All of the materials listed below must be received by the December 1st deadline. Any application not complete by December 1 may be removed from consideration.

Required items:

• USC Graduate Application - the following documents will also be submitted online with the USC application:
• Résumé
• Repertoire List
• Statement of Objectives
• 1-3 Letters of Recommendation (see the USC online application for instructions on how to submit)
• Audition (see below)
• Materials to be delivered to USC Admission (click here for the correct mailing address)
• Official transcripts
• TOEFL score report - required from all MM applicants for whom English is a second language, regardless of educational background or immigration status

**Please do not send any additional materials to the USC Thornton Office of Admission.

Audition Information

It is strongly urged that applicants perform in person; however, a tape or cassette of professional quality may be submitted. The applicant must submit a complete list of repertoire including: songs, arias, sonatas/multi-movement works, concerti, character pieces, complete operas; solo, choral, and ballet repertoire. Audition requirements consist of:

1. Two piano solos from contrasting stylistic periods, performed by memory
2. Two complete instrumental sonatas
3. Four songs representing stylistic variety
4. One aria
5. A demonstration of sight-reading ability
6. A demonstration of skills in diction and translation in one or more of the following: German, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, and the International Phonetics Alphabet.

All sonatas are to be performed with an instrumentalist; all songs and arias with a singer. The auditionee normally is expected to supply both instrumentalists and singers. Should this not be possible, the KCA department faculty will be happy to play and sing with the auditionee. It is customary to perform instrumental and vocal literature with scores. Audition repertoire may be selected from but is not limited to the following suggested list:

Instrumental Repertoire List

Violin:

• Beethoven
  • Sonata in F major, Op. 24, "Spring"
  • Sonata in c minor, Op. 30, No. 2
  • Sonata in G major, Op. 30, No. 3
• Brahms
  • Sonata in G major, Op. 78
  • Sonata in A major, Op. 100
  • Sonata in d minor, Op. 108
• Mozart
  • Sonata in A major, K. 305
  • Sonata in B-flat major, K. 454

Viola:

• Bloch
  • Suite for Viola and Piano
• Brahms
  • Sonata in f minor, Op. 120, No. 1
  • Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120, No. 2
• Britten
  • Lachrymae, Op. 48
• Hindemith
  • Sonata in F major, Op. 11, No. 4

Cello:

• Beethoven
  • Sonata in g minor, Op. 5, No. 2
  • Sonata in A major, Op. 69
• Brahms
  • Sonata in e minor, Op. 38
• Debussy
  • Sonata in d minor
• Mendelssohn
  • Sonata in D major, Op. 58

Vocal Repertoire List

German:

• Brahms
  • Botschaft
  • Meine Liebe ist grün
• Schubert
  • Der Wanderer
  • Die Forelle
  • Liebesbotschaft
• Schumann
  • Frühlingsnacht
  • Mondnacht
  • Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden
• Strauss
  • Allerseelen
  • Ständchen
• Wolf
  • Auf einer Wanderung
  • In dem Schatten meiner Locken

French:

• Debussy: from Ariettes Oubliées
  • Duparc
  • L'invitation au voyage
  • Phidylé
• Fauré
  • En sourdine
  • Nôtre amour

English:

• Barber: from Hermit Songs
  • I Hear an Army
• Britten
  • from On This Island
• Copland
  • from Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson

Arias:

• Mozart
  • Martern aller Arten
• Strauss
  • Composer's Aria
• Stravinsky
  • Anne Truelove's Recitative/Aria/Cabaletta

Any questions in regard to collaborative repertoire may be directed to the collaborative arts office by calling (213) 740-7703. Please visit our Audition page for more specific information regarding audition dates.

Additional Information

It is expected that pianists who live within a 100-mile radius of Los Angeles will provide their own partners for their audition. However, for pianists who come from further away or are new to the area, the faculty hearing the auditions will be happy to play instrumental parts on a second piano and are willing to sing vocal selections with auditioning collaborative pianists.

For auditioning pianists that come from far away, there are a number of very talented USC students, singers, and instrumentalists, in the area who sometimes are willing to participate in the audition process as performing partners. They do this for a fee that is set by them (the KCA department does not become involved in the setting or payment of fees) and some of them are willing to rehearse beforehand. Most would only rehearse on the day of the audition or perhaps the day before, though you may find someone who is willing to rehearse with you on a longer-term basis. If you would like a list of potential partners that you could contact yourself, please contact the Keyboard Studies Department regarding the repertoire you would like to offer for your audition and we will make some recommendations for persons you might wish to contact. You can reach the Keyboard Studies Department at (213) 740-7703. There is no guarantee that we will be able to identify partners available at the time of your audition or that we will be able to identify partners to perform every piece. We do this only as a courtesy and not as a required service on our part.

All of the materials listed below must be received by the December 1st deadline. Any application not complete by December 1 may be removed from consideration.

Required items:

• USC Graduate Application - the following documents will also be submitted online with the USC application:
• Résumé
• Repertoire List
• Statement of Objectives
• 1-3 Letters of Recommendation (see the USC online application for instructions on how to submit)
• Materials to be delivered to USC Admission (click here for the correct mailing address)
• Official transcripts
• GRE score report (general test only)
• TOEFL score report - required from all applicants for whom English is a second language, regardless of educational background or immigration status

**Please do not send any additional materials to the USC Thornton Office of Admission.

Audition Information

It is strongly urged that applicants perform in person; however, a tape or cassette of professional quality may be submitted. The applicant must submit a complete list of repertoire including: songs, arias, sonatas/multi-movement works, concerti, character pieces, complete operas; solo, choral, and ballet repertoire. Audition requirements consist of:

1. Two piano solos from contrasting stylistic periods, performed by memory
2. Two complete instrumental sonatas
3. Four songs representing stylistic variety
4. One aria
5. A demonstration of sight-reading ability
6. A demonstration of skills in diction and translation in one or more of the following: German, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, and the International Phonetics Alphabet.

All sonatas are to be performed with an instrumentalist; all songs and arias with a singer. The auditionee normally is expected to supply both instrumentalists and singers. Should this not be possible, the KCA department faculty will be happy to play and sing with the auditionee. It is customary to perform instrumental and vocal literature with scores. Audition repertoire may be selected from but is not limited to the following suggested list:

Instrumental Repertoire List

Violin:

• Beethoven
  • Sonata in F major, Op. 24, "Spring"
  • Sonata in c minor, Op. 30, No. 2
  • Sonata in G major, Op. 30, No. 3
• Brahms
  • Sonata in G major, Op. 78
  • Sonata in A major, Op. 100
  • Sonata in d minor, Op. 108
• Mozart
  • Sonata in A major, K. 305
  • Sonata in B-flat major, K. 454

Viola:

• Bloch
  • Suite for Viola and Piano
• Brahms
  • Sonata in f minor, Op. 120, No. 1
  • Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 120, No. 2
• Britten
  • Lachrymae, Op. 48
• Hindemith
  • Sonata in F major, Op. 11, No. 4

Cello:

• Beethoven
  • Sonata in g minor, Op. 5, No. 2
  • Sonata in A major, Op. 69
• Brahms
  • Sonata in e minor, Op. 38
• Debussy
  • Sonata in d minor
• Mendelssohn
  • Sonata in D major, Op. 58

Vocal Repertoire List

German:

• Brahms
  • Botschaft
  • Meine Liebe ist grün
• Schubert
  • Der Wanderer
  • Die Forelle
  • Liebesbotschaft
• Schumann
  • Frühlingsnacht
  • Mondnacht
  • Schöne Wiege meiner Leiden
• Strauss
  • Allerseelen
  • Ständchen
• Wolf
  • Auf einer Wanderung
  • In dem Schatten meiner Locken

French:

• Debussy: from Ariettes Oubliées
  • Duparc
  • L'invitation au voyage
  • Phidylé
• Fauré
  • En sourdine
  • Nôtre amour

English:

• Barber: from Hermit Songs
  • I Hear an Army
• Britten
  • from On This Island
• Copland
  • from Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson

Arias:

• Mozart
  • Martern aller Arten
• Strauss
  • Composer's Aria
• Stravinsky
  • Anne Truelove's Recitative/Aria/Cabaletta

Any questions in regard to collaborative repertoire may be directed to the collaborative arts office by calling (213) 740-7703. Please visit our Audition page for more specific information regarding audition dates.

Additional Information

It is expected that pianists who live within a 100-mile radius of Los Angeles will provide their own partners for their audition. However, for pianists who come from further away or are new to the area, the faculty hearing the auditions will be happy to play instrumental parts on a second piano and are willing to sing vocal selections with auditioning collaborative pianists.

For auditioning pianists that come from far away, there are a number of very talented USC students, singers, and instrumentalists, in the area who sometimes are willing to participate in the audition process as performing partners. They do this for a fee that is set by them (the KCA department does not become involved in the setting or payment of fees) and some of them are willing to rehearse beforehand. Most would only rehearse on the day of the audition or perhaps the day before, though you may find someone who is willing to rehearse with you on a longer-term basis. If you would like a list of potential partners that you could contact yourself, please contact the Keyboard Studies Department regarding the repertoire you would like to offer for your audition and we will make some recommendations for persons you might wish to contact. You can reach the Keyboard Studies Department at (213) 740-7703. There is no guarantee that we will be able to identify partners available at the time of your audition or that we will be able to identify partners to perform every piece. We do this only as a courtesy and not as a required service on our part.