Undergraduate Program
An opera performer in a flower crown looks upward while touching her crown.
Photo by Maria Baranova

Audition Requirements

Applicants must submit a prescreening recording along with their Conservatory application by January 1. Prescreening and final audition requirements can be found below. Prescreening recordings may be submitted online as either audio or video.

Spring 2027 Audition Dates

Auditions for the Undergraduate Double Degree Program will be held on the following dates: 
All final auditions are by invitation only, and shortlisted applicants will receive an invitation to either schedule an audition or submit new recordings by mid-January. 
  • General Information
    All final auditions are by invitation only, and shortlisted applicants will receive an invitation to either schedule an audition or submit new recordings by January 15. All live auditions are by invitation only in February and March. Unless otherwise noted, all live auditions are held at Bard College Conservatory of Music in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Applicants invited for the final live auditions will be notified through their application portal by mid-January. 

    All applicants who choose to submit a final audition recording will receive instructions for how to upload your new videos to the applicant portal. Only video recordings will be accepted for the final round, and applicants must include all required final audition repertoire. Final audition video recordings are due on February 1. 

    Questions regarding the final audition process may be sent to the Conservatory Admissions Office at [email protected].
  • Final Auditions
    Final in-person and remote audition dates will be announced in the fall. Please continue to visit this page for updates.

    At this time, Bard Conservatory is planning to offer the following final audition options: 
    • Live in-person auditions at Bard 
    • Live remote auditions via Zoom 
    • Recorded video audition 

    Equal consideration will be given to applicants who choose to submit a recorded audition and applicants who choose to schedule a live in-person or live-remote audition. 

Requirements by Instrument

Bassoon
Prescreening Requirements:
  • An étude
  • A concerto movement
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Requirements:
  • An etude
  • A concerto movement
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice
Clarinet
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • An étude
  • A concerto movement
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • An etude
  • A concerto movement
  • A 20th-century work
  • 2 orchestral excerpts of your choice (example, Beethoven - Symphony No. 6, Mendelssohn - Scherzo from Midsummer Night's Dream)
  • A work of your choice
Cello
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • A movement from an unaccompanied Bach suite
  • A movement of a concerto
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach suite
  • A movement of a standard concerto
  • A work of your choice
Composition
Prescreening:
  • 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

Final Interview:

Composition applicants who pass prescreening will be invited to campus for a live interview/audition with the composition faculty. Applicants will be asked to bring a portfolio of their works with them and will be asked to play a piece on the instrument of their choice. International students, and those for whom travel to the Bard campus presents a hardship, may have a Zoom interview.
Chinese Percussion
Pre-screening and Final Audition Repertoire: 
  • A traditional piece
    A new (contemporary) work
Dizi
Pre-screening and Final Audition Repertoire: 
  • A traditional piece
    A new (contemporary) work
Double Bass

Undergrad Prescreening Repertoire:
  • An étude
  • A movement from a Bach solo suite
  • A work of your choice
Advanced Performance Studies (APS) Prescreening Repertoire:
  • A movement of solo Bach (6 cello suites) of your choice
  • The exposition from one of the standard double bass concertos
  • Two contrasting orchestral excerpts
Final Audition Repertoire (for both undergraduate and APS applicants):
  • A movement of solo Bach (6 cello suites) of your choice
  • A work of your choice
  • Two contrasting orchestral excerpts
Erhu
Pre-screening and Final Audition Repertoire:  
  • A traditional piece
    A new (contemporary) work
Flute
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • An étude
  • A concerto movement
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • An etude
  • A concerto movement
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice
Guqin
Prescreening and Final Audition Repertoire:
  • A traditional piece
  • A new (contemporary) work 
Guzheng
Prescreening and Final Audition Repertoire: 
  • A traditional piece
  • A new (contemporary) work
Konghou
Prescreening and Final Audition Repertoire: 
  • A traditional piece
  • A new (contemporary) work
Harp
Prescreening Repertoire:
       Two pieces of the following level of difficulty:
  • Bach/Grandjany études
  • Marcel Tournier: Feerie
  • Nina Rota: Sarabande and Toccata
  • Handel: Concerto in B-Flat Major
Final Audition Repertoire:

1. Two contrasting solos of the following level of difficulty:
  • Handel: Concerto in B-flat Major
  • Faure:  Impromptu
  • Britten:  Suite for Harp

2. Two orchestral excerpts of student's choice, such as:

  • Wagner: Liebestod
  • Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
  • Ravel: Tzigane
  • Britten:  Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
  • Stravinsky: Symphony in 3 Movements, 2nd mvt
3. Sight reading to be provided at audition.
Horn
Prescreening and Final Audition Repertoire:
  • An étude
  • A concerto movement
       And two 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)
Oboe
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • An étude
  • A concerto movement
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • An etude
  • A concerto movement
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice
Percussion
These are our typical audition requirements, but we welcome anyone to audition with this or similar types of repertoire - or anything that best represents you as a player.  Please reach out to the Conservatory Admissions office ([email protected]) to discuss your plans for audition - we will make auditions work for everyone who wants to apply!

Prescreening Repertoire:
  • Marimba: Mallet solo (5-12 minutes)
  • Timpani: An étude of choice. The following are recommended: Elliott Carter Eight Pieces for Solo Timpani, Richard Hochrainer Etuden Für Timpani, Jacques Delecluse Vingt Etudes
  • Snare Drum: An étude of choice. The following are recommended: Cirone Portraits in Rhythm, Delecluse Douze Etudes, Smith Publications' The Noble Snare Collection
  • Something Else (optional): Send us something else that makes you a unique musician. Possibilities could include orchestra excerpts, steel drum playing, multiple percussion solo, drumset, even another instrument
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • Marimba:
    • Four mallet solo (5-12 minutes in length)
    • Two mallet solo (transcription of J.S. Bach or other substantial work)
    • Two mallet sight-reading may be asked at live audition
  • Timpani:
    • An étude of choice. The following are recommended: Elliott Carter Eight Pieces for Solo Timpani, Richard Hochrainer Etuden Für Timpani, Jacques Delecluse Vingt Etudes
    • Interval knowledge and basic tuning may be examined
  • Snare Drum:
    • An étude of choice. The following are recommended: Cirone Portraits in Rhythm, Delecluse Douze Etudes, Smith Publications' The Noble Snare Collection
    • Sight-reading may be asked
  • Chamber Music:
    • Candidate will be asked to sight-read an excerpt from the chamber music repertoire with members of the percussion faculty. Music and instruments will be provided
  • Something Else (optional): Please feel welcome to bring in something else that makes you a unique musician. Possibilities could include orchestra excerpts, steel drum playing, multiple percussion solo, drumset, even another instrument.
Piano
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • A work by J. S. Bach
  • A movement of a classical sonata
  • A movement or work from the romantic era
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • A work by J. S. Bach
  • A movement of a classical sonata
  • A movement or work from the romantic era
  • A work composed in the 20th or 21st century
  • A work of your choice
Pipa
Pre-screening and Final Audition Repertoire:  
  • A traditional piece
  • A new (contemporary) work
It is suggested to include one piece in lyrical style and one piece in martial style.
Ruan
Pre-screening and Final Audition Repertoire: 
  • A traditional piece
    A new (contemporary) work
Trombone
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • An étude
  • A concerto or sonata movement
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • An etude
  • A concerto or sonata movement
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice
Trumpet
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • An étude
  • A concerto or sonata movement
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • An etude
  • A concerto or sonata movement
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice
Suona
Prescreening and Final Audition Repertoire: 
  • A traditional piece
  • A new (contemporary) work
Tuba
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • An étude
  • A concerto or sonata movement
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • An etude
  • A concerto or sonata movement
  • A 20th-century work
  • A work of your choice
Sheng
Prescreening and Final Audition Repertoire: 
  • A traditional piece
  • A new (contemporary) work
Viola
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • A movement from an unaccompanied Bach suite (originally for cello) or partita or sonata (originally for violin)
  • A sonata or concerto movement 
  • A work of your choice
Final Repertoire:
  • Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach suite (originally for cello) or partita or sonata (originally for violin)
  • A concerto movement or étude
  • A work of your choice
Violin
Prescreening Repertoire:
  • A movement from an unaccompanied Bach partita or sonata
  • A movement of a standard concerto
  • A work of your choice
Final Audition Repertoire:
  • Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach partita or sonata
  • A movement of a standard concerto
  • A work of your choice
Voice
Prescreening Requirements: 

Three pieces in varying musical styles, in at least two different languages, one of which must be English. Non-native speakers of English are encouraged to include one piece in their native language. If possible, all recordings should be made with piano accompaniment, however there is no penalty if pieces are recorded a capella. 

Final Audition Requirements: 

Same requirements as pre-screening round. Applicants may present the same repertoire as during the pre-screening round or new repertoire, as long as it meets all requirements.