Repertoire List?

College Majors Music Major
1

So I’m applying to Peabody and they say to provide a “Upload a representative list of the repertoire you have studied in your major instrument or area. Please star (*) repertoire performed in public.”

I’m not quite sure what would be appropriate to include in this list. Are they looking mostly for solo stuff, or would music I’ve played with orchestras be appropriate as well? Furthermore, is contemporary music acceptable as long as its “real music?” (ticheli, whitacre, etc.)

2

The repertoire list is usually solo and chamber works you’ve studied and performed. I wouldn’t include music you played with orchestras.

3

Contemporary music is absolutely acceptable…I think you are thinking concert music as opposed to pop music?

4

@Clarimom‌ Could you explain the difference between chamber works and music I’ve played with orchestras? Thanks

edit: I looked up chamber music and says it’s generally smaller ensembles with one player to a part. would listing orchestra music be beneficial to me at all since I’m a horn player and am always the only one covering my part? I haven’t really done too much outside of orchestras/bands

5

Chamber works are small groups, such as woodwind quintets, brass quartets, brass trios, etc. If you have not done any chamber music, then list the solo works you have studied. Unless you’re talking about soloing with an orchestra, such as a horn concerto with orchestra (Strauss, Mozart, etc.).

6

@Matt846‌ - My D plays horn. She had three sections on her repertoire list, solo pieces, small ensembles and major, performed orchestral pieces (noting where principal). The orchestral pieces listed were selected to highlight those with challenging horn parts. As you may know, the required college audition excerpts for horn at some universities are from orchestral works. My D performed a few of these pieces, so she included them for sure. She received very positive feedback on her rep list.

7

My daughter is a vocalist and she divvied up her rep list similarly to @MomOf2TeenGirls‌ - solo pieces, ensemble pieces and choral pieces.

8

I think it depends on the instrument. For some instruments, orchestral excerpts are a significant part of a college audition (which would never be the case, say, for a violinist.) You should ask advice from your teacher, certainly.

9

I would not list everything you’ve played in ensembles. You can list key pieces that may have been at honor festivals or all-state, if you had big solos (im talking about major ones that are challenging and often asked at professional auditions).

10

I know the OP was talking about Peabody specifically, but if you look at the repertoire list requirements for various schools, they generally list what repertoire they want to know about on your rep list (some are quite specific, and want to know what you’ve played by memory, complete, etc.). So a violinist, for example, may not audition with orchestral rep, as @glassharmonica‌ points out, but the school may still want to know about the level of orch rep you have played. It pays to check the admissions website for each school.

11

Thanks all for your advice. The Peabody website doesn’t specify what to include, so I ended up putting the couple solo and chamber works I know well and then filled the rest of the page with orchestral works.