Recital Performance

Open Recitals
Open Recitals provide students performing experience beyond the studio class. Open recitals are held Wednesday and occasionally Friday afternoons at 3:15 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
In accordance with specific degree requirements, music majors are required to present junior and senior recitals. Specific guidelines are provided below. Transfer students who have met the junior recital requirement in another institution may waive the junior recital requirement upon satisfactory audition with the faculty of the area involved. 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 are planned by students and their private lesson teachers over the course of the two semesters prior to the event. 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.

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. Students can request Change of Date form from the Performance Studies Coordinator and submit it with the permission of their private lesson teacher.

Recital Locations
All recitals will be held in Barrows Auditorium, Pierce Chapel or Edman Chapel (organ only). Scheduling is arranged under the guidance of the Performance Studies Coordinator 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 ursday are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. A request for exception to this policy must be presented to the Performance Studies Coordinator no later than a month prior to the scheduled date. A limited number of Saturday afternoon times will be available.

General Information
Private Study’ÄîNo recital can be given unless the student is taking lessons on the instrument or voice during the semester immediately prior as well as during the semester in which the recital is taking place.

1. Faculty Jury Review’ÄîAll required recital performances will receive critical comment from a faculty jury. Senior Recitals will normally be reviewed by two faculty from the student’Äôs performance area, and one from outside the area. Junior Recitals will be reviewed by two music faculty members.
2. Recital Auditions’ÄîAll 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 ’ÄúB’Äù 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.
3. Encore Selections’ÄîEncore 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.
4. Piano Tuning’ÄîStudents may opt for a special tuning immediately prior to their recital. is can be arranged by filling out a piano request form available in the Conservatory Office and sometimes incurs additional cost.

Recital Programs
All recitalists will receive, by mail, a Junior/Senior Recital Planning Kit. After accurately providing all required information, the signed recital application and program printed copy must be returned to the Conservatory Office no later than five (5) weeks prior to the recital. A uniform program template will be used for all printed programs. If the deadline for submission has been met, then student and applied teacher will have opportunity to proofread the camera-ready copy for typing errors.

Copies of the program will be posted for faculty and students. The head usher will pick up the programs in the Conservatory Office for distribution at the recital. The Copy Center cost of program printing will be charged to the student's account.

Publicity
It is the student's responsibility to promote their recital. The Print Shoppe will photocopy and/or print both posters and invitations at the student's 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 Conservatory of Music secretary for proper posting locations. Approval from the Student Activities office is required or posting in any other location on campus. A Broadcaster announcement will be submitted prior to the recital by the Conservatory Office.

Recital Auditorium and Stage Procedures

1. Student Staff’ÄîThe 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.
2. Photography’ÄîNo 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.
3. Recording’ÄîRecording is essential as a resource for ePortfolio development. All expenses are borne by the recitalist. A list of recording engineers is provided in the Junior/Senior Recital Planning Kit.
4. Pre-Event Arrival’ÄîAll 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 Chapel).
5. Prayer’ÄîA 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.
6. Receptions’ÄîReceptions are considered a privilege accorded senior recitalists. Pierce Chapel receptions are held in the rear of the auditorium. Receptions for Barrows Auditorium and Edman Chapel recitals are held in the auditorium lobbies. Students can borrow punch bowls and platters from the Conservatory Office.
7. Flowers’ÄîFloral decorations are considered a privilege accorded 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 the student’Äôs college years under the supervision of the principle 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 will normally be 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 composer as performer should be limited in order to preserve the benefit of hearing the music as an objective listener and also to learn from observing others’Äô interpretations of their notated scores.

The total number of performers engaged for the recital will not exceed 20. is 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.

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.

Class films normally feature sound tracks by student composers.