Scholarships - Freshman - Requirements

Piano & Organ Auditions

Piano Audition Length: 10 minutes

Piano Audition Repertoire: choose two from the following (music must be memorized)

• a baroque work, such as a Sinfonia or Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach
• a fast movement from a sonata by Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven
• a Romantic work (Chopin, Brahms, Schumann, etc.)
• an Impressionistic or 20 th Century work

 

Organ Audition Length: maximum of 10 minutes

Organ Audition Repertoire:

• one composition by J.S. Bach such as a Chorale Prelude or a Prelude and/or Fugue
• a contrasting composition from any style period (if the Bach work is meditative, this choice should be vigorous and vice versa)

 

Instrumental Auditions

Audition Length: 10 minutes

Audition Repertoire: choose two contrasting selections from the following solo literature:

• a movement from a sonata or concerto
• a solo piece that is appropriate for high school solo & ensemble festival (contest)
• a standard solo etude

Accompaniment Live Audition: No accompanist required.

Recorded audition: Please arrange to have a pianist accompany your performance if the piece calls for it

 

For Percussion auditions:

Applicants should prepare two solos from the following three instrumental categories:

1) Snare drum (rudimental or concert style) one etude demonstrating technical ability (examples of acceptable books include Peters, Cirone, Whaley, Delecluse, Firth, Pratt, Wilcoxen)

Demonstration of standard rudiments (flams, drags, rolls, etc.)

2) Mallets (marimba, xylophone, or vibraphone) One short work or etude (5 minutes or less) demonstrating technical and musical facility. Either 2 or 4 mallet works are acceptable (examples of acceptable material include works by Abe, Bach, G.H. Green, Musser, Peters)

All major scales through 4 flats and 4 sharps

3) Timpani One etude or solo work demonstrating technical and musical facility (examples of acceptable works include etudes by Goodman, Firth, and Delecluse or solos by Carter, Beck, Cahn)

Ability to accurately tune intervals of 4ths and 5ths

Voice Auditions

Audition Length: 10 minutes

Audition Repertoire (music must be memorized): two art songs in contrasting styles (one must be in English) and an operatic aria or a musical theater selection appropriate for voice type and development

Recording Type: Video or DVD recording is permitted for voice auditions.

Accompaniment:

Live audition: Accompaniment is required from either a Calvin staff accompanist or you may provide your own. Indicate which you would prefer on your application form.

Recorded audition: Please arrange to have a pianist accompany your performance if the piece calls for it.

Please note: No pre-recorded accompaniments allowed for recorded or live auditions.