Audition Process

Trumpet

• All major scales, two octaves
• Prepare any two contrasting etudes from the following: Concone, Snedecor, Small, Arban or Bousquet

OR

• Prepare one of the following solo pieces, or, a piece at this level or above. For questions and inquiries please contact Chris O’Hara.
• Petite Piece Concertante – Balay
• Andante and Allegro – Balay
• Fantasie in mi bemol – Barat
• Andante and Allegro – Ropartz
• Concerto in E flat (1st Movement, exposition only) Haydn or Hummel
• Concerto – Arutunian
• Orchestral Excerpts (optional)

French Horn

• All Major Scales – 2 octaves
• Prepare any two contrasting etudes from the following: Maxime Alphonse, Kopprasch, Andraud 335 selected studies for horn

OR

• Prepare one of the following suggested solo pieces:
• Concertos 1, 2, 3, or 4 – Mozart
• Concerto no. 1 – Richard Strauss
• Nocturno – Franz Strauss
• En Foret – Eugene Bozza
• Adagio and Allegro – Schumann
• Morceau de Concert – Saint-Saens
• Bach Cello Suites
• Orchestral excerpts optional

Trombone

• All major scales, two octaves
• Prepare any two contrasting etudes from the following: Bordogni (Rochut Vol.1), Kopprasch, Blazhevich

OR

• Prepare one of the following suggested solo pieces:
• Morceau Symphonique (Guilmant)
• Andante and Allegra (Barat)
• Concertino (David)
• Or a similar level solo or concerto

Euphonium

• All major scales – 2 octaves
• Prepare any two contrasting etudes from the following: Rochut/Bordogni, Voxman, Arban Characteristic Studies, Tyrell

OR

• Prepare one of the following suggested solo pieces:
  • Barat – Andante et Allegro
  • Capuzzi – Andante and Rondo
  • Guilmant – Morceau Symphonique
  • Telemann – Sonata in f minor

Tuba

• All major scales – 2 octaves
• Prepare any two contrasting etudes from the following: Rochut/Bordogni, Blazhevich, Kopprasch, Tyrell

OR

• Prepare one of the following suggested solo pieces:
  • Capuzzi – Andante and Rondo
  • Haddad – Suite for Tuba
  • Lebedev – Concerto in One Movement
  • Marcello – Sonata No. 1 in F Major

Prepare two pieces

• An Etude (Study) by Carcassi, Carulli, Sor, Brouwer, Giuliani, or Pick
• A second piece of your choosing by any composer from the Baroque, Romantic, Impressionistic or 20th Century Periods

Note: This could include a Jazz or Electric Guitar piece.

Major Scales

Play all in first position

Sight-Reading 

Read a single line piece (to be presented at audition)

Prepare “The Autumn Leaves” (G minor) or “There Is No Greater Love” (Bb)

• Play the head
• Solo one chorus
• Accompanist to solo over the two A sections
• Play the melody on the bridge to the end

Sight-Reading

As selected by the committee.

Prepare “Tenor Madness” (Bb)

• Play the head
• Walk for a piano solo
• Play a Bass solo
• Play the head out

Prepare “Autumn Leaves” as a Bossa (comping only)

Sight-Reading

Sight-read a big band chart.

Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone

• Prepare “The Autumn Leaves” (G minor) or “There Is No Greater Love” (Bb)
• Play the head
• Solo one chorus
• Accompanist to solo over the two A sections
• Play the melody on the bridge to the end
• Sight-reading as selected by the committee

Guitar and Piano

• Prepare “The Autumn Leaves” (G minor) or “There Is No Greater Love” (Bb)
• Play the head
• Solo one chorus
• Accompanist to solo over the two A sections
• Play the melody on the bridge to the end
• Sight-reading as selected by the committee

Drum Set

• Play swing time for four bars, solo for four bars (trade 4’s) at quarter note = 120
• Play the same at half note equals 120 but trade 8’s
• Play as many of these styles as possible:  Swing with brushes, ballad with brushes, 3/4 swing, Bossa Nova, Samba, Afro Cuban 6/8, Mambo, or Songo, Funk, Rock
• Sight-read a big band chart

Bass

• Prepare Tenor Madness (Bb)
• Play the head
• Walk for a piano solo
• Play a Bass solo
• Play the head out
• Prepare “Autumn Leaves” as a Bossa (comping only)
• Sight-read a big band chart

Vocalists

• Prepare “The Autumn Leaves” or “There Is No Greater Love” in the appropriate key
• Sing the head
• Scat one chorus
• Accompanist to solo over the two A sections
• Sing the melody on the bridge to the end
• Sight-reading as selected by the committee

Be able to demonstrate as much facility on as many percussion instruments as reasonably possible—Snare drum solo, Mallet solo, Timpani solo and Drumset.

Please Note: If you are not well versed on a particular instrument, please prepare a simple melody to show that you are at least working on it.

Repertoire suggestions
(Feel free to use repertoire outside of this list)

Snare drum

Selections from Anthony Cirone, Morris Goldenberg, John Pratt, Wilcoxen

Mallets

Selections from Morris Goldenberg, George Hamilton Green, Mitchell Peters

Timpani

Selections from Vic Firth, Saul Goodman

Drumset

Be able to play as many of these styles as possible: Swing (sticks and brushes), jazz ballad with brushes, 3/4 swing, swing trading 4’s with yourself, bossa nova, samba, songo, mambo, afro cuban 6/8, funk, rock.

Sight-Reading

• Be able to sight-read a few bars of a drum set chart
• You will be asked to play a sight-reading example or two on snare drum

Repertoire Selection

• Prepare two works of contrasting styles chosen from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionist/20th century periods or any suitable jazz selection of your choice. For example: first movement of a sonata by Mozart and a piece by Ravel.
• Memorization is strongly recommended but not required
• There are no time requirements on any piece, but the audition itself will not exceed 10 minutes

Scales

Prepare one major and one harmonic minor scale of your choice.

Sight-Reading

Sight-read an excerpt of piano music that will be presented at the audition.

Elmhurst University String Audition Requirements (Updated 2024)

For string-specific questions about audition repertoire, please contact head of strings Eleanor Bartsch, [email protected].

Memorization is encouraged, but not required.

Piano accompaniment is strongly encouraged. Auditionees may bring their own accompanist, or can request that one be provided by the university.

Audition Requirements for String
Non-Performance Majors

(i.e. music education, music business, general music)

1. Two scales of at least two octaves. Scale choices should demonstrate student’s highest level of technical proficiency.
2. Two contrasting solo pieces OR one solo piece and one etude.

Suggested repertoire for non-music performance majors. The following list may be used as a guide for expected minimum level of audition repertoire for incoming non-performance majors. There are no required selections.

Violin

• Concerto movement by Vivaldi, Bach, Accolay, DeBeriot, Handel, Mozart, Bruch, etc.
• Solo sonata or partita movement by Bach
• Etudes by Mazas, Kreutzer, etc.
• Sonata movement by Handel
• Romance by Beethoven, Amy Beach, etc.
• Piece by Kreisler, Massenet, Bartók, Fiocco, etc.

Viola

• Movement from a concerto by Accolay, Telemann, Seitz, Vivaldi, Casadesus, JC Bach, Handel, etc.
• Movement from an unaccompanied suite by Bach
• Etude by Kreutzer, Mazas Brilliantes, etc.
• Movement from a sonata by Handel, Marcello, etc.
• Shorter work by Bach, Beethoven, Fiocco, Marais, etc.

Cello

• Movement from a concerto by J.C. Bach, Goltermann, Breval, Boccherini, Seitz, Vivaldi, etc.
• Movement from an unaccompanied suite by Bach
• Etude by Klengel, Schroeder, Popper, etc.
• Movement from a sonata by Breval, Eccles, Marcello, Sammartini, Vivaldi, etc.
• Shorter work by Squire, Popper, Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, etc.

Double Bass

• Concerto movement by Capuzzi, Dragonetti, etc.
• Sonata movement by Eccles, Corelli, Marcello, etc.
• Solo from George Vance Book 2 (preferably from material after page 11)
• Movement from any Bach cello suite down the octave
• Etude from Simandl 30 Etudes, Joseph Hrabe, Sebastian Lee, Wilhelm Sturm, etc.

Audition Requirements for String Performance Majors

Violin Performance

• One major and one melodic or harmonic minor three-octave scale, your choice of keys (Scale choices should demonstrate student’s highest level of technical proficiency.)
• One etude or caprice (e.g. Kreutzer, Dont, Rode, etc.)
• One movement of a Bach solo sonata or partita
• One first OR third movement from a standard concerto (e.g. Mozart, Haydn, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Lalo, Saint-Saëns or similar level)

Viola Performance

• One major and one melodic or harmonic minor three-octave scale, your choice of keys (Scale choices should demonstrate student’s highest level of technical proficiency.)
• One etude or caprice (e.g. Fuchs, Kreutzer, Campagnoli, Dont, etc.)
• One movement of a Bach unaccompanied cello suite or solo violin sonata or partita
• One first OR third movement from a standard concerto (e.g. Bartok, Hindemith, Hoffmeister, Stamitz, Walton or similar level)

Cello Performance

• One major and one melodic or harmonic minor three-octave scale, your choice of keys (scale choices should demonstrate student’s highest level of technical proficiency.)
• One etude or caprice (e.g. Popper, Piatti, Duport, etc.)
• One movement of a Bach unaccompanied suite
• One first OR third movement from a standard cello concerto (e.g. Haydn, Saint-Saëns, Elgar, Dvořák or equivalent piece such as Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations or Bloch Schelomo)

Double Bass Performance

• Two scales of at least two octaves, your choice of keys (Scale choices should demonstrate student’s highest level of technical proficiency.)
• One etude or study (e.g. Simandl Book 2, Kreutzer, Joseph Hrabe, Wilhelm Sturm, etc.)
• One movement of a Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suite at pitch (transpositions preferred for Bourrées from Suite #3) 
• One movement from the standard solo literature (e.g. concerto movement by Dragonetti, Koussevitzky, Bottesini, Vanhal; Sonata movement by Eccles, Corelli, Marcello; Solo from George Vance Book 3, etc.)
• Optional: A standard orchestral excerpt

Prepare two pieces of contrasting styles

• All pieces must be memorized
• Prepare two pieces
• One piece must be classical and preferably in a foreign language (English is acceptable as well)
• Second piece can be one of three styles: musical theater, jazz or classical

Sight-Reading

• There will be a short sight-reading excerpt

Flute

• All major scales, two octaves
• Chromatic scale, low C to high A (octave above the staff)
• Two contrasting solos, movements or etudes different periods (i.e. Baroque, Romantic, Contemporary)

Oboe

• All major scales, full range recommended
• Chromatic scale, low Bb to high E (above the staff)
• Two contrasting solos, movements or etudes

Clarinet

• All major scales, two octaves
• Chromatic scale, low E to high F (above the staff)
• Two contrasting solos, movements or etudes

Bassoon

• All major scales, two octaves where possible
• Chromatic scale, Bb (below bass clef staff) to high Bb (3rd line treble clef)
• Two contrasting solos, movements or etudes

Saxophone

• All major scales, full range recommended
• Chromatic scale, low Bb to high F (above the staff)
• Two contrasting solos, movements or etudes

• Accompanists are optional for instrumentalists
• Elmhurst University faculty pianist (if requested in advance)
• Your own pianist
• CD Track without your instrument present
• Microphones will not be used

On the day of your audition, please bring four copies of each piece of music you will be playing. These will be distributed to the faculty panel.

Your overall presentation is important.

• Business casual attire is recommended
• Jeans, tennis shoes, shorts and T-shirts are not recommended