Undergraduate Program
Admission
- Admission Options
- Application Process
- Prescreening and Audition Repertoire Requirements
- Transfer Applicants
- International Students
- Fees and Expenses
- Financial Aid
- Frequently Asked Questions
- On the Road
Admission Options
For the 2010 academic year, The Bard College Conservatory of Music will accept undergraduate students in the following majors:
- Bass
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Clarinet
- Composition
Flute(No openings in 2010)- Harp
- Horn
- Oboe
- Piano
- Trombone
- Trumpet
Tuba(No openings in 2010)- Viola
- Violin
(Please note that the Conservatory offers degrees in Conducting and Vocal Arts at the graduate level only.)
The Conservatory is entering its fifth year. In the coming years, the Conservatory will add students in sufficient numbers to reach its full enrollment of approximately 120 undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students.
Admission to the Conservatory is highly selective. The Conservatory admits only exceptionally talented musicians who have already achieved a superior degree of instrumental proficiency, or have substantial accomplishment as composers.
To be admitted, applicants must perform a successful audition and must also be admitted by Bard College. (Additional information on Bard College's academic standards can be found here.) Your chance for admission to the College will be substantially enhanced by your musical achievements.
The Conservatory is under no constraints to admit target numbers of instruments in any given year. This allows both flexibility and rigor in the admission process.
There are four different options to apply to the Conservatory:
| Admission Plan | Application Deadline | Audition Dates |
| Immediate Decision Plan | Rolling | November 6-7, 2009 |
| Early Action | November 1 | Ad hoc |
| Regular Admission | January 15 | Composition: February 28 Woodwinds: February 28 Trumpet: February 28 Viola: March 10 Violin: March 17 Cello: March 22 Piano: TBA All other instruments: ad hoc |
| Transfer Admission | March 15, November 1 | Ad hoc |
(See Application Process below for details on each Admission Plan)
A complete application to the Conservatory includes the following two components:
- An application for admission to Bard College using the Bard Application, the Common Application, or the Universal College Application—sent to the Bard College Office of Admission
- The Conservatory Supplemental Application, including prescreening DVD (repertoire requirements)—sent directly to the Conservatory
The Conservatory considers the prescreening DVD, Supplemental Application, and live audition in making admission decisions. Bard College admission counselors, not Conservatory faculty, read the College Application. Therefore it is important to follow the guidelines for admission established by the College to ensure your application is as competitive as possible. Because large numbers of applicants to the College submit music CDs as supplements to their applications, Conservatory materials sent to the College Admission office may not be routed properly. In such cases there can be no guarantee an application to the Conservatory will be reviewed. Also, please note that the Arts Supplement to the Common Application can NOT be used to apply to the Conservatory.
Application Process
Apply for admission to Bard College
For full instructions, see the Bard College Catalogue or visit Bard's website. The Bard Application (including transcripts, evaluations, and essays) should be sent directly to the College Admissions office.
Submit the Conservatory Supplemental Application
The Supplemental Application will provide us with the names of teachers, dates and places of study, public performances, honors and awards, and other information on your musical influences and education. No audition will be granted without completion of this application. Click here to download the application.
A prescreening DVD and repertoire list must accompany the Supplemental Application. The DVD should be clearly labeled with your contact information. Click here for repertoire requirements for individual instruments.
Students who wish to study both performance and composition as majors should apply in both areas.
Audition
Live auditions will be held in accordance with each admission plan:
Immediate Decision Plan (IDP): Auditions will take place on November 6-7, 2009. Because of the unique nature of the Immediate Decision Plan, there is no prescreening round. Applicants will be offered audition places on a first-come, first-served basis. To schedule an audition, simply complete the IDP Application, and send it to the Conservatory office. An IDP Reservation Request sent to the College Admission office will not be considered for the Conservatory. Prospective students should be familiar with the Conservatory's repertoire requirements prior to reserving an audition under the Immediate Decision Plan. In addition to the audition, there is also a seminar conducted by a Bard faculty member and an interview with an admission counselor.
Early Action: After the completion of the prescreening round, the conservatory will schedule an audition at a time and place that is convenient for both the applicant and the faculty.
Regular Admission: Auditions will be held in late February and early March at Bard College. In a few cases, auditions may be scheduled instead in New York City. Invitations to attend a live audition will be extended no later than February 1.
Auditions will also be held at the Interlochen Arts Academy on January 11, 2010. This is open only to students currently enrolled at IAA.Transfer Admission: Auditions will be held on an ad-hoc basis, either in New York City or at Bard College.
Notification
Candidates will be notified within two weeks of the application deadline whether they have been selected for audition, and, if so, the time and place of the audition. Candidates may prepare the same audition repertoire used in prescreening materials. An accompanist will be provided free of charge at each audition by the Post Graduate Piano Fellowship program.
Every attempt will be made to accommodate students for whom travel presents financial or other difficulties. In most cases a DVD will be acceptable in lieu of an in-person audition.
Applicants who proceed to the live audition round will receive notification of the final result by April 1. Accepted students will have until May 1 to decide upon the offer of admission.
Mailing address and contact information
The application to Bard College should be sent directly to the College Admissions office. The prescreening DVD and Supplemental Application should be sent separately to the Conservatory at this address:
The Bard College Conservatory of Music
30 Campus Road
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
Do not send Conservatory application materials to the Bard College Admissions office.
For further information please call 845-758-7196 or e-mail conservatory@bard.edu.
Prescreening and Audition Repertoire Requirements
DVD preferred; CD also accepted
All collaborative works must be accompanied (e.g. concerto, sonata)
For piano
- A work by J. S. Bach
- A movement of a classical sonata
- A movement or work from the romantic era
- A 20th-century work
- A work of your choice
For violin
- Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach partita or sonata
- A movement of a standard concerto
- A movement of a sonata
- A work of your choice
For viola
- Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach suite (originally for cello) or partita or sonata (originally for violin)
- A concerto movement or étude
- A movement of a sonata
- A work of your choice
For cello
- Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach suite
- A movement of a standard concerto
- A movement of a sonata
- A work of your choice
For bass
- An étude
- Two contrasting sonata movements
- A work of your choice
For harp
- Three pieces of the following level of difficulty:
- Bach/Grandjany études
- Marcel Tournier: Feerie
- Nina Rota: Sarabande and Toccata or Handel: Concerto in B-Flat Major
For flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon
- An étude
- A concerto movement
- A 20th-century work
- A work of your choice
For horn
- An étude
- A concerto movement
- At least three of the following excerpts:
- Wagner: Short Call from Siegfried's Rheinfahrt
- Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
- Shostakovich: Low tutti from Symphony No. 5 (1st movement)
- Brahms: Symphony No. 3 (3rd movement)
- Strauss: Ein Heldenleben (opening)
For trumpet, trombone, or tuba
- An étude
- A concerto or sonata movement
- A 20th-century work
- A work of your choice
For composition
- A portfolio of scores that best represent the applicant's creative potential
- Recordings of the works submitted (preferably not in MIDI format)
- A recording of the applicant playing an instrument or singing
Transfer Applicants
The Conservatory welcomes transfer applications from students currently attending conservatories, liberal arts colleges, and universities. Applicants must submit a Bard College Transfer Application in addition to the Conservatory's prescreening DVD and Supplemental Application. Please consult the Bard College admission page for general information on completing the Transfer Application. The deadline for transfer applications is November 1st for Spring admission, and March 15th for Fall admission.
Upon favorable review of the prescreening DVD, invitations will be extended to audition at Bard College or New York City on an ad hoc basis. Transfer applicants are also welcome to submit their materials by the January 15th deadline, and audition along with first-year applicants in early March.
International Students
International students may apply by DVD if travel to the United States for a live audition is not feasible. The prescreening repertoire requirements should be used for the audition DVD.
A TOEFL score of 100 (iBT) or 250 (computer based) or equivalent evidence of English language proficiency is expected for admission.
In certain circumstances international students may be granted Exception Admit status for their first year at Bard, with the understanding that by the start of the second year these students will have achieved the required level of English-language proficiency. For such students, First-Year Seminar may be postponed to year two.
In their first year Exception Admit students' full-time course load of 12 credits will typically consist of
- Studio Instruction (4 credits)
- Chamber Music (2 credits)
- Orchestral Studies (2 credits)
- English as a Second Language (4 credits)
Fees and Expenses
The annual tuition and fees for the Conservatory program are the same as for the College. Note, though, that the program will usually require five years rather than four, and students may choose to enroll in summer and January intersession programs, which carry additional costs. All Conservatory applicants are automatically considered for merit-based aid, in addition to any need-based aid for which they may qualify.
Click here for complete information about Tuition, Fees, Billing, and Payment.
Financial Aid
Through the administration of its financial aid program, Bard College seeks to assist students and families whose personal resources do not allow for total payment of the costs of attending a small private college. The College is committed to helping as many qualified candidates as its funds will allow; in recent years, approximately two-thirds of all students have received financial aid.
Financial aid is awarded on the basis of need, musical ability, and academic achievement and promise. For domestic applicants, financial need is determined annually by the U.S. Department of Education, the College Scholarship Service of the College Board (CSS), and Bard College.
In order to qualify for financial assistance, students must submit the appropriate forms annually. Forms and other materials are available in the fall and early winter of each year. It is important to meet the deadlines.
The Bard Admission Committee evaluates applications without regard to financial need. International students may be eligible, based on need and merit, for Bard scholarships and loans. Awards are made without reference to ethnic or national origin, sex, age, marital status, or handicap. Types of available financial aid are summarized in the Bard College Catalogue. More detailed information can be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid website.
