Classical Strings & Harp Prescreening & Audition Procedures

Information for prospective strings and harp students applying to Manhattan School of Music.

Strings & Harp Prescreening Requirements

Violin, Viola, and Cello applicants are required to submit video prescreen recordings in order to be considered for an invitation to the live audition round. MSM does not expect or require professional recordings, but the audio should be of high quality and accurately represent your tone quality. Therefore, we recommend the use of an external microphone.

Applicant prescreen recordings must include the repertoire below and should be uploaded directly to the application by the December 1 deadline. The MSM string faculty encourages applicants to explore the enormous variety of string repertoire, including the many important contributions from culturally diverse composers when choosing repertoire for auditions.

Please review your instrument’s specific requirements below.

Classical Violin
Undergraduate (BM)
- One movement of a concerto
- Two contrasting movements of solo Bach
Master’s (MM)
- Two movements of a concerto
- Two contrasting movements of solo Bach
- One movement of a work of the applicant’s choice
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Two movements of a concerto
- One movement of a sonata
- One movement of a work of the applicant’s choice
Zukerman Violin
Undergraduate (BM) & Master’s (MM)
- Two movements of an unaccompanied sonata by Bach
- First movement of one of the following concerti (2 movements are required for graduate applicants):
  
  Henri Vieuxtemps, Concerto no. 5
  
  Édouard Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole
  
  Niccolò Paganini
  
  Antonin Dvorak
  
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  
  Jean Sibelius
  
  Béla Bartok
  
  Johannes Brahms
  
  Ludwig van Beethoven
- A virtuoso concert piece on the level of Paganini, Sarasate, Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, or Ysaÿe
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Applicants must prepare a full-length recital of works from contrasting style periods.
Classical Viola
Undergraduate (BM)
- One movement of a concerto
- Two contrasting movements of solo Bach
Master’s (MM), Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA), & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Two movements of a concerto
- Two contrasting movements of solo Bach
- One movement of a work of the applicant’s choice
Zukerman Viola
Undergraduate (BM) & Master’s (MM)
- First and second movement from Johannes Brahms Sonata in F minor, Brahms Sonata in E-flat Major, or Franz Schubert “Arpeggione”
- Two contrasting movements of your choice from a cello suite by J.S. Bach
- First movements of one of the following (2 movements are required for graduate applicants):
  
  Béla Bartok, Viola Concerto
  
  William Walton, Viola Concerto
  
  Ernest Bloch, Viola Suite
  
  Paul Hindemith, Der Schwanendreher
  
  Hector Berlioz, Harold in Italy
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Applicants must prepare a full-length recital of works from contrasting style periods.
Classical Cello
Undergraduate (BM)
- One movement of a concerto
- Two contrasting movements of solo Bach
Master’s (MM), Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Two movements of a concerto
- Two contrasting movements of solo Bach
Classical Double Bass

There are no prescreening requirements for Double Bass applicants.
Classical Harp

There are no prescreening requirements for Harp applicants.

Strings & Harp Audition Requirements

Bachelor’s and Master’s auditions are approximately 10 minutes in length, Professional Studies auditions are 15 minutes, and Doctoral and Artist Diploma auditions are 20 minutes. You will choose a first work and the faculty will choose other works from repertoire you provide. Solo Bach and concerti are presented from memory. All other repertoire may be performed with music. The MSM string faculty encourages applicants to explore the enormous variety of string repertoire, including the many important contributions from culturally diverse composers when choosing repertoire for the auditions.

For violin, viola, and cello applicants, MSM provides an accompanist, or you may bring your own. If you wish to rehearse with Manhattan School of Music’s accompanist before audition, you must arrange rehearsal time and payment directly with the accompanist. For more information about audition accompanists, please refer to our Audition Information page.

Classical Violin
All music must be played from memory except for sonatas.

Undergraduate (BM)
- Three octave major and minor scales and arpeggios
- First movement of a concerto with applicable cadenza
- Two contrasting movements of a Bach partita or sonata
- A virtuoso concert piece
Master’s (MM)
- Two contrasting movements of a concerto including all applicable cadenzas
- Two movements of an unaccompanied Bach partita or sonata
- A virtuoso concert piece
- One movement of a sonata
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Complete concerto with all applicable cadenzas.
- Four significant recital works in their entirety from a wide range of style periods, including the 20th or 21st century.
Zukerman Violin
Undergraduate (BM) and Graduate (MM)
- The first and second movement from an unaccompanied sonata by Bach
- First movement of one of the following concerti (two movements are required for graduate applicants):
  
  Henri Vieuxtemps, Concerto No. 5
  
  Édouard Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole
  
  Niccolò Paganini
  
  Antonín Dvorak
  
  Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  
  Jean Sibelius
  
  Béla Bartok
  
  Johannes Brahms
  
  Ludwig van Beethoven
- A virtuoso concert piece on the level of Paganini, Sarasate, Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, or Ysaÿe
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Applicants must prepare a full-length recital of works from contrasting style periods.
Classical Viola
Concerti and solo Bach must be played from memory; all other works may be played with or without music at the applicant’s discretion.

Undergraduate (BM)
- First movement of a concerto with applicable cadenza
- Two contrasting movements of an unaccompanied Bach partita, sonata or suite
- A movement of a sonata, short piece with piano, or solo work
Master’s (MM)
- Complete works from three style periods, including one from the 20th or 21st century. One work must be a concerto with all applicable cadenzas. Repertoire should demonstrate a graduate level of performance
- Two contrasting movements of an unaccompanied Bach partita, sonata, or suite
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Complete concerto with all applicable cadenzas
- Four significant recital works from a wide range of style periods, including one from the 20th or 21st century and an unaccompanied Bach partita, sonata, or suite
Zukerman Viola
Undergraduate (BM) and Graduate (MM)
- First and second movement from Johannes Brahms, Sonata in F minor, Sonata in E-flat Major, or Franz Schubert “Arpeggione”
- Two contrasting movements from a Bach cello suite
- First movements of one of the following (2 movements are required for graduate applicants):
  
  Béla Bartok, Viola Concerto
  
  William Walton, Viola Concerto
  
  Ernest Bloch, Viola Suite
  
  Paul Hindemith, Der Schwanendreher
  
  Hector Berlioz, Harold in Italy
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- Applicants must prepare a full-length recital of works from contrasting style periods.
Classical Cello
Concerti and solo Bach must be played from memory; all other works may be played with or without music at the applicant’s discretion.

Undergraduate (BM)
- First movement of a concerto with applicable cadenza, or approximately ten minutes of music from either Bloch’s Schelomo or Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations
- Two contrasting movements of an unaccompanied Bach suite
- A work of the applicant’s choice, such as a movement of a sonata or a short concert piece
Master’s (MM)
- Two movements of a concerto with applicable cadenzas
- Three movements of an unaccompanied Bach suite
- A complete sonata
- A complete 20th or 21st century work.
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- A complete concerto with all applicable cadenzas.
- Four significant recital works from a wide range of style periods, including one from the 20th or 21st century.
Classical Double Bass
Concerti and solo Bach must be played from memory; all other works may be played with or without music at the applicant’s discretion. Applicants are expected to bring their own instrument to the audition.

Undergraduate (BM)
- One work from the Baroque period (may be a movement from a sonata or solo Bach)
- One solo work of applicant’s choice
- Two standard orchestral excerpts of the applicant’s choice of contrasting styles and/or periods
Master’s (MM)
- One movement of solo Bach
- Two contrasting solo works
- Three standard orchestral excerpts of the applicant’s choice of contrasting styles and/or periods
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- A recital program including the four periods in music (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary)
- Five orchestral excerpts demonstrating varied styles and periods
Classical Harp
Bachelor’s, Master’s and Professional Studies auditions are approximately 15 minutes in length. Doctoral and Artist Diploma auditions are approximately 20 minutes in length. You will choose a first work and the faculty will choose a second and possibly third work from the repertoire list you provide. You must perform solo works from memory and may be asked to sight-read and take a test of tuning ability. Music may be used for the orchestral works for graduate applicants.

Undergraduate (BM)
- A major work which demonstrates level of proficiency
- A Bach transcription
Master’s (MM)
- Two complete works comparable in difficulty and scope to the Sonata of Hindemith or the Impromptu of Fauré
- First movement from a standard concerto
- Choose two of the following five excerpts:
  
  Gaetano Donizetti, cadenza from Lucia di Lammermoor – Scena e Cavatina, from 7 bars before rehearsal 23 to rehearsal 24
  
  Maurice Ravel, cadenza from Tzigane, rehearsal 4 to 5
  
  Hector Berlioz, entire first harp part of Symphonie Fantastique “Un Bal”
  
  Igor Stravinsky, Symphony in Three Movements- Second movement Rehearsal 112 to 120 and 132 to 134. Third movement, one bar before rehearsal 172 to rehearsal 177
  
  Benjamin Britten, Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Variation I Cadenza, Variation J, Fugue (rehearsal I to second bar of J, and 14 bars after Rehearsal M to 14 bars before the end)
Professional Studies (PS), Professional Performance Diploma (PPD), Doctoral (DMA) & Artist Diploma (AD)
- A full-length recital from contrasting style periods including a work from the 20th century and a standard concerto with applicable cadenzas
- At least 20 minutes of representative selections from a concerto