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Graduate Audition Materials and Requirements: Brass Instruments
The entrance audition must display a level of development in embouchure, articulation, range, tone, flexibility and musicality that allows you to start with the listed repertoire or comparable literature. Live and recorded auditions are accepted; however, a slightly longer program of music is suggested for recorded auditions. Piano accompaniment is not required for brass auditions.
Prescreening for doctoral applicants: In order to be considered for a live, in-person audition, applicants for all doctoral performance concentrations must submit a prescreening recording by October 1 for spring admission and December 1 for fall admission. Video is preferred, but audio is acceptable. All prescreening materials must be uploaded to SlideRoom by the deadlines above. DVD/CD submissions received are neither reviewed nor acted upon. Applications received without a prescreening recording uploaded to SlideRoom will be considered incomplete, and the applicant will not be considered for an invitation to a live audition.
Doctoral Prescreening Requirements
Please upload separate recordings of your performances of:
1. Two solo works or movements of contrasting style.
2. Three standard excerpts.
Audition Requirements
Trumpet
Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts
No specific works are required.
- Several contrasting styles from the standard trumpet repertoire that demonstrate all facets of your playing and show proficiency on B–flat, C, E–flat and piccolo trumpets.
- Sight-reading.
- Transposing at sight.
- Orchestra calls from standard audition materials.
Horn
Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts
- Transposing at sight
- Orchestra excerpts to include:
- Brahms: Symphony No. 3 (third movement – first horn)
- Strauss: Till Eulenspiegel (opening calls – first horn)
- Four other orchestral excerpts of the applicant's choice
- Two works that are comparable in difficulty to the following representative samples:
- Dukas: Vilanelle
- Gliere: Concerto
- Haydn:Concerto No. 1
- Jacob: Concerto
- Mozart: Concerto No. 2 or 4
- Schumann: Adagio and Allegro
- R. Strauss: Concerto No. 2
Trombone
Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts
Tenor Trombone
- Orchestral excerpts:
- Mozart: "Tuba mirum" from Requiem
- Berlioz: "Hungarian March" from The Damnation of Faust
- Four other orchestral excerpts of the applicant's choice
- Two works that are comparable in difficulty to the following representative samples:
- Casterede: Sonatine
- Defaye: Deux Danses
- Grondahl: Concerto
- Larsson: Concertino
- Martin: Ballade
- Tomasi: Concerto
Bass Trombone
- Orchestral excerpts:
- Haydn: No. 26 ("Achieved is the Glorious Work") from The Creation
- Wagner: "Ride of the Walküre" from Die Walküre (minor and major excerpts)
- Four other orchestral excerpts of the applicant's choice
- Two works that are comparable in difficulty to the following representative samples:
- Bozza: New Orleans
- C. Brubeck: Bass Trombone Concerto
- Hartley: Sonata Breve
- R. Vaughan Williams: Tuba Concerto
- John Williams: Tuba Concerto
Euphonium
Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts
- Scales: Major and minor scales.
- Sight-reading.
- Six band/orchestra excerpts.
- Two selections from the following:
- Charlier: 36 Etudes: Transcendantes
- Arban: Characteristic Studies
- Joseph Horovitz: Concerto for Euphonium
- James Curnow: Symphonic Variants
- Jan Bach: Concert Variations
- David R. Gillingham: Blue Lake Fantasie
- Herbert L. Clarke: Carnival of Venice
- Simone Mantia: All Those Endearing Young Charms
- Amilcare Ponchielli: Concerto for Fliscomo Basso
Tuba
Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts
- Scales: Major and minor scales.
- Sight-reading.
- Six orchestral excerpts.
- Two selections from the following:
- Charlier: Transcendantes from 36 Etudes:
- Smith: Top Tones for Trumpet
- Arban: Characteristic Studies
- Vaughn Williams: Concerto for Bass Tuba
- Kraft: Encounters II (1966)
- Penderecki: Capriccio
- Plog: Three Miniatures
- Gregson: Concerto for Tuba