Recital Performance

Open Recitals provide students performing experience beyond the studio class. Open recitals are held Thursday afternoon at 1:15 pm. Normally, freshmen perform once a year; sophomores, twice a year; juniors, three times a year; seniors, four times a year. This requirement can be met with solo or chamber performances, Concerto Competition performances, and junior or senior recital assists. Music selection should be from current repertoire, as required by the studio teacher, or an ensemble prepared under faculty supervision. Due to time constraints, not more than one selection from a junior or senior recital will normally be performed in any given open recital. Student performers should download an Open Recital Application form online.

Junior & Senior Recitals

Music majors are required to present junior and senior recitals as specified in their degree requirements. Requirements are listed below. Transfer students who have met the junior recital requirement in another institution may waive the junior recital requirement upon satisfactory audition with their private lesson teacher. An appropriate project may also be assigned by the area faculty as an alternative to repeating the junior recital.

Recital Requirements by Degree

Recital Planning

Repertoire for all junior and senior recitals is planned by students and their private lesson teachers over the course of the two semesters prior to the event. NOTE: Piano majors may not perform encores in their recitals.

The following policies apply according to degree program and class year:

Non-Required Recitals

Students may apply for a non-required recital with the approval of their private lesson teacher. Most non-required recitals are half-recitals, not to exceed 30 minutes. Students will be charged $50 for a non-required half-recital and $100 for a non-required full recital.

Selection of Recital Dates

All junior or senior recital dates are scheduled in consultation with the private lesson teacher during the previous spring semester. After the date is confirmed, a change of date will be permitted only in the case of extreme emergency, pending availability. Recital date changes will only be accepted by Director of Performance Studies during the first two weeks of each semester.

Recital Locations

All recitals will be held in Barrows Auditorium, Pierce Chapel, Edman 102, or Edman Chapel. Scheduling is arranged under the guidance of the Director of Performance Studies during spring semester each year for recitals to be held the following year. Students preparing for junior and senior recitals are permitted up to 5 hours of individual practice in the performance hall, in addition to faculty coaching time.

Recital Times

Junior and senior recitals taking place Monday through Thursday are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. A limited number of Saturday afternoon times will be available.

General Information

Private Study—No recital can be given unless the student is taking lessons on the instrument or voice during the semester immediately prior to as well as during the semester in which the recital is taking place.

1. Faculty Jury Review—All required recital performances will receive critical comment from a faculty jury. Senior Recitals will normally be reviewed by two faculty from the student‘s performance area, and one from outside the area. Junior Recitals will be reviewed by two music faculty members.
2. A graded senior recital is equivalent to one jury (with approval of studio teacher).  A numerical grade will be submitted by two faculty members in the student’s performance area.  Technique juries are still required, if needed. 
3. Students are required to take a jury in the semester preceding a recital.
4. Recital Auditions—All junior and senior recitals by students taking private lessons with private lesson teachers off-campus must be approved no later than three weeks before the recital date by audition before a faculty committee from the respective area. An audition by a faculty committee will also be required for junior or senior recitals if the student has received a grade of B or lower in the previous jury. A major teacher may require, or a student may request, an audition by a faculty committee if the quality of the recital preparation makes such an audition advisable. Audition committees will include a faculty member from outside the performance area when possible.
5. Encore Selections—Encore selection must have the prior approval of the private lesson teacher and should reflect the same quality and preparation as the main body of the program. One encore is permitted not to exceed four (4) minutes. Piano majors may not perform encores in their recitals.
6. Piano Tuning—Students may opt for a special tuning immediately prior to their recital, which can be arranged by filling out a piano request form available from the Performance Area Administrative Secretary. Students may be responsible for an additional tuning fee.

Recital Programs

All recitalists and their teachers will receive, by email, instructions for providing program copy on a google.docs form.  Studio teachers should work with students to insure correct information is entered four weeks before the recital.  A uniform program template will be used for all printed programs.  If the deadline for submission has been met, a .pdf of the recital program will be sent to the studio teacher three weeks before the recital date.  The teachers should make any final corrections, sign the program in red ink, and return it to the Performance Area Administrative Secretary two weeks before the recital.

Copies of the program will be posted for faculty and students prior to the recital. The head usher will pick up the programs in the Conservatory Office for distribution at the recital.

Publicity

It is students’ responsibility to promote their own recitals.  The Copy  Center will photocopy and/or print both posters and invitations at the students’ expense. Posters for the McAlister bulletin boards should not exceed 11x17 inches. NO posters shall be placed on bare walls or doors in McAlister or Pierce. Please see Performance Area Administrative Secretary for proper posting locations. Approval from the Student Activities office is required for posting in any other location on campus.

Recital Auditorium and Stage Procedures

• Student Staff——The student house manager or head usher will manage all house events. The stage manager is responsible for all stage setup. Recitalists must inform the stage manager at least one week prior to the recital of all needs and changes. Please provide diagrams when several changes are involved. Lighting should be planned with the student stage manager at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the recital.
• Photography——No flash or roving still or video cameras are permitted during a performance. Friends and relatives should be informed of this policy ahead of time to insure the best possible environment for the recitalist.
• Recording——Recording is essential as a resource for ePortfolio development. Senior recitals are videotaped at no cost to the student.  Students are responsible for the cost of recording all other recitals.  Arrangements can be made through Media Resources.
• Pre-Event Arrival—All persons participating in a recital, including accompanists and page turners, must be in place backstage no later than 20 minutes beforehand (Pierce 201 for Pierce Chapel, backstage for Barrows Auditorium, and in the Heritage Room for Edman 102 and Edman Chapel).
• Prayer—A prayer of blessing precedes the recital program and should be no more than two minutes long. Recitalists should select someone for this task well in advance of the recital, and should inform the head usher and/or stage manager accordingly. The prayer and any preliminary remarks should be brief, prompt and well thought out.
• Receptions—Receptions are considered a privilege accorded only to senior recitalists. Pierce Chapel receptions are held in the rear of the auditorium. Receptions for Edman 102 are held in the hallway.  Receptions for Barrows Auditorium and Edman Chapel recitals are held in the auditorium lobbies. Students can borrow punch bowls and platters by contacting the Performance Area Administrative Assistant.
• Flowers—Floral decorations are considered a privilege accorded only to senior recitalists. However, flowers are not recommended in Edman Chapel.

Senior Composition Recitals

Total performance time shall be at least 40 minutes and no more than 55 minutes.

Music to be performed should represent the highest level of achievement attained by the student and reflect the academic and musical standards of the Conservatory. All music will have been composed during students’’s college years under the supervision of the principal composition teacher(s).

A range of styles and genres is encouraged; a variety of instrument families should be represented. No more than one brief work should rely heavily on the improvisation skills of performers.

Performers are normally Conservatory students selected and recruited by the composer. Care must be taken to plan rehearsals well in advance, to communicate clearly with performers, and to choose performers judiciously in order to avoid excessive burdens on any given individual.

The role of the composers as performers should be limited in order to preserve the benefit of hearing the music as an objective listener and also to learn from observing interpretations of their notated scores.

The total number of performers engaged for the recital will not exceed 20. This number may be expanded slightly if a choral work is to be presented, but a chorus of 16 should be considered the maximum. Adherence to these limitations will simplify recital preparation and also show consideration for the resources and energies of the Conservatory populace.

The choice of venue for composition recitals will be affected, in many cases, by the instrumentation used by the composer.  The use of organ, for example, will require the use of Edman Chapel.  Vocal ensembles, generally speaking, will sound best in Pierce.  Finally, any of use percussion will necessitate presenting the recital in Edman or Edman 102, as percussion equipment may not be moved from that building. 

Other Opportunities for Student Composers

• Informal composition recitals are often presented at the end of a given semester featuring works by students enrolled in composition classes or lessons.
• An annual reading and recording session with the Symphony Orchestra provides an opportunity for seniors to hear their work and to obtain recordings for graduate school auditions.