Voice

Voice Performance & Vocal Pedagogy

Live auditions at NEC are required for all Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy applicants living in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as all Voice applicants to the Artist Diploma and DMA programs regardless of their country of residence.

A prescreening CD (audio-only) must be submitted by December 1 in order to be considered for a live audition.* Prescreening CDs must contain all the required repertoire as outlined below and will not be reviewed if repertoire is incomplete or substitutions are made. Vocalists must not submit a DVD, video CD, or online recording through ArtsApp for the prescreening round. Only audio CDs will be reviewed.

After review, qualified applicants will be asked to present a live audition at NEC. Applicants who are not selected for a live audition will be notified that they have not been accepted for study.  For additional information about CD recording guidelines, please refer to Recording Guidelines.

All live auditions must be performed with a piano accompanist. Applicants may indicate in the admission application whether they will bring their own accompanist or would like NEC to provide one. There is a fee of $25, payable with in the online application, for an NEC accompanist. Applicants who are not invited to a live audition will have their $25 fee refunded. NEC accompanists will warm up with applicants for ten minutes immediately before the audition.

* Voice applicants residing outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico who are not applying to the Artist Diploma or DMA programs may be considered for admission based on the submission of an audition video recording through our online portal, ArtsApp, rather than a live audition. Please visit the Recording Guidelines for information about ArtsApp. Video auditions should include the audition repertoire below. Please note that a live audition is strongly encouraged.

Repertoire Requirements

The repertoire requirements below apply to both the prescreening CD and the live audition (and to audition video recordings submitted by applicants who are not required to perform a live audition). Applicants may present different repertoire in the live audition than on the prescreening CD as long as all requirements are met.

All works should be performed from memory.

UNDERGRADUATE

Any undergraduate who wishes to include an aria in addition to the required repertoire on their prescreening CD and/or live audition may do so. However, an aria is not required and will have no bearing on the evaluation of the CD or audition.

Bachelor of Music and Tufts/NEC applicants should prepare three selections:

1. One song in English
2. One song in Italian (pre-1800 from any early Italian anthology)
3. One song in a language of the applicant's choice.

Harvard/NEC applicants should prepare four selections:

1. One song in English
2. One song in Italian (pre-1800 from any early Italian anthology)
3. One song in German
4. One song in French.

Transfer applicants should prepare four songs, at least one in each of the following languages: Italian, English and either French or German. The Italian language requirement may be filled by singing an aria from the Early Italian Anthology.

GRADUATE

Master of Music and Graduate Diploma applicants should prepare six selections:

1. Art song in Italian
2. Art song in French
3. Art song in German
4. Art song in English
5. One opera aria
6. One oratorio aria.

DMA: A full recital, including approximately 45 minutes of singing, which should incorporate songs and/or concert arias in three stylistic periods and four languages. Italian, French, German, and English languages must be represented. In addition to the recital program, your program must include an opera aria and an oratorio aria. Unusual repertoire is of special interest. An interview with the voice faculty is part of the audition.

Artist Diploma: Prescreening and audition requirements may be found in the Artist Diploma audition requirements page.

Audition Dates

2011-06-28