Opera Audition Requirements
- All applicants must have an undergraduate degree.
- All applicants must be available to come to Chicago for a live audition on the specified date.
Live auditions are granted just to those who pass our pre-screening round of recorded auditions. All final voice auditions will take place on February 1, 2019. All invited applicants must attend this day to be considered for admission. Piano applicants will be contacted to arrange a date for final audition, if invited. Do not make any travel arrangements to Chicago until you have received notification of your pre-screening decision.
Pre-Screening Audition Requirements
All applicants must apply to CCPA and submit pre-screening requirements via Acceptd: Monday, November 26, 2018.
All materials must be uploaded via Acceptd. DO NOT mail recordings or documents to CCPA.
Singers
- A recording of three operatic arias (no art song or oratorio)
- a minimum of two languages represented, one of which MUST be English
- one aria must be contemporary
- all recordings must have been made within the last 6 months, one of which must be a video
- A recent headshot
- An academic and professional résumé
- Three letters of recommendation will be required within your Roosevelt University Performing Arts application. One should be from your current voice teacher assessing your current level of development and career potential. The other two should be from professionals or faculty with whom you have recently worked and that address your musical and dramatic abilities.
Pianists
- One complete work for solo piano
- Two operatic selections of contrasting periods and styles (arias and/or scenes/ensembles) to be performed with singers. Of the recordings, at least one must be a video. All recordings must have been made within the last 6 months.
- A recent headshot
- An academic and professional résumé
- Three letters of recommendation will be required with your Roosevelt University Performing Arts application. One will be from your current teacher assessing your current level of development and career potential. The other two will be from professionals or faculty with whom you have recently worked and that address your musical abilities.
Live Audition Requirements
Singers
Do not make any travel arrangements to Chicago unless you receive indication that you have made it through the pre-screening round of recorded auditions. All repertoire must be performed from memory. CCPA will provide you an accompanist for your live audition. You may NOT bring your own accompanist.
Four contrasting operatic arias in the original language (no oratorio), to be performed from memory. These may include selections from the pre-screening audition if you wish.
- A minimum of three languages represented, one of which MUST be English
- At least three stylistic periods must be represented, including Contemporary which is mandatory: Baroque (through Handel), Classical (through Rossini), Romantic/Post-Romantic (through Barber)
Pianists
Do not make travel arrangements to Chicago unless you receive indication that you have made it through the pre-screening round of auditions. All excerpts below must be played and sung in the original language.
- One complete work for solo piano
- Mozart, Don Giovanni - Opening of Act I (through Don Ottavio and Donna Anna's duet)
- Strauss, Ariadne auf Naxos - Composer's aria "sein wir wieder gut" (ending after "die heilige Musik")
- Adams, The Death of Klinghoffer - Act I scene I ("it was just after one fifteen" through "slightly slower" after "makes intellect an animal")
Live Audition Procedures and Expectations
All applicants must be at an advanced level of technical ability. Singers should have a working knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and a firm grasp on at least one of the basic singing languages (in addition to English). They should also have experience working with directors and be comfortable onstage. Singers and pianists must provide 3 copies of their repertoire list and 3 copies of their résumé to their live audition.
Singers
Singers invited to a live audition MUST be available the entire day on February 1, 2019. No exceptions shall be made.
All singers will present an aria of their choice, and will be prepared to sing additional selections from their list as requested by the audition panel. In addition to performing their presented arias, singers may be asked for a working session with our program head. Those selected to join the program will be notified by CCPA within a week after the final auditions.
Proper audition attire is expected for the audition.