Audition Guidelines for the Summer 2018 Heifetz Institute

Please Read Carefully:  Heifetz Institute Video Application Requirements

For details and instructions about live auditions, please click here.

Audition videos must clearly display the hands and face of the applicant at all times during the performance, and be taken from one single-camera perspective.

No video or audio edits of the performance are permitted, and edited performances will not be accepted. Standard editing of applause and truncating and/or excerpting a single movement from a longer pieces is acceptable.

Each audition submission must be uploaded separately and clearly labeled with the name of the applicant performer and of the piece.

Piano accompaniment:  We do not require prospective students to audition with a collaborative pianist. That being said, the goal for your audition should be to achieve the most compelling and artistic performance possible.  Most students find that performing an audition with a pianist brings them closer to that goal.

Videos may be posted on YouTube, or directly to the Heifetz Institute’s Acceptd platform. Please make sure that all links are working and do not require password to access.

If you wish to upload a video from a live concert that was professionally recorded and does not meet the above conditions, or if you have any other questions, please contact us at admissions@heifetzinstitute.org.

Good luck!

Violin

Please upload two separate videos, clearly labeled, fulfilling the following requirements:

1. A major movement of a concerto or sonata from the standard repertoire, demonstrating both artistry andvirtuosity.
2. A short piece clearly demonstrating technical brilliance.

Viola

Please upload two separate videos, clearly labeled, and chosen from the following:

1. A short piece clearly demonstrating technical brilliance OR two
   contrasting movements of Bach.
2. Choose a major movement from a sonata from the standard repertoire OR a representative substantial portion of a concerto. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• First movement with cadenza of the D major concerti by Carl Stamitz  or Franz Anton Hoffmeister
• First or second movement of the William Walton viola concerto.
• First or second and third movements of the Bela Bartok viola concerto.
• Any movement of Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher

Cello

Please upload two separate videos, clearly labeled, fulfilling the following requirements:

1.  A major movement of a concerto or sonata from the standard repertoire, demonstrating both artistry and virtuosity.
2.  A short piece clearly demonstrating technical brilliance.

For All Applicants

As for whether or not a piece is sufficiently “virtuosic” we’ll be happy to answer your specific questions at admissions@heifetzmusic.org.  But first keep in mind that we want to be dazzled, so think about the pieces that will make the greatest impression on our selection committee!

And in ALL cases, please be sure your audition piece is clearly titled.

If you have not attended the Heifetz Institute before, and are applying for need-based financial aid, you will be asked to provide the name and email of one reference. Once you finish and submit your application, Acceptd will automatically send an email to your reference with instructions on how to submit their letter of recommendation. Note: If you are an alumnus/alumna of the Heifetz Institute, you are not required to submit any references.

Thanks and good luck!

For audition details about the Ashkenasi/Kirshbaum Chamber Music Seminar, please click here.