Conservatory Application Process

  1. Apply to University of the Pacific.
  2. Complete the conservatory questionnaire (received by email after application submission):
    1. Provide audition date preference (if applicable);
    2. Respond to writing prompt;
    3. Indicate additional degrees/tracks of interest.
  3. If applicable, schedule your interview/audition (schedule opens in December). In-person interview/audition is strongly encouraged. 

Audition Requirements

All Conservatory majors, except music industry studies, require an audition. 


Once you have submitted your application to Pacific, you will receive an email with instructions on how to schedule your audition. Applicants are strongly encouraged to audition on-campus, however, in some cases, we also accept video-recordings.

On-campus auditions for fall 2025:

  • Saturday, December 7, 2024 (required for Early Action applicants)
  • Saturday, January 25, 2025 (piano encouraged*)
  • Sunday, February 2, 2025 (brass, percussion encouraged*)
  • Saturday, February 8, 2025 (woodwind, voice encouraged*; no cello)
  • Sunday, February 23, 2025 (strings encouraged*)

*Applicants are welcome to audition on any of the audition days, however, we will focus on specific areas for performances, Q&A sessions and other social events as indicated above. 

Attention music composition applicants:

Additional application requirements: 

  • Submit at least two original compositions in any musical style. 
  • Send audio files as well as notated scores if available. 
  • Submit directly to Program Director Dr. Andrew Conklin at aconklin@pacific.edu.

Attention music therapy applicants: 

As part of your application process, you will meet with music therapy faculty for a brief interview and a musical skill assessment. Please come prepared to sing 1-3 songs from any genre, however selections from children’s, folk, rock, popular, jazz, or musical theater are best as they reflect the music you will be using as a future music therapist: 

  • Sing one song a cappella.
  • Sing one song while accompanying yourself on guitar.
  • And sing one song while accompanying yourself on piano. 
  • Please note: if you don’t play guitar or piano, the a cappella piece will be sufficient.

This is only an assessment of your skills, and your performance will NOT affect your admission in fact, you’ll be taking classes in voice, guitar and piano while at Pacific. Contact Program Director Dr. Eric Waldon with questions at ewaldon@pacific.edu.

Audition Repertoire

  1. Medium-tempo blues
  2. Up-tempo rhythm changes tune
  3. Latin, rock or funk tune
  4. Ballad

For live auditions: you will be playing with a combo. Please bring three concert key copies of your selections. Auditions will also involve sight-reading and scales.
For recorded auditions: you may use a live combo or backing tracks.

With questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Patrick Langham at plangham@pacific.edu.

  • Two contrasting solo selections such as individual movements from sonatas, concertos or other solo works. Works should represent the applicant’s current level of development via contrasting styles, technical demands and time periods. One selection can be an étude.
  • Excerpt from Florence Price's Symphony No. 1 in E Minor (bars 1-22)
  • Scales: 3 major, 3 minor scales of the applicant’s choice and a chromatic scale displaying full range.
  • Sight reading will be included.

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Nicolasa Kuster at nkuster@pacific.edu.

Music Performance

  1. Two pieces of contrasting style; concerto and solo work should be memorized.
    1. A movement of a standard concerto such as Saint Saëns, Elgar, Haydn, Schumann, Lalo, Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, or Dvorák.
    2. A movement/short piece in contrasting style.
  2. An étude from Popper Op. 73 or Duport 21 Études.
  3. A major or minor scale and corresponding arpeggio. 3 - 4 octaves. 

All Other Majors

  1. One piece/movement; concerto and solo work should be memorized.
  2. A second piece in contrasting style is optional but recommended. 
  3. An étude from Popper Op. 73, Op. 76, Duport 21 Études, or Schroeder Foundation Studies. 
  4. A major or minor scale and corresponding arpeggio. 2 - 4 octaves.

Possible works to include in the audition repertoire:

  • J.S. Bach: Suite for Cello Solo
  • David Baker: Sonata for Cello and Piano
  • Nadia Boulanger: 3 pieces for Cello and Piano
  • Yi Chen: Memory for Solo Cello
  • Rebecca Clark: Epilogue, Rhapsody for Cello and Piano
  • Gabriel Fauré: any piece
  • Louise Farrenc: Cello sonata, Op. 46
  • Sofia Gubaidulina: Ten Cello Preludes
  • Fanny Mendelssohn: Fantasie in g minor for Cello and Piano
  • Astor Piazzolla: Le Grand Tango
  • David Popper: any piece
  • Saint Saëns: Allegro Appassionato, Swan
  • Robert Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
  • Bright Sheng: Seven Tunes Heard in China
  • Dimitry Shostakovich: Cello Sonata
  • Mark Summer: Julie - O

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Dr. Vicky Wang at ywang5@pacific.edu.

  • Two contrasting solo selections from standard repertoire such as individual movements from sonatas, concertos or other solo works. One selection can be an étude. Works should represent the applicant’s current level of development via contrasting styles, technical demands, tempo and time period. Possible works to include in the audition repertoire:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—Concerto for Clarinet, K. 622

Carl Maria von Weber—Concertino, Concerto 1 and 2, Grand Duo

Camille Saint Saëns—Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

Paul Hindemith—Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

Cyrille Rose—32 Etudes, any etude

Gordon Jacob—Five Pieces for Clarinet Solo

Willson Osborne—Rhapsody for Clarinet Solo

Heinrich J Baermann—Adagio for Clarinet and Piano

Gerald Finzi—Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano

Germaine Tailleferre—Arabesque for Clarinet and Piano

Tartini (arr. Jacob)—Concertino for Clarinet and Piano

Ralph Vaughan Williams—Six Studies in English Folk Song

Robert Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 or Three Romances, Op. 94

Bernhard Henrik Crusell—any piece

Augusta Holmes—Fantasie for Clarinet and Piano

Darius Milhaud—Duo Concertante or Caprice for Clarinet and Piano

Marie Sachsen-Meiningen—Romanze for Clarinet and Piano

Carl Stamitz—any concerto

Miguel Aguila—Pacific Serenade for Clarinet and Piano

Johannes Brahms—Sonatas op. 120, no. 1 or 2

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Dr. Patricia Shands at pshands@pacific.edu.

Music Performance (first-year and transfer)

  • One two-octave major scale of the applicant’s choice. 
  • Two contrasting solo selections such as individual movements from sonatas, concertos or any other solo works. One selection can be a technical study or standard orchestral excerpt. Works by underrepresented and/or living composers are encouraged.

All other majors (first-year and transfer)

  • One two-octave major scale of the applicant’s choice.
  • One solo selection of the applicant’s choice such as an individual movement from a sonata, concerto, technical study, orchestral excerpt or any other solo work. Works by underrepresented and/or living composers are encouraged.

Examples of audition repertoire:

J.S. Bach's Solo Cello Suites, choose one movement
Amy Beach's Romance, op. 23 for double bass and piano (arr. Nina DeCesare)
Bottesini's Concerto No. 2, choose one movement
Dittersdorf's Concerto, choose one movement
Dragonetti's (Nanny) Concerto for Double Bass, choose one movement
Eccles's Sonata (G minor), choose one movement
Xavier Foley's Etudes 1-12 for solo double bass, choose one etude
Koussevitzky's Concerto, choose one movement
Marcello's Sonata (E minor), choose one movement
Francois Rabbath, any solo work for double bass
Vanhal's Concerto, choose one movement
Vivaldi's Sonata No. 3 (A minor), choose one movement

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Kathryn Schulmeister at kschulmeister@pacific.edu.

  1. Solo: One selection from standard euphonium solo repertoire: this can be an individual movement from a sonata, concerto, or other solo work
  2. One Etude
  3. Major Scales 2 octaves and Chromatic Scale for entire range

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Bruce Chrisp at bchrisp@pacific.edu.

 

  • Two contrasting solo selections such as individual movements from sonatas, concertos or other solo works. One selection can be an étude. Works should represent contrasting styles, technical demands, tempos and time periods. Suggested audition repertoire. 
  • Excerpt from Gabriela Lena Frank’s Elegía Andina for Orchestra ([A]—two measures after [B]). 
  • Scales: 3 major and 3 minor scales of the applicant’s choice and chromatic scale displaying the applicant’s current full range.
  • Sight reading will be included. 

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Brittany Trotter at btrotter@pacific.edu.

NOTE: Be prepared to answer the following questions at your live audition. If submitting a recorded audition, please record yourself answering these questions:

  1. How would you define success for your collegiate career in music?
  2. What are your goals and aspirations as a musician?

Music Performance 

Perform from memory, two pieces from two of the groups listed below. If you have other repertoire that is similar in technical and musical difficulties to the pieces shown below, it may be substituted for any of the examples listed below.

  • Choose a piece that best showcases your musical strengths and style, and best represents you as an artist. Work by underrepresented composers are strongly encouraged. Examples of repertoire.
  • Demonstrate the ability to play a three-octave major and melodic minor scale, both ascending and descending.

First-year and sophomore transfer applicants

  • A pavane or elementary fantasia by Milan, Dowland or Narvaez
  • A movement from a suite by Visee or Roncalli
  • A study or movement from a sonatine by Sor, Carcassi, Giuliani, Aguado or Carulli
  • A study from 20 Estudios Sencillos by Leo Brouwer, or a prelude from 24 Preludios Para Guitarra by Manuel Ponce

Junior transfer applicants

  • A more advanced fantasia by Dowland or da Milano
  • Two movements from a lute suite or sonata by Bach or Weiss
  • A movement from a work by Villa Lobos, Ponce, Brouwer or other contemporary composers
  • An arrangement of a piece of music from any genre that matches the level of theexamples listed above.

All other applicants

Perform from memory, one solo piece of music from any genre that showcases your musical strengths and style best.

  • The piece must be a solo guitar performance. (EXCEPTION: music therapy applicants may accompany themselves singing with the guitar so long as the other requirements are met)
  • The piece must be played fingerstyle, not just strumming chords.
  • The piece must be more fleshed out than just a single line of melody.

Perform from memory any chord progression (minimum of four different chords) using bar chords only. The progression must include at least:

  • One major chord with the root on the 6th and 5th string
  • One minor chord with the root on the 6th and 5th string
  • One dominant 7 chord with the root on the 6th and 5th string

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Guy Powell at gpowell1@pacific.edu.

Mozart's exposition of your choice (Concerto No. 2, 3 or 4). If you are unsure what section of the piece is the exposition, contact Professor Sadie Glass. You can find free sheet music on the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) website.

Excerpts, choose from the list below (pay attention to the transposition):

  • Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Mvt. II, Trio: Allegro Vivace, Horn 2 in E-flat
    a. Dotted half = 116 bpm
    b. (Measures 171-205)
    Link to recording
  • Ricard Strauss's Don Juan, Allegro molto con brio, Horn 1 in F
    a. Half = 84
    b. (11 after N – 3 after P)
    Link to recording
  • Dame Ethel Smyth's overture to The Wreckers, Horn 2 in F (not horn 1)
    a. (Measure 1-33)
    Link to recording

Chromatic scale to show range. Start on horn middle C and play slurred as high as possible to as low as possible.

  • Bpm 70-90 (playing eighth notes).
  • Focus on playing clean, clear and musically.

Be prepared to answer the following questions at your live audition. For a video audition, submit a recording of yourself answering these questions:

  1. How would you define success for your collegiate career in music?
  2. What are your goals and aspirations as a musician?

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Sadie Glass at sglass@pacific.edu.

  • Two contrasting solo selections such as individual movements from sonatas, concertos or other solo works. One selection can be an étude Works should represent contrasting styles, technical demands, tempos and time periods.
  • Excerpt from Valerie Coleman’s Roma (measures 88-117)
  • Scales: 3 major and 3 minor scales of the applicant’s choice and chromatic scale displaying the applicant’s current full range.
  • Sight reading will be included.

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Kyle Bruckmann at kbruckmann@pacific.edu.

  • Concert snare drum solo or étude. 
    Examples: Portraits in Rhythm by Anthony J. Cirone, Advanced Etudes for Snare Drum by Mitchell Peter, Intermediate Snare Drum Solos by Patrick Moore.
  • Two-mallet and/or four-mallet keyboard solo, transcription or étude. 
    Examples: Impressions in Wood by Julie Davila, Book of Shorter Pieces by Julie Spencer, Marimba: Technique through Music by Mark Ford, Masterpieces for Marimba arr. by Thomas MacMillan, Song Book Vol. 1 by Ivan Trevino.
  • Timpani solo or étude. 
    Examples: Exercises, Etudes, and Solos for Timpani by Raynor Carroll, Sonata for Timpani by John Beck, International Style Etudes II by Alice Gomez, Eight Solos for Two Timpani by Patrick Moore.

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Dr. Jonathan Latta at jlatta@pacific.edu.

For first-year applicants

Music Performance

Select one work from each time period listed below. All must be memorized.

  1. Baroque: A work such as Bach's Prelude and Fugue or similar.
  2. Classical: An Allegro movement from a sonata of at least moderately advanced difficulty (e.g., Beethoven op. 13 or Mozart K. 332) 
  3. Romantic: A work of moderate or advanced difficulty (e.g., Chopin's Scherzo, Clara Schumann's Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann)
  4. Impressionistic or contemporary work (e.g., Ravel’s Jeux d’eau or Takemitsu’s Rain Tree Sketch)

Works by underrepresented composers are strongly encouraged.*

Music Education

Select one work from each period listed below. All must be memorized.

  1. Baroque: A work such as Bach's two-part or three-part invention.
  2. Classical: An allegro movement of a sonata (e.g., Beethoven op. 2, No.1)
  3. Romantic or contemporary work of moderate difficulty (e.g., Chopin's waltz or nocturne, Debussy's prelude, Coleridge-Taylor's Three-Fours Suite (one mvt), Fanny Mendelssohn's op. 6 (one mvt))

Works by underrepresented composers are strongly encouraged.*

All Other Majors

Be prepared to play at least two pieces in contrasting styles (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary). Memorization is preferred. Works by underrepresented composers are strongly encouraged.

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Dr. Sonia Leong at sleong@pacific.edu.

For transfer applicants

Music Performance

Select one work from each time period listed below. All must be memorized.

  • Baroque: A work such as Bach's Prelude and Fugue
  • Classical: One of the easier complete sonatas (Beethoven op. 49 excepted) 
  • A composition from the Romantic, Impressionist or Contemporary repertoire 
    (e.g., Brahms' Rhapsody, Debussy's Images (one mvt), Margaret Bonds' Troubled Waters

Works by underrepresented composers are strongly encouraged.*

Music Education

Select one work from each time period listed below. All must be memorized.

  • Baroque: A work such as Bach 3-part Invention or Prelude and Fugue
  • Classical: An allegro movement (first or last movement) of a sonata
  • Romantic, Impressionist or Contemporary: A work of moderate difficulty 
    (e.g., Chopin's nocturne, Florence Price's On a Quiet Lake or Ravel's Sonatine (1st mvt)) 

Works by underrepresented composers are strongly encouraged.*

All Other Majors

Be prepared to play at least two pieces in contrasting styles (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Contemporary). Memorization is preferred.

Works by underrepresented composers are strongly encouraged.*

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Dr. Sonia Leong at sleong@pacific.edu.

*Works by underrepresented composers

Examples include (but are not limited to): Tan Dun, Toru Takemitsu, Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, William Grant Still, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, George Walker, Zenobia Powell Perry, Grażyna Bacewicz, Amy Beach, Lili Boulanger.

  • Two contrasting solo selections such as individual movements from sonatas, concertos, or other solo pieces such as works by Ferling, Creston, Still, Maurice, Glazunov, Piazzolla, Ibert and Tomasi. One selection can be an étude. Works should represent contrasting styles, technical demands, tempos and time periods.
  • Scales: 3 major and 3 harmonic minor full range scales with corresponding arpeggios of the applicant’s choice and chromatic scale displaying the applicant’s current full range.
  • Sight reading will be included. 

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Ricardo Martinez at rmartinez1@pacific.edu.

Tenor Trombone

  1. Solo: One selection from standard tenor trombone solo repertoire: this can be an individual movement from a sonata, concerto, or other solo work
  2. Rochut Melodious Etudes: One etude from book 1
  3. Major Scales 2 octaves and Chromatic Scale for entire range

Bass Trombone

  1. Solo: One selection from standard bass trombone solo repertoire: this can be an individual movement from a sonata, concerto, or other solo work
  2. Rochut Melodious Etudes: One etude from book 1 down a 4th or down an octave
  3. Major Scales 2 octaves and Chromatic Scale for entire range

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Bruce Chrisp at bchrisp@pacific.edu.

For Freshman Students

Music Performance 

Two contrasting selections from the following list or substitute works of similar technical and musical difficulty. Selection can be individual movements from sonatas, concertos or other solo works. One selection can be an etude.

Recommended repertoire list:

  • Haydn Concerto
  • Hummel Concerto
  • Adolphus Hailstork Sonata for Trumpet and Piano
  • Ulysses Kay “Tromba”
  • Libby Larsen “Fanfare for the Women”
  • Corelli Sonata No. 8
  • Any solo by Clarke, Bellstedt or Arban
  • Goedicke Concert Étude

All Other Majors
Two contrasting selections from the list above or substitute works of similar technical and musical difficulty. Selection can be individual movements from sonatas, concertos or other solo works. One selection can be an etude. See recommended repertoire list above.

For Transfer Students

Music Performance

  • Major and minor scales and arpeggios
  • Chromatic scale, full range
  • Two contrasting selections from the following list of substitute works of similar technical and musical difficulty. Selection can be individual movements from sonatas, concertos or other solo works. One selection can be an etude.

Recommended repertoire list:

  • Haydn Concerto
  • Hummel Concerto
  • Adolphus Hailstork Sonata for Trumpet and Piano
  • Ulysses Kay “Tromba”
  • Libby Larsen “Fanfare for the Women”
  • Corelli Sonata No. 8
  • Any solo by Clarke, Bellstedt or Arban
  • Goedicke Concert Etude

All Other Majors

  • Major and minor scales and arpeggios
  • Chromatic scale, full range
  • Two contrasting selections from the following list of substitute works of similar technical and musical difficulty. Selection can be individual movements from sonatas, concertos or other solo works. One selection can be an etude.

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Leonard Ott at lott@pacific.edu.

  1. All major scales, 2 octaves, chromatic scale or entire range
  2. One Etude
  3. One movement from a Concerto, Sonata, or similar type of work

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Bruce Chrisp at bchrisp@pacific.edu.

  1. Play two pieces of contrasting style; one from memory. Ideally, one should be a movement of a concerto or a single-movement work for viola and orchestra.
  2. Also, choose one major and minor scale with corresponding arpeggio to prepare for the audition.

We highly encourage choosing a work by a composer from an underrepresented group. Lists of possible works are below. Feel free to substitute a work of similar technical and musical difficulty.

Music Performance
Concerto (choose one movement):

  • Bloch Suite Hebraique
  • Gražyna Bacewicz Viola Concerto J.C. Bach-Casadesus Concerto in C Minor, First Movement
  • Handel-Casadesus Concerto in B Minor, First Movement
  • Stamitz Concerto in D Minor, First Movement
  • Vaughan Williams Suite (Select from Group 1, 2, or 3)

All Other Majors
Concerto (choose one movement):

  • All concertos listed above plus:
  • Telemann Concerto in G Major
  • Seitz Student Concerto No. 2, (Trans. For Viola, First Movement)
  • Accolay-Doty Concerto No. 1, (Trans. for Viola, First Movement)
  • Pleyel Concerto in D, Op. 31, First Movement
  • Handel-Barbirolli Concerto for Viola, First Movement

Contrasting work:
(Possible works to consider for all majors)

  • J.S. Bach 6 Cello Suites (arranged for viola); choose one movement
  • Rachmaninov Vocalise
  • One of Two Romances by A. Hailstork
  • One of Three Romances by Clara Schumann, Op. 22
  • One étude by Bruni, Characteristic studies by Lillian Fuchs, Kreutzer, Dont, Mazas, Campagnoli

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Igor Veligan at iveligan@pacific.edu.

  1. Play two pieces of contrasting style; one from memory. Ideally, one should be a movement of a concerto or a single-movement work for violin and orchestra.
  2. Also, choose one major and minor scale with corresponding arpeggio to prepare for the audition.

We highly encourage choosing a work by a composer from an underrepresented group. Lists of possible works are below. Feel free to substitute a work of similar technical and musical difficulty.

Music Performance
Concerto (choose one movement):

  • Samuel Barber Violin Concerto
  • Joseph Bologne de Saint-Georges Concerto for Violin Op. 7, No. 1 or No. 2
  • Max Bruch Concerto in G Minor
  • Ernest Chausson Poeme
  • Edouard Lalo Symphonie Espagnole
  • Felix Mendelssohn Concerto
  • W. A. Mozart Concerto No. 3, 4 or 5
  • Florence Price Violin Concerto No. 1 or No. 2
  • Camille Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriciosso
  • Pablo de Sarasate Ziguenerweisen
  • Henri Vieuxtemps Concerto 4 or 5
  • Henryk Wieniawski Concerto No. 2

All Other Majors
Concerto (choose one movement):

  • Concertos listed above
  • Jean-Baptiste Accolay Concerto
  • J. S. Bach Concerto in A Minor
  • Joseph Bologne de Saint-Georges Concerto for Violin Op. 7, No. 1 or No. 2
  • Antonio Vivaldi Concerto in A Minor

Contrasting work for all majors:

  • Bach Solo Sonatas and Partitas: choose one movement
  • Amy Beach Romance for Violin and Piano
  • Beethoven Sonata or Mozart Sonata: choose one movement
  • Scott Joplin: 6 rags (choose one) arranged by Itzhak Perlman
  • Fritz Kreisler: any piece
  • Massenet Meditation from Thais
  • Any Paganini caprice
  • Florence Price Andante Con Espressione for Violin and Piano
  • Bright Sheng The Stream Flows
  • William Grant Still Suite for Violin and Piano
  • Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Sonata in 3 movements or Fantasy for Solo Violin

With questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Dr. Ann Miller at amiller1@pacific.edu.

Please note: All voice auditions, live and video-recorded, must include live or a pre-recorded piano accompaniment. A pianist will be provided, but you are also welcome to bring your own. Please bring a copy of all your music, preferably neatly organized in a three ring binder.

For first-year applicants

Music Performance and Music Education

Please prepare two selections from memory, choosing repertoire in contrasting tempi/styles from the following categories (no more than one selection per category):

  • Italian song or aria from the 17th or 18th centuries
  • English or American art song from any period - Choose from composers such as, but not limited to, Handel, Duke, Head, Haydn, Barber, Copland, Purcell, Rorem, Britten, Vaughan Williams, Carpenter, or Quilter.
  • Song of America - Choose from composers such as, but not limited to, Roland Marvin Carter, Jacqueline Hairston, Talib Rasul Hakim (Stephen Chambers), Carman Moore, Dorothy Rudd Moore, James Furman, Adolphus Hailstork, Wendell Logan, Olly Wilson, Hall Johnson, Florence Price.

All Other Majors

Please prepare two selections from memory, choosing repertoire in contrasting tempi/styles from two of the following categories (no more than one selection per category):

  • Italian song or aria from the 17th or 18th centuries
  • English or American art song from any period (See list above)
  • Jazz standard
  • Musical theater
  • Song of America (See suggestions above.)

Tonal Memory Evaluation

At the end of your audition, you will be given a tonal memory exercise. This exercise consists of a series of five pitches, which you will hear played on the piano twice. You will then be expected to sing those pitches back to us.

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Daniel Ebbers at debbers@pacific.edu.

For transfer applicants

Music Performance and Music Education

Please prepare three selections from memory, choosing repertoire in contrasting tempi/styles from the following categories. One selection must be from category #1: Italian; no more than one selection per category.

  • Italian song or aria from the 17th or 18th centuries
  • German Lied or French Chanson
  • English or American art song from any period Choose from composers such as, but not limited to, Handel, Duke, Head, Haydn, Barber, Copland, Purcell, Rorem, Britten, Vaughan Williams, Carpenter, or Quilter)
  • Song of America - Choose from composers such as, but not limited to, Roland Marvin Carter, Jacqueline Hairston, Talib Rasul Hakim (Stephen Chambers), Carman Moore, Dorothy Rudd Moore, James Furman, Adolphus Hailstork, Wendell Logan, Olly Wilson, Hall Johnson, Florence Price.

All Other Majors

Please prepare two selections from memory, choosing repertoire in contrasting tempi/styles from two of the following categories (no more than one selection per category):

  • Italian song or aria from the 17th or 18th centuries
  • English or American art song from any period
  • Jazz standard
  • Musical theater
  • Song of America (See suggestions above.)

Tonal Memory Evaluation

At the end of your audition, you will be given a tonal memory exercise. This exercise consists of a series of five pitches, which you will hear played on the piano twice. You will then be expected to sing those pitches back to us.

For questions regarding audition preparation, please contact Professor Daniel Ebbers at debbers@pacific.edu.

Scholarships for Music Students

If you are hoping to attend the Conservatory of Music at Pacific, don't let finances get in your way! Our fall 2020 undergraduate students received over 3 million dollars in combined academic and music merit scholarships.

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