Auditions

These requirements are the same for the Music Certificate Program.

Brass

• Trumpet: Two contrasting solos (or solo/etude) and five standard orchestral excerpts of candidate’s choice
• Trombone: Two contrasting solo works. One must be from the standard repertoire.
  Suggested solos include:
  Castérède: Sonatine for Trombone
  David: Trombone Concertino
  Grøndahl: Trombone Concerto
  Jacob: Concerto for Trombone
  Tomasi: Concerto for Trombone
  Wagenseil: Trombone Concerto (alto trombone)
  Required Orchestral Excerpts:
  Berlioz: Hungarian March
  Mozart: Tuba Mirum
  Ravel: Boléro
  Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3
  Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries
  Students will be asked to perform major, minor, and chromatic scales, and should be prepared for possible sight reading.
  
• Bass Trombone: Two contrasting solo works.
  Required Orchestral Excerpts:
  Berlioz -  Hungarian March
  Haydn - The Creation
  Schumann - Symphony No. 3
  Wagner -  Das Rheingold, “Entry of the Gods”
  Wagner - The Ride of the Valkyries
  
• Horn: Two complete solo works, four orchestral excerpts and one or two etudes
• Tuba: Two or three contrasting pieces (solos/etudes), scales, sight-reading and two or three orchestral excerpts
• Euphonium: Two or three contrasting pieces (solos/etudes), scales, sight-reading and two or three band excerpts

Woodwinds

• Flute: 2 or 3 compositions or movements (with at least one contemporary work) and two contrasting orchestral excerpts. Be prepared to play full-range chromatic, Major and minor scales as requested. 
• Oboe: Please bring a formal Repertoire List (etudes, solo rep, chamber rep, orchestral excerpts). Two contrasting solo works, three standard and contrasting orchestral excerpts, major and minor scales (scales in thirds are preferred). Sight-reading material will be provided.
  
• Clarinet: Two or three contrasting movements or pieces
• Bassoon: Two contrasting pieces, sight-reading, two orchestral excerpts and major and harmonic minor scales.
• Saxophone: Two or three compositions or movements (with at least one contemporary work) plus major and harmonic minor scales, and possible sight-reading.

Composition

Students will be asked to submit three or four original scores of their best works for review by the composition faculty. An interview with the faculty is required for admission consideration.

Conducting

Choral

Application Deadline: January 31, 2025

Audition requirements for admission to the master’s degree program in choral conducting as well as for graduate assistantship consideration for those who wish to major in choral conducting or choral music education.

1. Rehearse and conduct one of the choral ensembles at BGSU.
2. Demonstrate musicianship by singing or by playing on any instrument a short piece of his/her own choosing.
   
3. An interview with Dr. Mark Munson, director of choral activities, will be required. Depending upon degree program, candidates will also interview with either the chair of music education, Dr. Elizabeth Menard, or the chair of performance studies, Dr. Andrew Pelletier. 

To schedule an audition, please call the graduate secretary at (419) 372-2182. After an audition is scheduled, contact Dr. Mark Munson at (419) 372-8733 or munson@bgsu.edu for details concerning repertoire.

Orchestral

Application deadline is January 20, 2025 for admission to the Orchestral Conducting Program

1. Interview with Dr. Emily Freeman Brown, Director of Orchestral Activities
   1. Play a Bach chorale in open score. The example you are to perform will be sent to you one week prior to the audition.
   2. Basic ear training tests.
2. Conduct the Bowling Green State University Philharmonia (10–15 minutes) on agreed upon repertoire.
3. Symphonic literature identification exam.
4. Audition on your major instrument with the appropriate College of Musical Arts faculty member for the purpose of evaluating level of musicianship.
5. Interviews with College of Musical Arts faculty for consideration for assistantships in areas other than orchestral conducting.
6. Interview with Dr. Gregory Decker, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies

Serious applicants should contact Dr. Emily Freeman Brown by email (efbrown@bgsu.edu) and submit a recording of recent conducting in performance and/or rehearsal for review through the BGSU application. Invitations to the audition will follow the recording review, which must be uploaded no later than January 20. Auditions will take place in February.

Ethnomusicology

Incoming graduate majors are required to interview and give a sample of their writing (two or three in-depth undergraduate papers).

History

Incoming history graduate majors are required to interview and give a sample of their writing (two or three in-depth undergraduate papers—preferably history papers).

Jazz

• Jazz Saxophone: Performance of a “standard” or “American songbook” composition complete with melody and improvised choruses. The instrumentalist should expect to perform this composition with one or more of the jazz faculty acting as rhythm accompanists. Additionally, jazz-style sight-reading will be required, and the auditioning student should expect inquiry by the jazz faculty into knowledge of jazz repertoire and experiences in the field. If the candidate has experience in woodwind doubling, he/she should demonstrate this instrumentally to the jazz faculty.
• Jazz Trumpet/Trombone: Performance of a “standard” or “American songbook” composition complete with melody and improvised choruses. The instrumentalist should expect to perform this composition with one or more of the jazz faculty acting as rhythm accompanists. Additionally, jazz-style sight-reading will be required, and the auditioning student should expect inquiry by the jazz faculty into knowledge of jazz repertoire and experiences in the field. 
• Jazz Piano: Performance of a “standard” or “American songbook” composition complete with melody and improvised choruses, with the linear and chordal approach common to a jazz piano performance. The instrumentalist should expect to perform this composition with one or more of the jazz faculty acting as rhythm accompanists. A pianist might also be asked to perform a solo composition. Additionally, jazz-style sight-reading will be required, and the auditioning student should expect inquiry by the jazz faculty into knowledge of jazz repertoire and experiences in the field.
• Jazz Guitar: Performance of a “standard” or “American songbook” composition complete with melody and improvised choruses, with the linear and chordal approach common to a jazz guitar performance. The instrumentalist should expect to perform this composition with one or more of the jazz faculty acting as rhythm accompanists. A guitarist might also be asked to perform a solo composition. Additionally, jazz-style sight-reading will be required, and the auditioning student should expect inquiry by the jazz faculty into knowledge of jazz repertoire and experiences in the field.
• Jazz Double Bass: Same as above. Additionally, the double bassist will be asked to play examples of various “grooves” representative of specific jazz rhythmic styles.
• Jazz Drums: Drummers will be asked to demonstrate various “grooves” representative of specific jazz rhythmic styles. The candidate may be asked to perform these rhythmic styles with a jazz faculty rhythm performer. Additionally, sight-reading of a big-band chart will be required, and the auditioning student should expect inquiry by the jazz faculty into knowledge of jazz repertoire and experiences in the field.

Keyboard

• Class Piano Assistants: Interview with the coordinator of group piano required. An audition is also required. In the audition, students will be asked to perform three works of different styles and to demonstrate functional keyboard skills.
• Collaborative Piano: Two solo works from different style periods by memory. Two collaborative works, one instrumental and one vocal.

Piano Performance

• Applied lessons and/or admission as a performance major: Students will be asked to perform three works of different styles from memory.
• For assistantship consideration: Students will be asked to perform three works of different styles, sight-reading (one vocal instrument and one instrumental accompaniment) and discussion of accompanying experience, goals, background, etc.

Music Education

All students interested in an assistantship in the Department of Music Education or interested in majoring in music education must be interviewed. Music education applicants must present an interview and submit the following:

• 10-minute, video-taped performance on an instrument or voice
• Continuous 15-minute, video-taped teaching or rehearsal segment
• Writing sample on a topic of the faculty’s choice - majors only. (Contact Dr. Elizabeth Menard, Chair of Music Education for details.)

Percussion

Students auditioning for the Masters program in percussion are expected to perform at least five prepared pieces in the following areas:

• Concert and/or Rudimental snare drum (ex: Delecluse, Tompkins, Peters, Markovich)
• Four mallet marimba (ex: Stout, Abe, Druckman, Miki, Maslanka)
• Timpani (Carter, Delecluse, Lepak, Bergamo)
• Any two of the following areas:
  • Multiple percussion (must be submitted electronically. Ex: Xenakis, Kraft, Lang, Kitazume, Cangelosi)
  • Vibraphone (ex: Bach, Deane, Zivkovic, improvisation on a jazz standard)
  • Orchestral Excerpts (two contrasting excerpts on each of the following: snare drum, timpani, xylophone, and glockenspiel)
  • Drum Set (prepared solo and/or style demonstration: rock, swing, latin, etc.)

A list of suggested audition repertoire can be found at this link under "Suggested Audition Repertoire". 

Students should provide copies of their prepared pieces at their audition.

Please contact Dr. Daniel Piccolo with any questions: dpiccol@bgsu.edu.

Strings

• Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, and Harp: Students will be asked to perform a movement of a concerto, a movement of a solo work by J. S. Bach, and a piece demonstrating technical proficiency, such as an etude or show piece.

Theory

Incoming theory graduate majors are required to interview (includes a demonstration of theory and aural skills) and give a sample of their writing (analysis paper usually).

Voice

Applied lessons and/or admission as a performance major

Students will be asked to sing one art song in English, French, German and Italian. In addition, an operatic aria or oratorio is required. It would be to the student’s advantage to have the repertoire memorized.