Music Audition Requirements | Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Piano Audition Information

Pre-screen required.

Only those applicants who pass the pre-screening round will be invited for a live audition in Boston. The audio and video should be of high quality, and the video must clearly show the applicant's hands. If you plan to audition by recording, you must submit a video online with all of the live audition requirements. Incomplete or audio-only recorded auditions will not be accepted.

Pre-screen recording requirements:

• Applicants should video record and upload a program of at least 20 minutes, including two or more contrasting works.
• Each work or movement should be uploaded as a separate video file with titles in English or the original language.
• Single movements of multi-movement works are acceptable for the pre-screen recording only.
• Complete works are to be prepared for the live audition, if invited.

Live audition requirements:

If invited for a live audition, applicants should prepare all of the following. Multimovement works must be prepared in their entirety. All works are to be performed from memory.

• A prelude and fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier or another work by Bach that includes a fugue
• A complete sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert
• A major work for solo piano from the romantic era (including Rachmaninoff)
• A solo piano piece from the 20th or 21st century
• One virtuosic etude, such as those by Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Ligeti.

Collaborative Piano

There is no pre-screen required for collaborative piano applicants. Applicants should prepare the following for a live audition. You will be provided with instrumentalists and singers for your live audition, as well as a rehearsal period before the audition.

• Solo piano work or movement, less than 10 minutes in length. Memorization is required.
• Songs (all prepared in high keys):
• Schubert, “Ganymed”
• Brahms, “Wie Melodien”
• Poulenc, “Quelle aventure” (from La courte paille)
• Barber, “St. Ita’s Vision” (from Hermit Songs)
• Prepare one of the following:
• Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 1, in D Major, op. 12
• or, Beethoven Cello Sonata No. 3, in A Major, op. 69
• Sight-reading

Updated on 09/17/2018