The application to the MFA program has three parts. Your application is not considered complete until all of these materials have arrived, and incomplete applications will not be considered. All materials must be submitted by January 15.
PART 1: THE UC IRVINE ONLINE APPLICATION FOR GRADUATE ADMISSIONS
All applicants must submit the UCI Online Application for Graduate Admissions by January 15. It is available online after Sept. 15 at UCI Graduate Admissions.
Please note the following:
1. For the sections of this form labeled "personal statement" and "biographical information," you can either complete those sections when you submit the online form, or respond to them separately with a single "personal statement" you submit in your package sent to the Department of Music (see below). In the former case, you do not need to send a duplicate to the Music Department, and in the latter, please write "See Music Dept. materials" in those sections of the online form.
2. For each previous school and reference writer you list on this online form, you must have those official transcripts and letters of reference submitted to the Department of Music in order for your application to be complete (as listed below).
PART 2: MUSIC-SPECIFIC MATERIALS
All applicants to the Music MFA program, regardless of area of emphasis, must submit the following materials to the Music Department address below by January 15:
1. An academic essay, in English, on a music topic. This may be fulfilled by the submission of an undergraduate paper or a research paper of similar size and scope. We suggest at least 10 double-spaced pages; the paper should display your best prose style.
2. A personal statement, describing your interests in MFA program and the specific area of emphasis to which you are applying. (See note above about the option of including this on the online UCI application or submitting it separately to the Music Department.)
3. Official transcripts from all institutions that you listed on the online UCI application.
4. Three letters of reference, from the individuals you listed on the online UCI application. Waiving your right of access is optional but is recommended. These letters may be submitted either online or by regular mail, but in either case you should follow the instructions listed on the Graduate Division website here: Graduate letters of recommendation.
5. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for international students who did not earn their undergraduate degree at an institution in the United States. These students should arrange to have their scores sent to the UCI Office of Graduate Studies.
Please note that the Music GRE is not required for our program.
All of the above must be received by January 15. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. These materials should be sent directly to the Music Department at the following address:
Graduate Admissions
Department of Music
Claire Trevor School of the Arts
University of California, Irvine
303 Music and Media Bldg.
Irvine, CA 92697-2775
PART 3: AUDITIONS AND AREA-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
In addition to the above, applicants must also complete the following requirements specific to their area of emphasis:
Applicants in Integrated Composition, Improvisation and Technology (ICIT) must submit the following:
1. A representative sample of original creative work in the form of scores, recordings, or video documentation.
2. A video of at least 10 minutes that shows your performance skills on your main instrument(s). This can be either a DVD or a link to online video clips. If an item submitted as part of your representative sample of works contains at least 10 minutes of video in which you perform, and that video adequately demonstrates the range of your performance skills, then additional video documentation is not necessary.
For further details on what to include in the portfolio and what the requirments are for admission to ICIT, please read the FAQ section of the ICIT website.
Applicants in Choral Conducting, Collaborative Piano, Guitar/Lute Performance, Instrumental Performance, Piano Performance and Vocal Arts must complete an on-campus audition/interview. This must be scheduled by January 15 and completed by February 1. To schedule your audition/interview, please contact the faculty member(s) in the performance area to which you are applying. In exceptional cases, a DVD may be substituted for the on-campus audition and interview. In such cases, approval for the substitution must be received from the Graduate Director by January 15, and the DVD must be received by mail by February 1.
Each peformance area has its own guidelines for auditions, as follows:
Choral Conducting:
Applicants should have previous conducting experience with school, church or community choruses, extensive solo and choral singing experience, keyboard facility, a reading/speaking facility in German, Italian, French, Latin, or Spanish, and outstanding musical skills, especially sight-reading. An on campus interview and audition is required. A thirty-minute comprehensive musicianship examination will be given; this includes sight-singing, score analysis, and a topic question in music history that will include written and aural discussion. A short conducting rehearsal with one of our choral organizations will complete the interview/audition process.
Collaborative Piano:
Applicants should be prepared to perform:
1. Two complete instrumental sonatas from contrasting stylistic periods
2. Four songs including a Schubert through-composed Lied, a Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, or Strauss Lied, a 19th century French Mélodie, and a post-1950 Art Song in English
3. One solo work to be performed from memory
The audition will also include a sight-reading component.
Guitar/Lute Performance:
Applicants should be prepared to perform three pieces from three different centuries (16th-21st) and to sight-read pieces in contrasting styles. In person auditions are preferred, however if a student is unable to audition in person they may send a CD, DVD or email MP3s or Youtube links to John Schneiderman (j2schnei@uci.edu), to be received by February 1.
Instrumental Performance:
Applicants should consult the faculty member in their area of instrumental performance for further details on audition materials.
Piano Performance:
Applicants should be prepared to perform:
1. A prelude and fugue, toccata, or work containing a fugue by J. S. Bach
2. A complete classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert
3. A complete romantic or contemporary work
4. An etude of virtuosity
All works must be performed from memory. The audition will also include a sight-reading component.
Vocal Arts:
Applicants should be prepared to perform six contrasting songs and arias selected, including at least one each sung in English, Italian, German, and French, from the following:
1. Baroque Opera or Oratorio
2. Classical and/or 19th-century Opera
3. 19th-century German Lied
4. 19th-century French Melodie
5. 20th/21st-century American Art Song or Opera
For further inquiries, contact:
Colleen Reardon
Professor, Graduate Director
Office: CAC 2030
Phone: (949) 824-7183
E-mail: reardonc@uci.edu