

Orchestral Excerpts:

• Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries
• Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
• Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Choral Conducting

Pre-screen required.

Applicants must submit pre-screening materials online by the December application deadline. Read more about the audition process below.

The pre-screen video and supporting materials must contain the following:

• A total of 15- to 20-minute video recording of footage comprising rehearsal and performance.
  • Note: The video should be from the perspective of the choir and show the conductor's face. The video should be of good quality and the conductor's instructions should be audible and clear. A successful applicant should provide video that shows rehearsal technique as well as performance conducting. Rehearsals should be run in English or subtitles provided if the choir's native language is not English. Video clips need not include an entire musical selection.
• A performance resume or curriculum vitae.
• Two letters of recommendation from artists/teachers who can most fully discuss your potential in the field of choral conducting.
• A written self-assessment of piano skills, vocal skills, and experience with languages and sung diction (Latin, German, French, Italian, Spanish, etc.).
  • Note: The self-assessment should include the career path the applicant hopes to undertake and how a master's degree in choral conducting fits into that plan.
• A brief but complete analysis of a short common practice period choral work, equivalent to a movement from a Brahms motet or Bach cantata.
  • Note: The analysis should include a chart of the work's form, harmonic language, key areas, etc.

Applicants may be invited to audition and interview at Boston Conservatory at Berklee based on an evaluation of the materials submitted above, as well as submission of a complete application. During auditions, applicants will be asked to do the following.

Rehearse with a Boston Conservatory at Berklee choral ensemble, during which the applicant should expect to:

• Conduct a brief warm-up.
• Conduct a complete work or movement from a larger work, as assigned by George Case, director of choral activities, with which the ensemble is familiar.
• Introduce a work or an excerpt from a larger work of the applicant’s choosing, in consultation with George Case.

Interview with choral faculty, during which the applicant will:

• Sing a prepared solo at the level of an Italian art song (a pianist will be provided).
• Demonstrate piano skills by playing a prepared piece of your choosing at the level of a two-part Bach Invention.
• Sight-read at the piano at the level of a Bach choral in open score.
• Sight-read both tonal and atonal exercises from Modus Novus and other sources.
• Aurally identify intervals, scales, triads, and harmonic progressions.
• Read brief excerpts in Latin, German, French, Spanish, and Italian for correct pronunciation.
• Conduct assigned repertoire for the conservatory choral ensemble rehearsal with a pianist and George Case.

Applicants will be invited to observe classes and rehearsals, as well as interact with current graduate and undergraduate students.

Collaborative Piano

There is no pre-screen required for collaborative piano applicants. Applicants should prepare the following for a live audition. You will be provided with instrumentalists and singers for your live audition, as well as a rehearsal period before the audition.

• Solo piano work or movement, less than 10 minutes in length. Memorization is required.
• Songs (all prepared in high keys):
  • Schubert, “Ganymed”
  • Brahms, “Wie Melodien”
  • Poulenc, “Quelle aventure” (from La courte paille)
  • Barber, “St. Ita’s Vision” (from Hermit Songs)
• Prepare one of the following:
  • Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 1, in D Major, op. 12
  • or, Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 3, in A Major, op. 69
• Sight-reading

Composition

Pre-screen required.

Applicants to the graduate programs in composition should submit a portfolio of between two and four recent works (no more) which were written in the last two years, at least one of which must be for large ensemble (over 10 players).

• Scores should be legibly notated (by hand or by computer).
• Recordings of your work are encouraged.
• Be sure that there is an accompanying score for each submitted recording.
• Write a short essay describing your musical influences and enthusiasms. Reference three modern concert works that have made an impact on you, and say why. The three works chosen should be from different time periods within the years spanning from roughly 1900 to the present day.
  • Note: This is separate from the writing sample about your interest in Boston Conservatory, in the online application.

Applicants may be asked to interview, in which case an in-person interview is required.
All of the above pre-screen materials must be submitted online. Pre-screen materials sent via mail will not be accepted, and you will be asked to submit online.

Contemporary Classical Music Performance

Pre-screen required for voice and piano principal instruments.

The graduate programs in contemporary classical music performance are open to the following instruments: bassoon, cello, clarinet, double bass, flute, harp, horn, oboe, percussion, piano, saxophone, trombone (bass/tenor), trumpet, tuba, viola, violin, and voice. Percussion applicants should prepare separate repertoire indicated below. All other instruments should prepare three (3) complete works in the following categories:

• One standard work composed before 1900 that demonstrates technical and musical proficiency.
• One 20th-century work, in traditional notation, from the standard repertoire, such as Berio’s Sequenzas, Carter, Boulez, Schoenberg, Berg, Ligeti, Stravinsky, etc.
• Chosen works should not be minimalist in nature and should reflect technical, rhythmic, and musical proficiency.
• One work composed since 2000. This work may be written by the performer, by a student or colleague, or by an established composer. This work may include electronics and may incorporate improvisation. Chosen works should not be minimalist in nature and should reflect technical, rhythmic, and musical proficiency.

Please provide at least two copies of the scores for the audition panel. Photocopies are permitted. Speakers and auxiliary cord can be provided.

Percussion applicants to the contemporary classical music program should prepare the repertoire required for a standard graduate percussion audition. Orchestral excerpts are not required, however, and instead a multiple-percussion solo recording should be provided (details below).

Auditions should be performed without accompaniment, although playback of electronics on CD or MP3 device is acceptable. Speakers and an auxiliary cord can be provided at the audition. You are encouraged to program creatively so as to represent your skills well and also demonstrate something unique about yourself as a musician.

• Graduate percussion applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the areas described below.
• Graduate percussion applicants may be asked to sight read on the instruments below.

Snare Drum

Perform both of the following, totaling about four minutes:

• Concert etude (suggested composers: Delécluse, Cirone, or Aleo)
• Rudimental solo (suggested composers: Pratt, Tompkins, or Wilcoxon)

Mallets (xylophone, marimba, vibraphone: your choice)

Perform both of the following, totaling at least four minutes:

• Two-mallet solo: A work of your choice; be creative! Some suggestions are Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin, or Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, or selections from the MassChap 2010 Xylophone Collection.
• Four-mallet solo: For suggestions, see Recommended Solos.

Note: For two-mallet and/or four-mallet solos, creative adaptations of any other composers' works are most welcome. In general, pieces with tempo fluctuations and a variety of rhythms and characters are preferred over perpetual motion pieces.

Timpani

Perform the following, totaling about three minutes:

• Solo piece about three minutes in duration. Suggested composers: Woud, Hochrainer, Firth, Delécluse, Lepak, Macarez, Carter.

Multi-Percussion

Please submit a recording of a multi-percussion solo or other contemporary solo on an instrument not otherwise represented above. Please upload a video recording (in lieu of a live performance of this work) on your preferred online platform and provide this link to the faculty prior to your audition date. Any questions can be directed to Brian Calhoon in the Admissions Office.

Harp

Instrumental auditions must be performed without accompaniment. Candidates auditioning in Boston may use Boston Conservatory harps to practice and audition (during audition weekend only). Applicants may also choose to bring their own harp. To arrange this, please contact harp faculty member and coordinator Ina Zdorovetchi.

Available harps:

• Lyon-Healy, style 100 (new)
• Salvi, Daphne
• Camac, Atlantide Prestige

Applicants should prepare the following repertoire for a live or recorded audition:

Etude

Choose one.

• Bochsa: Fifty Studies, Op. 34, Book II (Hasselmans edition), No. 41 (F Major)
• Pozzoli: Studies of Moderate Difficulty, No. 14

Two solo pieces

Choose two of the following pieces, or play two compositions of similar or higher degree of difficulty (please contact department coordinator for repertoire approval):

• Handel: Concerto in B-flat (any edition)
• Debussy: Danses Sacres et Profanes
• Ravel: Introduction et Allegro
• Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp, K. 299
• Hindemith: Harp Sonata
• Salzedo: Variations on a Theme by Haydn

Orchestra excerpts

Choose two of the following orchestra excerpts:

• Donizetti: Solo and cadenza (in D major) from Lucia di Lammermoor
• Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
• Ravel: Cadenza from Tzigane
• Wagner: Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
• Wagner: Magic Fire Music
• Strauss: Don Juan

Marimba

Auditions should be performed without accompaniment (although playback of electronics on CD or MP3 player is acceptable).

On marimba, perform three works of contrasting styles totaling a minimum of 20 minutes. At least two of these must utilize four mallets. Adaptations are welcome, but one or two works must have been composed since 1970. You are encouraged to program creatively so as to represent your skills well and also demonstrate something unique about yourself as a musician.

View Recommended Solos

Applicants may be asked to sight read.

Music Education

• Complete an interview with the chair of the Music Education Department, Cecil Adderley, and the managing director of the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs, Rhoda Bernard.
• Perform a live audition. International applicants may submit recorded auditions by special request. The audition should consist of five minutes of music of your choice to demonstrate your musicianship. Please note that any style of music can be performed at the audition. A piano accompanist will be provided. If you would like to rehearse with the accompanist, please arrive 30 minutes early for your appointment.
• International applicants must provide a TOEFL score of 80 or higher in order to interview.

Opera

Pre-screen required. Live audition required.

All opera applicants require the submission of a pre-screen recording (video required) by the December application deadline. The required method for submitting your recording is online. You will need to register and submit your pre-screen by the deadline. CDs or DVDs are not permitted.

This pre-screen recording must be accompanied, and it should include representative pieces that fulfill the audition requirements (below). This does not have to be the same repertoire you plan to sing for your audition. All works are to be performed from memory. An accompanist is provided for all voice auditions at the Boston audition location.

Applicants must be prepared to perform all of the following:

• Three arias in contrasting style and language
  • One in Italian
  • One in German or French
  • An oratorio aria (optional)
• Three art songs
  • One in English (not in translation)
  • Two in languages of your choice

Applicants are encouraged to select a contemporary work from the mid-20th to 21st century to satisfy one of the above requirements.

Note: Recorded auditions are not accepted. All opera applicants must audition live in Boston.

Orchestral Conducting

Pre-screen required. Live audition required.

All orchestral conducting applicants must submit a pre-screen recording by the December application deadline. Pre-screen material must include the following:

• A résumé highlighting the applicant’s performing, conducting, and educational experience.
• A repertoire list of compositions conducted in performance and/or rehearsal.
• Two artistic letters of recommendation from teachers or faculty who have observed the applicant conducting.
• A 30-minute video of the applicant conducting a working rehearsal (including stopping, speaking, and starting) of any instrumental ensemble or repertoire. The recording camera should be facing the conductor, and the video should demonstrate verbal communication skills. (Video of a performance is not required.) The 30-minute video may include more than one rehearsal or repertoire.
• A 15-minute audio recording of the applicant performing recently prepared repertoire on the applicant’s primary instrument/voice.

• Conduct the Boston Conservatory Conductor's Orchestra in standard orchestral repertoire (to be shared if invited).
• Demonstrate proficiency in orchestration, music history, score recognition, repertoire, and standard foreign musical terminology.

Percussion

Auditions should be performed without accompaniment (although playback of electronics on CD or MP3 player is acceptable).

• Graduate applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the areas described below.
• In addition, graduate applicants must prepare two (2) standard orchestral excerpts each for snare drum, timpani, and xylophone.
• Graduate applicants may be asked to sight read on the instruments below.
• Graduate applicants to the Contemporary Classical Music program should follow those repertoire guidelines.
• You are encouraged to program creatively so as to represent your skills well and also demonstrate something unique about yourself as a musician.

Snare Drum

Perform both of the following, totaling about four minutes:

• Concert etude. Suggested composers: Delécluse, Cirone, Aleo, Peters.
• Rudimental solo. Suggested composers: Pratt, Tompkins, Wilcoxon.

Mallets (xylophone, marimba, vibraphone: your choice)

Perform both of the following, totaling at least four minutes:

• Two-mallet solo. A work of your choice; be creative! Some suggestions are Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin, or Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, or selections from the MassChap 2010 Xylophone Collection.
• Four-mallet solo. For suggestions, see Recommended Solos.

Note: For two-mallet and/or four-mallet solo, creative adaptations of any other composers' works are most welcome. In general, pieces with tempo fluctuations and a variety of rhythms and characters are preferred over perpetual motion pieces.

Timpani

Perform the following, totaling about three minutes:

• Solo piece, about three minutes in duration. Suggested composers: Woud, Hochrainer, Firth, Delécluse, Lepak, Macarez, Carter.

Piano

Pre-screen required.

Only those applicants who pass the pre-screening round will be invited for a live audition in Boston. The audio and video should be of high quality, and the video must clearly show the applicant's hands. If you plan to audition by recording, you must submit a video online with all of the live audition requirements. Incomplete or audio-only recorded auditions will not be accepted.

Pre-screen recording requirements:

• Applicants should video record and upload a program of at least 20 minutes, including two or more contrasting works.
• Each work or movement should be uploaded as a separate video file with titles in English or the original language.
• Single movements of multi-movement works are acceptable for the pre-screen recording only.
• Complete works are to be prepared for the live audition, if invited.

Live audition requirements:

If invited for a live audition, applicants should prepare all of the following. Multimovement works must be prepared in their entirety. All works are to be performed from memory.

• A prelude and fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier or another work by Bach that includes a fugue
• A complete sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert
• A major work for solo piano from the romantic era (including Rachmaninoff)
• A solo piano piece from the 20th or 21st century
• One virtuosic etude, such as those by Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Ligeti.

Strings

violin, viola, cello, double bass

It is not required that you perform your audition with piano accompaniment, and the Conservatory cannot provide an accompanist for you. But for those who would like to work with a pianist, String faculty member Rhonda Rider can provide a list of local collaborative pianists for hire. A grand piano will be available in the audition room.

Audition materials should include:

• An etude or short virtuosic work that best demonstrates your ability to shift freely around the whole range of the instrument with good control of bowing articulation
• Two movements of unaccompanied Bach (bass players may substitute with another work of their choice)
• A complete first or last movement of a standard concerto
• A work of the applicant’s choice (a 20th-century work is recommended)
• Preparation of a melodic and a harmonic minor scale of your choice in three to four octaves, performed with a minimum of four notes slurred per bow, plus the corresponding arpeggios (the arpeggio cycle of Flesch or Galamian is preferred and should be performed three notes slurred to a bow)
• Sight reading at the live audition

Voice

Pre-screen required.

All voice applicants require the submission of a pre-screen recording (video required) by the December application deadline. The required method for submitting your recording is online. You will need to register and submit your pre-screen by the deadline. CDs or DVDs are not permitted.

This pre-screen recording must be accompanied and should include representative pieces that fulfill the audition requirements (below). This does not have to be the same repertoire you plan to sing for your audition. All works are to be performed from memory. An accompanist is provided for all voice auditions at the Boston audition location.

Applicants must be prepared to perform all of the following:

• An Italian art song
• An art song in German
• An art song in French
• An art song in English (not in translation)
• Optional: an aria from an opera or oratorio

Applicants are encouraged to select a contemporary work from the mid-20th to 21st century to satisfy one of the above requirements.

Vocal Pedagogy

Pre-screen required.

All vocal pedagogy applicants require the submission of a pre-screen recording (video required) by the December application deadline. The required method for submitting your recording is online. You will need to register and submit your pre-screen by the deadline. CDs or DVDs are not permitted.

This pre-screen recording must be accompanied and should include representative pieces that fulfill the audition requirements below. They do not have to be the repertoire you plan to sing for your audition. All works are to be performed from memory. All vocal pedagogy applicants are encouraged to audition live in Boston, where an accompanist will be provided.

Applicants must be prepared to perform all of the following:

• An Italian art song
• An art song in either French or German
• An art song in English (not a translation)
• Optional: an aria from an opera or oratorio
• Optional: a selection from the classical or contemporary musical theater genre

Applicants are encouraged to select a contemporary work from the mid-20th to 21st century to satisfy one of the above requirements.

If invited to a live audition, each applicant will perform for director Kevin Wilson and other members of the voice faculty. Recorded auditions are permitted, though live auditions are preferred.

Woodwinds

flute/optional piccolo, oboe/optional English horn, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone

Note: Instrumental auditions must be performed without accompaniment. If you are submitting a recorded audition, please make sure that there is no accompaniment and that the recording has not been edited and does not contain reverb.

Flute

• Two movements of contrasting nature from the solo repertoire (e.g., Prokofiev sonata, Poulenc sonata, Mozart concerto)
• Two orchestral excerpts (e.g., Beethoven: Leonore Overture, Brahms: 4th Symphony, Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scherzo)

Optional Piccolo

• Two movements of contrasting nature from the solo repertoire (e.g., Vivaldi Piccolo concerto)
• Two orchestral excerpts (e.g., Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, Rossini: Semiramide Overture)

Oboe

• Two movements of contrasting nature from the solo repertoire (e.g., Mozart concerto, Vaughan-Williams concerto, Ferling etudes, Barrett etude)
• Two orchestral excerpts (e.g., Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, Beethoven: 3rd Symphony, Rossini: La scala di seta Overture)

Optional English Horn

• Two movements of contrasting nature from the solo repertoire (e.g., Donizetti concertino)
• Two orchestral excerpts (e.g., Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture; Dvôrák: New World Symphony, Largo; Debussy: Nocturnes, Fêtes)

Clarinet

• Two movements of contrasting nature from the solo repertoire (e.g., Mozart concerto, Weber: either concerto)
• Two orchestral excerpts (e.g., Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scherzo; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol, Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, second movement)

Bassoon

• Two movements of contrasting nature from the solo repertoire (e.g., Mozart concerto)
• Two orchestral excerpts (e.g., Beethoven: 4th Symphony, Strauss: Don Juan, Stravinsky: Rite of Spring)

Saxophone

• Two movements of contrasting nature from the solo repertoire
• Two contrasting Ferling etudes (one fast, one slow)

Woodwinds with Auxiliary Instrument Specialization

Students interested in applying for graduate-level programs in woodwinds now have the option of formally declaring an auxiliary instrument specialization. The core curriculum for these specializations is nearly identical in structure to other graduate-level programs in woodwinds. Accepted students who declare auxiliary instrument specializations will note the specialized work in the applied area (private lessons, juries, and recitals), large ensembles (with casting priority on the specialized instrument), and the possibility of chamber music assignments. Applicants who wish to be considered for the specializations should adhere to the specific audition requirements below.

Flute with Piccolo Specialization

Flute

• Two contrasting movements of your choice from the standard solo repertoire (e.g., Mozart Concerti, Prokofiev Sonata, Poulenc Sonata, Bach Sonatas or Partita)

Piccolo

• Any Vivaldi piccolo concerto: one slow and one fast movement
• Four orchestral excerpts
  • Your choice of opera overture by Rossini (e.g., La gazza ladra, La scala di seta Overture, Semiramide Overture)
  • Your choice of Shostakovich Symphony 6, 8, or 10
  • Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4
  • Berlioz, "Dance of the Sprites," from Damnation of Faust

Oboe with English Horn Specialization

Oboe

• Two contrasting movements of your choice from the standard solo repertoire (e.g., Mozart Concerto, Vaughn-Williams Concerto, Strauss Concerto)

English Horn

One of the following solo works:

• J.S. Bach, Cantata #1, aria "Wie schön leuchtet"
• Donizetti, Concertino for English horn

Three orchestral excerpts:

• Berlioz, Roman Carnival Overture: all the passages from the Andante Sostenuto section
• Debussy, Nocturnes Movt. 2 (Fêtes): the first passage and figures 2-4 and 14-18
• Rodrigo, Concierto de Aranjuez: Adagio

Clarinet with Bass Clarinet Specialization

Clarinet

• Two contrasting movements of your choice from the standard solo repertoire (e.g., Mozart Concerto, Weber Concerti, Nielsen Concerto)

Bass Clarinet

• One movement of a J. S. Bach cello suite (original or transposed keys)
• One contemporary solo piece of your choice (e.g., Elliott Carter: "Steep Steps"; Loevendie: "Duo"; Isang Yun: "Monologue")

Your choice of two of the following orchestral excerpts:

• Ravel, La Valse
• Stravinsky, Rite of Spring
• Grand Canyon Suite
• Shostakovich, Violin Concerto
• Ravel, Daphnis and Chloé, Suite No.2

Bassoon with Contrabassoon Specialization

Bassoon

• Two contrasting movements of your choice from the standard solo repertoire (e.g., Mozart Concerto, Weber Concerto, Tansman Sonata)

Contrabassoon

Complete orchestral parts for the following works:

• Ravel, Mother Goose Suite
• Ravel, Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
• Brahms, Symphony No. 1
• Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5

Multiple Woodwind

All multiple woodwind applicants should demonstrate ability on at least three different woodwind family instruments (i.e. no multi-clarinets, no multi-saxes). For the applicant’s primary instrument, the applicant should prepare two contrasting movements from the standard repertoire. For every other instrument presented, prepare a work(s) that demonstrates current levels of technical and musical proficiency of at least 5 minutes in duration per instrument.

If unable to attend a live audition, applicants may submit a recorded audition. Please make sure that on the recording there is no accompaniment and that the recording has not been edited and does not contain reverb.