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Graduate Conducting Program

Applying
Applications for the Graduate Conducting Program are due by December 1. 
Important Dates and Deadlines

Important Dates and Deadlines

December 1: Application deadline*
Mid-December: Applicants are notified of prescreening results via their Application Portal
End of February, beginning of March: Final auditions at Bard College and in New York City
March 1: Financial Aid Application deadline
Mid-March: Final admissions decisions and financial aid packages will be released. 
April 15: Enrollment deadline

Requirements for All Applicants

A completed application will contain the following materials, as well as a nonrefundable application fee of $75.00, payable online with a valid credit card or electronic check. Application requirements are the same for choral and orchestral conducting. 
Audition Requirements

  • Résumé
    Please upload a musical resume describing your performance experience. This document must be in English. Please include information such as:
    • Educational history
    • Musical awards and honors, including dates
    • Solo and chamber music performance experience
    • Master classes and music festival participation, include dates
  • Prescreening
    Prescreening requirements may be found here. Only video recordings will be accepted.

    Although Slate does support media files as large as 2 GB, please be advised that larger files will take longer to upload from your Internet connection and may stall if you are on a wireless connection or one that cannot sustain a connection for the necessary period of time. Uploaded documents may contain no more than 75 pages.
  • Academic Materials
    1. Two letters of recommendation 
      When prompted in the application, please enter the recommender’s name and email address. The recommender will receive an email with instructions on how to submit the recommendation online.
    2. All academic transcripts from schools attended. Please request an official copy of your academic transcript only after you have received your official live audition invitation, and no later than February 15. Transcripts may also be emailed from the institution directly to [email protected].

International Applicants: English Proficiency

In addition to the first-year application requirements, non-native speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency in English. They should take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).* TOEFL scores should be sent to the Graduate Conducting Program by the Educational Testing Service. The Bard College school code is 2037. A minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test (PBT) or 100 on the internet-based test (iBT) is recommended for admission. We also accept the IELTS in place of the TOEFL, with a band score of no less than seven, or the Duolingo Test with a total score of no less than 120. 

Other evidence of English-language proficiency will be accepted only with the approval of the Graduate Admission Committee. An application is considered incomplete and cannot be acted upon until the English proficiency score is received. The deadline for English proficiency score submissions is February 15. 

*Students who have spent the majority of their secondary education in an English-medium program may be eligible for a waiver of the language testing requirement.

Letters of recommendation and transcripts may be mailed to:

Bard College Conservatory of Music
Admissions: GCP
30 Campus Road, PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504