AUDITIONS & INTERVIEWS  
 

School of Music, Theatre & Dance Graduate Requirements and Dates

Master of Music in Conducting (Band/Wind Ensemble, Choral, or Orchestral)

To be considered for an audition and interview, applicants to all conducting programs are required to submit a face-to-the-camera, DVD or high-quality videocassette (VHS format) of themselves conducting a rehearsal and/or a performance. For those applicants who have difficulty meeting this request, it is acceptable to use a smaller ensemble (such as a string quartet and piano, for example, rather than a full ensemble) performing a reduced version of a composition. The musical portion of the tape should be at least ten minutes in length and include literature of the applicant's choice. The examples may be incomplete and a variety of different styles are welcome.

Your name and address, names of the works and movements, and the degree program to which you are applying should be clearly indicated on the tape so that it can easily be identified. The tape and the application are due by December 1.

DVDs and videotapes will not be forwarded to the faculty for review until the application and all transcripts have been received and reviewed by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance Office of Admissions.

Questions should be directed to the appropriate program adviser:

  1. Band /Wind Ensemble Conducting: Professor Haithcock (mlhaith@umich.edu)
  2. Choral Conducting: Professor Jerry Blackstone (blacksto@umich.edu)
  3. Orchestral Conducting: Professor Kenneth Kiesler (kiesler@umich.edu).

Selected applicants will be contacted with audition dates and specific repertoire information.

Band/Wind Ensemble Conducting

In addition to the admissions documents and DVD or video tape, each applicant must also submit a written analysis of Chester Overture by William Schuman. Applicants invited to Ann Arbor for an audition should be prepared to conduct the second and fifth movements of Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy.

Choral Conducting

Applicants should be prepared to conduct chorus and piano in the following works: Brahms's "Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen" from Ein deutsches Requiem (in German); Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb ("Nimrod" section).

Orchestral Conducting

Following review of the videotape and written application materials, a limited number of applicants will be invited to Ann Arbor for the audition process. The audition period may include a personal interview, examination of aural skills, a written examination (mainly on the audition repertoire but including questions of a more general nature), and one or more conducting auditions. The repertoire will include excerpts from Copland’s Suite from Appalachian Spring (original version for thirteen instruments), the Finale of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (from the beginning to the entrance of the baritone soloist), and other selections to be announced. For those applicants invited to campus to audition (exact dates TBA), confirmation letters will be mailed by February 1.

Principal Instruments

Audition Schedule and Application Deadline Dates

Audition Date
Application Deadline
Notes
TBA 2008
12/01/2007
Band/Wind Ensemble; Choral
March 20 & 21, 2008
12/01/07
Orchestral

General School of Music, Theatre & Dance Graduate Audition and Interview Information

General Rackham Graduate Audition and Interview Information

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