How to Prepare for Conservatory Auditions

Requirements:

Most conservatories have posted their requirements and conditions to be met by applicants in order to get selected, but some conservatories put some quite vague requirements for its applicants, e.g. four contrasting pieces. What does it mean “contrasting” pieces? Or what are considered as major works? And what pieces are good for auditions?

Audition (Video-based) Requirements:

Most conservatories use the video formatted auditions for the first part of the audition, then after that if chosen participants will go to the conservatory to do a live audition in front of the judges. For example we have some of the most renowned conservatories in the world – Curtis Institute of Music and Juilliard Conservatory of Music.

The audition consists of two sections, which are the prescreening and the live audition. Many conservatories have followed this format, especially conservatories with many international students, though some universities only audition musicians once, either through live audition or an uncut video of the musician’s best work (usually with requirements like it cannot be recorded more than two month ago, or that it must be a repertoire that is recent enough to be performed through memory outside of auditions and considered a part of your current repertoire).

Conservatories will require the video to be uncut and untampered with sound effects like reverb and must be without distracting background noises like buzzing or hissing. The performer has to be seen clearly in the video with the hands visible, but they are allowed to choose where they would like to record as long as the conditions are met. It can be recorded in a concert hall, at home, at a practice room, or even a studio, as long as there is no tampering of the video and audio in most cases. Though it can be different in some conservatories, so the safest bet is to read clearly the audition requirements for each applicant’s respective conservatory or email the conservatory directly.

Most conservatories will require applicants to submit a recording of them playing “contrasting” pieces and this can mean that they want pieces from different periods and of different styles. For example: a fast movement of a Mozart sonata and a slower movement of a Chopin prelude. It is better if it shows your strength as judges not only look for a good performance (though it is definitely a very important factor), they also look for your potential to grow as a musician.

How to pick pieces for audition?

What pieces are good enough for an audition? The answer really varies from person to person, but generally you want a major work that is not too famous and you are confident you can play well. The reason why you don’t want to play pieces that are too famous is because they are often overplayed, hence the judges having a higher standard compared to lesser known pieces. Some examples of overplayed pieces are Bach Prelude and Fugue, Chopin Preludes, Rachmaninov Prelude in G minor, etc. If there is no requirement for Chopin Etudes, it is best to still give at least an etude so the conservatory judges can assess your technical skill. An example of a nice selection of modern etudes is the Kapustin 5 Etudes, though mostly it is recommended to go for Chopin Etudes.

Chopin Etudes:

Speaking of Chopin Etudes, here are some Chopin Etudes that are generally better avoided for auditions and which ones are recommended. Though do remember that this list is just a recommendation. If you want to pick the ones that are famous, just make sure that your playing is good enough to stand out among the rest who played that piece as well.

The ones that are too famous include Op. 25 No. 1, No. 5, No. 11, and Op. 10 No. 1, No. 4 and No. 12.

The ones that are to difficult include Op. 10 No. 1 (if you have a small hands) due to a very large arpeggio that are very difficult to reach and the stamina to continue those arpeggio for the whole piece, Op. 10 No. 2 (3-4-5-3-4-5-3-4-5) pretty self explanatory, won’t you think?, Op. 10. No. 4 is also really difficult for small hands, the complete opposite of the Op. 10 No. 1. For Op. 25, we have No. 6 because of… well, thirds. No. 8 is also quite challenging, because while not as challenging as No. 6 it does require some dinger coordination to execute well and bring out specific notes to create nuance.

Some etudes that are too easy include Op. 10 No. 3, 6, and 7, and Op. 25 No. 1, 2, 7, 9, and I wouldn’t recommend the three other etudes at all for the same reason. It is best to just stick to Op. 25 and Op. 10 when it comes to Chopin Etudes.

Overall, that is my tips and tricks when choosing a piece. The Chopin Etudes can be used as an example on how to sort out pieces that are more suitable for auditions. I hope you find it helpful.