Piano

Applicants must audition live, or send a recent DVD of at least 15 minutes duration for undergraduates, and 20-25 minutes for graduates. The audition program must be completely memorized, and consist of at least three contrasting works of sufficient complexity from three different style periods. The selected repertoire must be emailed to Dr. Laura Spitzer ahead of time for approval. Suggested works include:
 
  • Baroque: Any prelude and fugue by J.S. Bach from The Well-Tempered Clavier, or a sonata by Domenico Scarlatti or Soler.
  • Classical: At least one movement of a sonata, or a set of variations by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert.
  • Romantic: A work displaying some virtuosity by Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Brahms, or Mendelssohn.
  • 20th-21st Century: Any substantial work by Ravel, Debussy, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Barber, Bartók, Ginastera, Muczynski, Corigliano, etc.
  • The audition requirements are the same for piano performance, music education, and music business majors. Applicants will also be asked to sight read, and to play major and minor scales, preferably in a four-octave range. Auditions may be scheduled at any time of the year, at a mutually convenient time for the student and the audition jury.
For more information, please contact:
 
Dr. Laura Spitzer
Department of Music
Box 30001; MSC 3F
Las Cruces, NM 88003
 
phone: (575) 646-2228