Auditions | Visiting Committee Lesson Stipends 2009-2010

Audition Date: November 7, 2009.
Audition Location: Fulton Recital Hall (4th floor Goodspeed Hall)

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Download Application form (PDF)

DESCRIPTION

Visiting Committee Performance Stipends are grants presented by the Department of Music to a limited number of registered University of Chicago students to help defray the cost of private lessons in applied music. The grants are awarded on the basis of competitive auditions. They may be used to cover up to, but not more than, 60 percent of the total cost of private lessons for the 2009-10 academic year. In recent years, the average grant has been approximately $400 and the maximum grant has been $750. Explicit preference is given to musicians who are active in one or more of the Department’s fourteen performance organizations. Note that singers who hold paid positions in Rockefeller Chapel Choir but are not members of any other Department ensembles are ineligible for lesson stipends.

Students may petition the Committee for lesson support during summer 2010 provided: 1) they will be in residence during the summer quarter; 2) they have already made arrangements with a private teacher; 3) they are not requesting lesson support during the regular academic year; and 4) they maintain active participation in a department ensemble throughout the 2009-10 year. An explanatory letter requesting summer support must be provided at the audition.

APPLICATIONS

Application forms are available at the main office of the Department of Music, Goodspeed Hall 309. All applicants must supply the following information: teacher’s name, address, phone number, and affiliation; proposed number of lessons, cost per lesson, and total cost for the 2009-10 academic year. Please bring your completed application form to your audition. Students who have not yet made arrangements for private instruction may schedule an audition, but all lesson arrangements must be finalized by the date of the audition. There will be no exceptions to this policy. The members of the Visiting Committee Performance Stipend Committee (Barbara Schubert, James Kallembach, and Amy Briggs) will assist students in finding an appropriate private teacher. Make your plans early; please do not wait until the day before auditions to try to find a teacher.

AUDITIONS

Auditions will be held on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, in Fulton Recital Hall on the fourth floor of Goodspeed Hall. Audition appointments can be made in the Music Department main office where a sign-up sheet will be posted. Applicants should prepare an audition selection of five to six minutes. Contrasting excerpts – something fast, something slow – from the solo or concerto literature are recommended. No sightreading will be included on this audition. The audition material does not have to be memorized, but memorization (particularly for singers) reflects well on the auditionee. Auditionees may provide their own accompanist, if desired, or may utilize the services of the staff accompanist for these auditions. If using the STAFF ACCOMPANIST, auditionees must submit a copy of the music to be performed at the audition by Friday, October 30 in the main office. Instrumentalists may audition without an accompanist if they prefer, and if their selected repertoire warrants that choice.

GRANTS

Auditionees will be informed of their awards by letter approximately two weeks after the audition date. All musicians who receive grants are required to submit a report at the end of each academic quarter detailing the number of lessons taken. Lesson stipends are paid as a reimbursement to the student after the completion of each quarter’s lessons. Any unused funds are forfeited at the end of the academic year. Students who do not use their 2009-10 grants will be ineligible the subsequent year.

QUESTIONS

Further questions about the Visiting Committee Performance Stipends should be directed to Barbara Schubert, Director of Performance Programs, Goodspeed Hall 403, (773) 702-7628.