Admission Auditions

ADMISSION DATES
  • Choral Conducting
    • Perform a program with the applicant’s own choir lasting at least 20 minutes. Video recordings will also be accepted.
  • Orchestral Conducting

    The entrance exam consists of two parts: conducting and a colloquium.

    1. Conducting

    In the first round you will be asked to conduct a work or a movement from a large cycle with a maximum duration of 15 minutes.

    In the second round you will be asked to conduct the EAMT string ensemble, performing one of the following works chosen by the exam commission:
    Britten – Simple Symphony

    1. Colloquium
    • Performance of a piece (or excerpt from a larger work) on your main instrument.
    • Score recognition: you will be asked to identify the following works based on score examples:

    Haydn – London symphonies (the four last symphonies)
    Mozart – Symphonies 39, 40 and 41
    Beethoven – Symphonies 1–9
    Schubert – Symphonies 3, 4, 5, 7 (9.) and 8
    Schumann – Symphonies 1–4
    Brahms – Symphonies 1–4
    Berlioz – Sypmonie Fantastique
    Bruckner – Symphonies 4, 7
    Mahler – Symphonies 1, 5
    Tchaikovsky – Symphonies 4, 5, 6
    Rachmaninoff – Symphonic Dances
    Strauss, Richard – Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel, Death and Transfiguration
    Sibelius – Symphonies 2, 5
    Prokofiev – Symphonies 1, 5
    Debussy – La Mer
    Ravel – Rhapsodie Espagnol
    Stravinsky – Le Sacre du Printemps, Petrushka
    Shostakovich – 1, 5, 6, 9
    Bartók – Concerto for Orchestra

    3. You will be asked to discuss a selection of the following composers:

    Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Liszt, Bruckner, Britten, Lutoslawski, Ligeti, Adams, Glass, Adès, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini.

     

    Please write a short essay describing your education as well as your understanding of conducting as a vocation. Include your reasons for choosing to study this precarious field.

    Video submissions are accepted. Colloquiums are required to take place in real time either in person or via a video link. Please note that in person meetings are preferred.

  • Wind Orchestra Conducting
    • Perform a programme lasting 15-25 minutes on the candidate’s main instrument. The programme should comprise of music of varied styles and include at least one movement from a work in large form and one work for solo instrument.

After the performance the candidate will be interviewed by a panel of faculty members. During the interview, the examination panel may test the candidate’s knowledge of music and culture. The interview will provide the opportunity for the candidate to demonstrate the sufficiency of their English language skills.

The examination panel will evaluate the following:

  • fluency and precision
  • expressiveness
  • technical proficiency
  • familiarity with various musical styles
  • conveyance of personal expression
  • technical difficulty of the repertoire
  • general knowledge of music and culture

Entrance exams will be graded on a scale of 0–10.
5 is the minimum passing grade.