violinist performing

Audition days   Recorded auditions   Study area requirements 

Auditions are required for all College of Music degree programs. In-person, virtual-live and recorded auditions are available. We strongly suggest completing a live audition, if possible. Voice and composition applicants have an additional pre-screening requirement which must be submitted before the live audition is confirmed.

Note: If you’re already a CU Boulder student and wish to audition for one of our ensembles, visit our ensembles page. 

Audition days

Auditions for the fall semester occur over three live audition weekends in January-February. You will be asked for your audition date preference within the College of Music application for our planning purposes; you will select your audition time in December. Audition days are a full-day experience with orientation activities including tours, faculty meet-and-greets and more!

Live audition dates

Musical theatre auditions are a two-day process. Voice and monologue auditions are on Friday afternoon and dance auditions are on Saturday morning. The musical theatre virtual auditions take place on Friday only, with optional activities on Saturday morning: 

Accommodations

Need a place to stay in Boulder? We’re pleased to partner with the Hiltons of Boulder to provide room, dining and parking discounts at three hotels conveniently located near campus. Learn more about our hotel partners and rates.

Recorded auditions

If you are a composition or voice student submitting a pre-screening, or if you choose to submit a recording in place of a live audition, please review these guidelines. Each studio has preferences for separate or single, continuous recordings. Please see your study area requirements in the next section for specific guidance.

  • Deadlines
    • Pre-screening recordings (voice and composition only) must be submitted by Dec. 1.
    • All other recorded auditions must be submitted by Feb. 1.
  • We accept the following (please do not send DVDs or CDs):
    • Video: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .webm, .wmv
    • Links: You may upload links to YouTube videos under “Upload Recordings—Upload Link.” Please only upload links to YouTube, not to SoundCloud, Google Drive or Vimeo.
  • You must submit your recording via your CU Boulder Application Status page.
    • After submitting the CU Boulder application, you will receive an email from Undergraduate Admissions with your login information.
    • Log in and view your Application Status page. From this portal, you may upload recordings via the music application tab (tab 2). If you’re having trouble with this process, please reach out to Undergraduate Admissions.

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Audition requirements