Artist Diploma (ARTD)

The application fee for the USC Graduate application is $90. Application fee waivers are available to qualified applicants, and must be requested before submitting the USC Graduate Application. If you plan to apply for a waiver of the USC Graduate Application fee, please do so at least two weeks before the application deadline. The deadline will not be extended for applicants who fail to request a fee waiver in time. Details and instructions can be found here.

All Thornton graduate applicants must upload transcripts into both the USC Graduate Application (Liaison) AND Thornton SlideRoom Application. The transcript submission deadline is December 1st. Please carefully read the instructions below.

Step 1– You must obtain official transcripts from the registrar’s office of each of your prior institutions before you can complete and submit the application forms. This may take some time, please plan accordingly.

Step 2– Upload Scans (PDF format) of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended into the “Academic History” section of the USC Graduate application (Liaison).

Step 3– Upload Scans (PDF format) of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended into the SlideRoom application where indicated.

Unofficial transcripts or documents printed from an on-line student system will not be accepted. Failure to upload scans of official transcripts in both application forms may significantly delay the release of a final admission decision.

When completing the USC Graduate application, it is important to pay special attention to the following items that you will find in the “program materials” section of the application:

• Thornton SlideRoom portal – A link to access the Thornton SlideRoom portal will be provided in this section.
• The Documents tab – Documents submitted in this section will not be accessible to the Thornton faculty. Thornton faculty will only be able to review documents submitted via the Thornton SlideRoom portal. In order to complete this section, you must check the box indicating that you do not wish to upload documents in this section.
• The Questions tab – Enter your SlideRoom Confirmation number where indicated (you will receive your SlideRoom confirmation number upon submission of the SlideRoom form).

Click here for important additional requirements and instructions.

A link to the SlideRoom portal is located inside the USC Application for Graduate Admission, in the “Program Materials” Section.

The SlideRoom application fee is $25 (fee waivers are not available). Thornton supplemental materials will not be accepted via mail or email.

The SlideRoom form must be submitted before the USC Application for Graduate Admission (Applicants can start both forms and work on them at the same time). Once SlideRoom is submitted, you will need to enter your SlideRoom confirmation number into the “Questions” tab, also located in the “program materials” section of the USC Graduate application.

Only the departments listed below are accepting Artist Diploma applications. All repertoire listed below for the appropriate instrument must be included on the prescreen recording.

Classical Guitar

1. Two solo recitals (60 minutes), both including repertoire from at least two style periods and one large-scale work written since 1920 on each program. Examples include the sonatas of Jose, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Ponce, Ginastera, Brouwer, etc. Concertos by Rodrigo, Arnold, Brouwer, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and other substantial works from the 20th Century and later should also be programmed on one of the recitals.
2. Alternatively the recitalist may prepare one solo recital using the conditions listed above and then prepare a chamber music recital as well. The chamber music recital can be music for guitar and other instruments or for guitar duo or multiple guitars. The chamber music component should also include music written since 1920 such as that by Rorem, Sydemann, Bogdanovic, etc.

Keyboard Collaborative Arts

1. One instrumental recital program (60 minutes) representing a variety of styles (instrumentalists to be provided by the auditionee)
2. One vocal program (60 minutes) including four styles and languages (singers to be provided by the auditionee)
3. One solo recital program (60 minutes) performed by memory representing various styles
4. One piano concerto performed by memory with second piano accompaniment (accompanist to be provided by the auditionee)

Keyboard Studies (Classical Piano)

1. Two contrasting recital programs of 75 minutes each performed by memory
2. Two contrasting complete piano concerti performed by memory with second piano accompaniment (accompanist to be provided by the auditionee)

Violin, Viola, and Cello

1. Five complete contrasting recital works (a total of approximately 90 minutes of music), which must include the following:
   • a complete sonata or partita for violin by Bach, or a complete suite for cello by Bach
   • a standard sonata from the 19th century
   • a contemporary piece written after 1980
   • two additional works of the applicant’s choice
2. Two complete contrasting concerti, which are in addition to the recital program listed above.

Note: All audition repertoire for violin, viola and cello, with the exception of the contemporary piece, sonatas, and other major duo works, must be performed from memory both on the prescreen recording and at the live audition.

Double Bass

1. Four complete recital works, which must include a complete suite by Bach
2. One concerto
3. Orchestral excerpts

Harp

1. Five complete contrasting recital works
2. One concerto

Woodwinds and Brass

Note: All audition repertoire for Woodwinds and Brass, with the exception of the contemporary piece and sonatas, must be performed from memory at the live audition.

1. Three to five complete recital works, totaling at least 50 minutes of music, which must include one contemporary work written after 1920 AND
2. Two full contrasting concerti or one full concerto and one other full standard work (may be a sonata, etc.)

Percussion (exception: Marimba, see below)

Note: All audition repertoire for Percussion, with the exception of the contemporary piece and sonatas, must be performed from memory at the live audition.

1. Three to five complete recital works, totaling at least 50 minutes of music, which must include at least one solo for Marimba or Vibraphone, as well as one piece for multiple percussion setup.
2. One full concerto
3. Two full contrasting concerti or one full concerto and one other full standard work (may be a sonata, etc).

Marimba

Note: All audition repertoire for Marimba must be performed from memory at the live audition.

1. One full Bach Violin Sonata or Partita, OR one full Bach Cello Suite, OR one full Bach Lute Suite.
2. Four other solo pieces in contrasting styles.
3. One full concerto performed with piano or orchestra.

The résumé should list musical, professional, and academic experience and is generally 1-2 pages in length.

This list should include works studied and performed. Etudes, scale studies, arias, art songs, chamber music, solo pieces, and original compositions are all examples of what could be included in this list.

Graduate applicants are encouraged to prepare a brief statement of their professional goals, as well as their purpose in applying for the Artist Diploma program. The Statement of Purpose is typically 1-2 pages in length.

All Thornton graduate applicants must upload transcripts into both the USC Graduate Application (Liaison) AND Thornton SlideRoom Application. The transcript submission deadline is December 1st. Please carefully read the instructions below.

Step 1– You must obtain official transcripts from the registrar’s office of each of your prior institutions before you can complete and submit the application forms. This may take some time, please plan accordingly.

Step 2– Upload Scans (PDF format) of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended into the SlideRoom application where indicated.

Step 3– Upload Scans (PDF format) of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended into the “Academic History” section of the USC Graduate application (Liaison).

Unofficial transcripts or documents printed from an on-line student system will not be accepted. Failure to upload scans of official transcripts in both application forms may significantly delay the release of a final admission decision.

1-3 recommendation letters are required from Artist Diploma applicants. Recommendation letters are to be submitted online through the Thornton SlideRoom portal via the “References” section by December 1. We cannot guarantee the review of any material received after December 1.

Applicants to the Thornton School will be required to complete and upload the following form in SlideRoom:

• Consent and Release Form (if applicant is under 18 years of age by December 1, 2024)

For helpful Slideroom media upload troubleshooting tips, please click here.

For all applicants who are approved for an audition after the prescreen review, a live in-person audition is required. No student will be admitted to the ARTD program who has not performed a live in-person audition. The live audition will be conducted in two rounds. Both rounds of the live audition will take place sometime between January 24 and 29, 2025. Applicants invited to the live Artist Diploma audition must plan to be available for both rounds of the live audition at any time between 9am and 10pm on these five dates. The first round of the live audition will be performed by each applicant for the faculty of his/her specific program of study (e.g., violin applicants will perform for the strings faculty, piano applicants will perform for the keyboard faculty). The faculty will determine from that first round whether to advance the applicant to the second round of the live audition. Only applicants who are advanced from the first round will perform in the second round. Applicants will be notified via email of the first round decision as soon as possible after the first round audition is completed. Any applicant not advanced to the second round will be denied admission to the Artist Diploma program. The second and final round of the live audition will be performed for a representative panel from a range of performance disciplines. This panel will make the final decision regarding admission to the Artist Diploma program. These final decisions will be issued to the applicants via email after the auditions are completed.

The first round of the live audition will vary in length, based on what the faculty will request to hear at the time of the audition. Any material presented by the applicant on the original prescreen recording (including concerti) may be requested by the faculty at the live audition.

The second round of the live audition will be 60 minutes in length and will consist of the following:

• 45 minutes for the applicant to perform a full recital program from beginning to end without stops. This full recital program will be determined by the Thornton faculty (see below).
• 15 minutes of open time for the audition panel to hear passages from the required audition repertoire (including concerti) that were not performed in the first 45 minutes

The recital program to be performed in the first 45 minutes of the second round of the live audition will be determined by the Thornton faculty from the material presented by the applicant on the original prescreen recording. Applicants will be notified via email one week prior to the audition date to inform them of what the Thornton faculty has decided their 45-minute audition program will include.

Applicants may request that repertoire different from what was presented on their prescreen recordings be presented at the live audition. Applicants wishing to make this request must do so in writing to keb@usc.edu by January 1. The written request must provide details of the repertoire the applicant wishes to have considered by the faculty and the requested repertoire must meet the audition repertoire requirements. Applicants who do not submit this request by the January 1 deadline will be required to perform repertoire, as approved by the faculty, that was presented for prescreen.