Composition audition info

All undergraduate applicants must apply to the University of Colorado Boulder and complete a College of Music Admission Application; applications are available on our admissions page. Undergraduate auditions will not be scheduled until both applications have been received.

Graduate students need only complete the graduate application.

For information on applying for College of Music ensembles, visit our e nsembles page.

Undergraduate
Graduate

Audition requirements

For prospective composition majors, the audition process has three parts:

Composition portfolio review (required): You must submit three or more original works and recordings. Scores and additional documentation such as code, video, etc. encouraged when applicable. Recordings can be live/edited or MIDI realizations. Your portfolio of works must be submitted online via your application status page. Materials should be received by Dec. 1. (We will only accept materials submitted between Dec. 1-Feb. 1 based on space available.) Please also submit a personal statement detailing your goals and aspirations for your time at CU Boulder and why you are interested in joining our community. Your statement should provide a snapshot of your creative life and identity–we want to get to know you.

We are seeking students who are enthusiastic learners, who crave a community of collaborators and who want to push themselves to new artistic places.

Performance audition (optional for BM Composition applicants): Though not required of the BM Composition degree, applicants have the opportunity to audition on an orchestral instrument, piano, voice or classical guitar. For those applying to the BM Composition degree, applicants can pursue a “non-performance” track in the degree which will not require an instrumental or vocal audition. You will be able to indicate this in your music application and the music audition requirement will be waived internally. If applying to the BA degree, you must pass an audition at the BA level or higher on an orchestral instrument, piano, voice or classical guitar. Auditions on synthesizer are not accepted. For specific repertoire recommendations, please review the audition requirements for your instrument.

Live composition interview (required): Composition interviews can be either in person or conducted virtually via Zoom. You will be able to sign up via your CU Boulder application status page as early as December. Note that all composition applicants who pass pre-screening must complete an interview—including applicants who submitted a recorded instrumental or vocal audition. Interviews will be no more than 15 minutes in length and will be conducted by our composition faculty. You will be asked about your interests in pursuing a composition degree, how you got involved in composing, profound experiences related to music, and artists of any and all genres and disciplines who have been impactful to you. We will use this interview time to get to know who you are as an artist and as a person.

More about the program: We support creatives of all sound mediums who would benefit from working in a supportive, collaborative environment with mentors across numerous disciplines and aesthetics. We seek artists who are looking to develop their craft and expand their knowledge and experiences in sound, regardless of whether they have a formal education in music. This includes composers and creators of concert music, film and video game music, electronic music and installation work. For a better idea of whether our degrees will support your goals, please consult the degree sheet for BM in Composition or BA in Music for a detailed overview of the curriculum.

Composition faculty Composition department

Audition requirements

Composition portfolio and application due Dec. 1
Composition interviews: Jan. 20, Feb. 3 or Feb. 10 (more information here)

Submit three or more original works and recordings. Scores and additional documentation such as code, video, etc. encouraged when applicable.

Please do not submit any arrangements of others’ work. Recordings can be live/edited or MIDI realizations. Please create a Google Drive folder or Dropbox folder with your materials, and submit a PDF with a single link to your portfolio folder. Do not submit individual files into the application portal. We very much prefer to access a link to all of your submitted materials (make sure the link is accessible to “anyone with the link” as a viewer, since we are unable to request permission to access your materials). This PDF with portfolio link must be submitted with your graduate application.

Personal statement

Please submit a personal statement detailing your goals and aspirations for your time at CU Boulder and why you are interested in joining our community. Your statement should provide a snapshot of your creative life and identity–we want to get to know you. Please also indicate what type of teaching assistantship you would be most qualified for/interested in and why. We typically have teaching assistantships available in the areas of classroom aural skills (ear training) and classroom electronic music. Sometimes there is also the opportunity to teach a composition course to non-majors (DMA applicants only). This will help us to determine which TAship to offer if we are hoping to offer you admission. It will also help us to alert our music theory colleagues (if applicable) so they can schedule a short interview with you.

Diversity statement (optional)

Submitting a diversity statement is optional, however you must submit a diversity statement to be considered for the Graduate School’s Graduate Diversity Fellowship. Applicants for this scholarship must be a U.S citizen, permanent resident or international student with a diverse background based on one of the following characteristics:

Race/ethnicity
Gender identity/sexual orientation
Socioeconomic standing (i.e., Pell Grant, WIC eligible, formerly in foster care or first generation college student)
Disability (i.e., physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities)

Composition faculty Composition department

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