Artist Diploma Program Auditions

Artist Diploma Program Auditions

• AD audition procedures and guidelines
• Information for faculty
• AD audition dates and application deadlines

AD audition procedures and guidelines

To be admitted to the Artist Diploma program, students must be at a performance level equivalent to acceptance into a major international competition. Candidates are admitted conditionally to the Artist Diploma program of the Jacobs School of Music through regular departmental audition procedures. For students new to the Jacobs School of Music, this departmental audition takes place during the regular audition times. For current Jacobs School of Music students, this departmental audition must take place in the semester before the one in which the student wishes to begin the program.

Students recommended by departmental audition must be heard in a School-wide audition by the Artist Diploma Committee of the Jacobs School of Music for final approval. For students new to the Jacobs School of Music, this audition must take place in the first semester of enrollment. For current Jacobs School of Music students, this audition must take place in the semester before the one in which the student wishes to begin the program.

If a current student passes the School-wide audition, they will then be instructed to apply for formal admission to the Artist Diploma program through the Music Admissions Office. This step should only be completed after the successful completion of the School-wide audition.

Guidelines for the School-wide audition

Admission to the Artist Diploma program does not require a high school or General Educational Development (GED) diploma, but one of these must be earned before the Artist Diploma can be granted.

Auditions are held in the fall and spring semesters, see below for the dates for the next audition, and for application deadlines.

To schedule an audition

Current students in other Jacobs School of Music programs:

• Discuss your interest in the AD program with your teacher - make sure to take into consideration the school-wide repertoire requirements (see below) as well as any other repertoire specifications your teacher and/or department may require.
• Sign up in the Music Graduate Office (JS 120).
• Contact the chair of your department to approve your audition repertoire and to arrange a departmental audition. 
• Bring a typed copy of your program to the departmental audition. The program should contain all relevant information that would typically be found on a recital program (composer name and dates, work title and dates, titles of movements, pieces, or songs, as appropriate).
  
  
  Repertoire for the audition:
  

  • The program must include at least 50 minutes of music (40 minutes for brass).
  • The program must include at least three works. Vocal programs must include music in at least three languages.
  • The program must include music by at least three composers, reflecting a diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, or other historically excluded groups.
  • If a concerto or major multi-movement work is presented, all movements must be prepared.
  • Individual departments may require the program to be memorized and have other specific repertoire guidelines.

• If you pass the departmental audition, the chair will sign the program and give it back to you to turn in to the Music Graduate Office before the deadline.  You must present the same repertoire in both the departmental and school-wide auditions - no changes in repertoire between auditions will be permitted.
• If your department recommends you for the AD program, the department chair will also notify the Music Graduate Office and you will be scheduled for an audition.

Allnew students in the first semester of the AD program:

• Sign up in the Music Graduate Office.
• Consult with your department chair about appropriate repertoire for the audition. Prepare a typed program and have it approved and signed by the department chair. The program should contain all relevant information that would typically be found on a recital program (composer name and dates, work title and dates, titles of movements, pieces, or songs, as appropriate).
  
  
  Repertoire for the audition:
  

  • The program must include at least 50 minutes of music (40 minutes for brass).
  • The program must include at least three works. Vocal programs must include music in at least three languages.
  • The program must include music by at least three composers.
  • If a concerto or major multi-movement work is presented, all movements must be prepared.
  • Individual departments may require the program to be memorized and have other specific repertoire guidelines.
• Bring the approved program to the Music Graduate Office before the deadline. You will be scheduled for an audition.

The audition schedule will be emailed to the students. Students must provide an accompanist, if needed. If you have questions or concerns about this process or about the Artist Diploma program, please contact the Music Graduate Office.

Information for faculty

Departmental Audition

Faculty eligible to vote in the departmental audition include tenure-eligible faculty and Professors of Practice. Ordinarily, the departmental AD audition must be heard by a minimum of five faculty members from the student's major field department. In departments with fewer than three eligible faculty members, the departmental audition must be heard by a minimum of three faculty members. Departments with fewer than the required number of eligible faculty members;(currently guitar, harp, organ, and percussion) must recruit faculty members from other departments to reach the minimum number listed above.

Faculty members vote by anonymous ballot, without discussion. The department chair reports the result to the music graduate office on the Artist Diploma Audition Response Form, which asks for the names of faculty members who heard the audition and the number who voted to recommend the student for the school-wide audition, but not the votes of individual faculty members.  The repertoire presented in the departmental audition will be the same repertoire presented in the school-wide audition - no changes in repertoire between auditions will be permitted.

A student must receive positive votes from at least 2/3 of the faculty members in attendance. For each of the following numbers of faculty members, the student must receive the number of positive votes indicated in parenthesis: 5 (4), 6 (4), 7 (5), 8 (6), 9 (6), 10 (7), 11 (8), 12 (8), 13 (9), 14 (10), 15 (10).

School-wide Audition

Auditions will be heard by a committee that will be supplied with the candidate's age but not the name of the teacher or with other information. Committee members will vote by anonymous ballot, without discussion, and will judge the level of the audition itself, not the level they may know the candidate to be capable of. A student's teacher may be present for the audition, but not for the voting; if a student's teacher is on the committee, he or she may not vote.

A student must receive positive votes from more than half of the committee members in attendance. For each of the following numbers of committee members, the student must receive the number of positive votes indicated in parenthesis: 5 (3), 6 (4), 7 (4), 8 (5), 9 (5), 10 (6), 11 (6), 12 (7), 13 (7), 14 (8), 15 (8).

Artist Diploma audition dates and application deadlines (subject to change)

Fall semester 2023: 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, 18 October 2023, and Friday, 20 October 2023

Deadline to sign up for Fall auditions: 8 September 2023 (4 p.m.)
Deadline for departmental audition results and submission of signed program: 6 October 2023 (4 p.m.)

Spring semester 2024: 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, 21 February 2024, and Friday, 23 February 2024

Deadline to sign up for Spring auditions: 19 January 2024 (4 p.m.)
Deadline for departmental audition results and submission of signed program: 9 February 2024 (4 p.m.)