Piano Auditions - Piano Studies

All prospective and transfer students must first submit an application for admission to the Steinhardt School at New York University before scheduling an audition below. You can find information on the application process through the appropriate admissions office.
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Office of Graduate Admissions
Doctoral candidates should visit the Doctoral page for separate instructions and should contact the program director directly for an audition.

Audition Dates and Registration Information

Piano: undergraduate* and masters** auditions***

Solo Concentration Auditions:

Saturday, November 12, 2011 (Undergraduate Open House & Early Decision I auditions)
Sunday, February 5, 2012 (undergraduate, graduate, adv. certificate applicants, only audition for Early Decision II students)
Saturday, February 11, 2012 (undergraduate, graduate, adv. certificate applicants)
Saturday, February 18, 2012 (undergraduate, graduate, adv. certificate applicants)
Saturday, February 25, 2012 (undergraduate, graduate, adv. certificate applicants)
Sunday, April 8, 2012 (transfer, graduate, adv. certificate applicants)

Click here to use an online form to schedule your audition after you have applied. Masters students applying for Collaborative Piano (Instrumental or Vocal) should not use this online audition form but contact Grant Wenaus at his email to schedule a live audition. Audition location is 75 3rd Ave (room C205).

Music Education majors who play piano should schedule their audition through Music Ed here.

Auditions for Masters Applicants in Solo Piano after April 8 by appointment with Dr. Marilyn Nonken only. To schedule one of these auditions, contact Dr. Nonken at marilyn.nonken@nyu.edu.

Auditions for Masters Applicants in Collaborative Piano are made by appointment with Dr. Grant Wenaus, Director of Collaborative Piano Studies. To schedule one of these auditions, contact Dr. Wenaus at grant.wenaus@nyu.edu. Masters students applying for Collaborative Piano (Instrumental or Vocal) should not use the online form to schedule an audition.

*The last audition date for undergraduate freshman applicants is February 25.

**Masters students who audition by February 25 are considered for a combination of Steinhardt School and Department scholarships. However, masters students who audition after that date are only considered for Department scholarships. Steinhardt School scholarships are distributed immediately after the February auditions.

***If you cannot audition in person, you may submit an audition video online instructions here or send an audition DVD to:

Attn: Dr. Marilyn Nonken
NYU Steinhardt / Major ________________
Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions
35 W. 4th Street, Suite 777, New York, NY 10012

Please clearly indicate the applicant's name, program applied to, and NYU ID number (if applicable) on the DVD. All submissions for Regular Decision should be received by January 1 or as soon as possible after the submitted application. Early Decision I submissions should be received by November 1^st, and Early Decision II submissions should be received by January 1^st.

Required Repertoire

Applicants in Piano Studies must bring a resume and repertoire lists to their audition. Repertoire must be memorized, although exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for certain 20th- and 21st-century works.

Undergraduate

One work by J.S. Bach including a fugue
Two movements of a sonata by Mozart, Haydn, or Beethoven
One Romantic composition
One 20th-century or 21st-century composition

Graduate

All works must be prepared in their entirety. All must be performed by memory, with the exception on a case-by-case basis of certain contemporary compositions.

Masters (Concentration in Solo Piano)

Required Audition Repertoire:

A Bach prelude and fugue, suite, or partita
A complete Classical sonata
One work by Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt or Rachmaninoff
One work written between 1900 and 1945
One work written after 1945

Masters Degree in Piano Performance (Concentration in Collaborative Piano - Vocal Concentration)

Prepare the following:

One memorized solo piano piece or movement of a solo piece (not exceeding 7 min.) from the following list:
- One prelude and fugue from J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier
- A movement from a Classical sonata
- One work by Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt or Rachmaninoff
- One etude by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, or Ligeti
- One 20th-century or 21st-century composition

Be prepared to sing and play simultaneously in the original language of all of the following:

DEBUSSY: Green (from Ariettes oubliées)
SCHUMANN: Du Ring an meinem Finger (from Frauenliebe und Leben)
WILLSON: My White Night (from The Music Man)
BARBER: St. Ita's Vision

Choose one aria from the following list to sing and play simultaneously in the original language:

MOZART: "Hai gia vinta la causa - Vedrò mentr'io sospiro" (Count's aria from Le Nozze di Figaro)
PUCCINI: "Quando m'en vo" (Musetta's waltz from La Bohème)
STRAVINSKY: "No word from Tom - I go to Him" (Anne Trulove's aria from The Rake's Progress)
STRAUSS: "Sien wir wieder gut..." (Composer's aria from Ariadne auf Naxos)
VERDI: "Ah, fors' è lui...Sempre libera" (Violetta's aria from La Traviata)

Sight Reading

Faculty Interview

Master's Degree in Piano Performance (Concentration in Collaborative Piano - Instrumental Concentration)

Prepare the following:

One memorized solo piano piece or movement of a solo piece (not exceeding 7 min.) from the following list:
- One prelude and fugue from J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier
- A movement from a Classical sonata
- One work by Chopin, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt or Rachmaninoff
- One etude by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Debussy, or Ligeti
- One 20th-century or 21st-century composition

Applicants must be prepared to play three instrumental chamber pieces, one from each of the three lists below (A, B, and C). Applicants may provide their own chamber partner, or, when scheduling an audition date with Dr. Grant Wenaus, request that instrumentalists (and rehearsal time) be provided.

LIST A (Choose one)

VIOLIN AND PIANO

MOZART: Sonata No. 1 in C major K. 6
MOZART: Sonata No. 35 in A major K. 526
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 1 in D major Op.12
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 5 in F major Op. 24 ("Spring Sonata")
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 9 in A major Op. 47 ("Kreutzer Sonata")
BEETHOVEN: Sonata No. 10 in G major Op. 96

VIOLA (or GAMBA) AND PIANO

BACH: Sonata in G major, BWV 1027
BACH: Sonata in D major, BWV 1028
BACH: Sonata in G minor, BWV 1029

VIOLONCELLO (or GAMBA) AND PIANO

BACH: Sonata in G major, BWV 1027
BACH: Sonata in D major, BWV 1028
BACH: Sonata in G minor, BWV 1029
BEETHOVEN: Sonata in A major Op. 69

LIST B (Choose one)

VIOLIN AND PIANO

BRAHMS: Sonata No. 1 in G major Op. 78 ("Rain Sonata")
BRAHMS Sonata No. 2 in A major Op. 100
BRAHMS: Sonata No. 3 in D minor Op. 108
FRANCK: Sonata in A, M.8

VIOLA AND PIANO

BRAHMS: Sonata No. 1 in F minor Op. 120
BRAHMS: Sonata No. 2 in E flat major Op. 120

VIOLONCELLO AND PIANO:

BRAHMS: Sonata in E minor Op. 38
BRAHMS: Sonata in F major Op. 99
FRANCK:Sonata in A, M.8

LIST C (Choose one)

VIOLIN AND PIANO

DEBUSSY: Sonata in G minor L 140

VIOLA AND PIANO

Hindemith: Sonata in F, No. 4, Op. 11

VIOLONCELLO AND PIANO

SHOSTAKOVICH: Sonata in D minor Op. 40

Sight Reading

Faculty Interview

Doctoral

Ph.D. applicants should prepare a full recital program, from which they will be asked to perform a maximum of 30 minutes. All doctoral auditions are to be performed live. A video audition may be submitted in exceptional circumstances. Please contact Dr. Marilyn Nonken directly at marilyn.nonken@nyu.edu for an appointment and with any questions regarding audition repertoire. It is strongly recommended that applicants submit to Dr. Nonken a resume and repertoire list.