Strings

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.

All string applicants are required to submit unedited video recordings on the SlideRoom portal for prescreening purposes by the application deadline in order to receive an invitation to a live audition at USC. Audio recordings will not be accepted.

The results of the prescreening (as determined by the appropriate faculty) will determine whether an applicant will be invited to campus to perform a live audition. Applicants who do not provide the required prescreening materials by the stated deadline will not be considered for an invitation to audition in person.

Violin, Viola, and Cello applicants must submit video recordings for prescreening that contain at least 15 minutes of music, which includes:

1. A movement of a solo Bach suite, partita, or sonata, no repeats
2. Two movements with applicable cadenza from a concerto
3. One virtuosic piece or caprice of the applicants choosing

Double bass applicants must submit video recordings for prescreen that contain the following:

1. One movement of a double bass concerto or comparable works from the double bass solo repertoire
2. Two orchestral excerpts from the orchestral repertoire
3. One movement of a solo Bach Suite in any key, no repeats

Harp applicants must submit video recordings for prescreen that contain the following:

1. Two contrasting solo works
2. Three orchestral excerpts

All music should be performed from memory, except sonata/duo works or contemporary works composed after 1970. All music must have been recorded within the last year. Comments regarding the prescreening material will not be released to the applicant.

Current USC Thornton students applying for a graduate program may not be required to submit an audition recording for the prescreen round. Applicants may be allowed to use a recital or jury as their audition, and some cases might allow current Thornton students to make special arrangements for an audition in lieu of uploading a recording. Please check with your teacher or department chair before you submit the SlideRoom form to determine what is possible in your case. In all cases, current Thornton students must indicate on the application that they are a current Thornton student or they may not advance to the live audition round. Current Thornton students are encouraged to consult the special Application Requirements for Current Thornton Students, here. Questions about advancing to the live audition round may be directed to your department chair or Kit Bellamy in the Thornton Admission office.

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 Strings 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 graduate Strings 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.

Special Instructions for DMA Applicants: 

Letters of recommendation from all DMA applicants, including current Thornton students, should address not only the applicant’s musical talents but their potential to thrive in a rigorous musical and academic environment in which they will construct a path of study that includes three fields in addition to their major area.  At least one recommendation letter should be from a professor who has assessed a major research or analytical paper that the applicant has written. 

A “Doctoral Introductory Video” must be submitted through SlideRoom by December 1st.

USC Thornton recognizes that DMA and PhD graduates are expected not only to be elite performers and scholarly experts in their fields, but also exceptional and versatile teachers, inspiring and innovative leaders, and consummate musicians with strong complementary skills. This is a tall order, and it necessitates a well-honed individualized academic portfolio. To this end, USC Thornton requires every Doctoral student to declare, in addition to the major field, an academic field and two elective fields, one of which may be a field outside of music. The purpose of this multidisciplinary approach is to support each student’s personal and artistic development in a way that will be well-aligned with her/his professional goals.

As a reflection of the individualized nature of the USC Thornton Doctoral programs, DMA and PhD applicants are required to submit a single-take, unedited, and preferably unscripted video of no more than four minutes. The DMA program at Thornton aims to nurture and build a community of Artist-Scholars and Scholar-Artists.  What does this term mean to you? And what are your goals in pursuing this degree? What academic and elective areas would you be interested in pursuing beyond your major? 

Information about the DMA curriculum, including academic and elective field options can be found here. 

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.

Master’s of Music and Graduate Certificate:

Piano accompaniment is preferred, but not required. A suggested list of pianists available for hire (at the applicant’s own expense) is available through the Strings office at the Thornton School: (213) 740-7702. Applicants must provide a copy of piano scores to the pianist for the audition. All music should be performed from memory, except sonata/duo works or contemporary works composed after 1960. The live auditions will be held in 20 minute increments, though the faculty panel may decide that the student need not perform for the full 20 minutes. The presiding faculty will determine the actual music performed at the audition, choosing from the list of repertoire prepared by the applicant, according to the requirements as described below. Applicants with insufficient required repertoire may be disqualified at the discretion of the faculty panel.

It should be carefully noted that some members of the strings faculty may request private interviews and/or lessons in addition to the audition requirements detailed on this page in order for the applicant to be given the fullest consideration for placement in their studios. Typically, these additional meetings are scheduled around, but not during, the regular live audition dates. All specific arrangements for these meetings are considered and finalized by the faculty members themselves. Thornton faculty contact information can be found here.

Violin

1. Two movements from a solo Bach Partita or Sonata, OR the D minor Ciaccona
   • Note: B minor Partita Doubles are counted as part of one movement, Sonatas must include one fugue, no repeats
2. Two movements from a complete concerto (with applicable cadenzas)
3. One virtuosic piece or Paganini Caprice
4. An open/choice work or movement (the Strings department is dedicated to expanding exposure to works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) composers. To see a sample list of some pieces, please click here.)

Viola

1. Two contrasting movements from a solo Bach suite, partita, or sonata, no repeats
2. Two movements from a sonata or other duo work for viola and piano
3. Two movements from a concerto with applicable cadenzas from the repertoire
4. An open/choice work or movement (the Strings department is dedicated to expanding exposure to works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) composers. To see a sample list of some pieces, please click here.)

Cello

1. Two contrasting movements of a solo Bach suite, no repeats
2. Two movements of a concerto from the cello repertoire with applicable cadenza
3. Two movements of a sonata or other duo work for cello and piano
4. An open/choice work or movement (the Strings department is dedicated to expanding exposure to works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) composers. To see a sample list of some pieces, please click here.)

Double Bass

1. Two contrasting movements of a double bass concerto or comparable works from the double bass repertoire
2. Three orchestral excerpts from the orchestral repertoire
3. Two movements of a solo Bach Suite in any key, no repeats
4. An open/choice work or movement (the Strings department is dedicated to expanding exposure to works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) composers. To see a sample list of some pieces, please click here.)

Harp

1. Two complete works comparable to the difficulty and scope of the Sonata of Hindemith or the Impromptu of Faure
2. Three orchestral excerpts

Doctor of Musical Arts:

For DMA applicants piano accompaniment is required (at the applicant’s own expense), unless there are extenuating circumstances due to COVID. If there is a reason that does not allow for piano accompaniment for your live audition (whether live in person or live online), please contact the Chair of the Strings department, Lina Bahn (lbahn@usc.edu).

A suggested list of pianists is available through the Strings office at the Thornton School: (213) 740-7702. All music should be performed from memory, except sonata/duo works and contemporary works. The live auditions will be held in 20 minute increments, though the faculty panel may decide that the student need not perform for the full 20 minutes. The presiding faculty will determine the actual music performed at the audition, choosing from the repertoire list prepared by the applicant, according to the requirements as described below. Applicants with insufficient required repertoire may be disqualified at the discretion of the faculty panel.

It should be carefully noted that some members of the strings faculty may request private interviews and/or lessons in addition to the audition requirements detailed at this page in order for the applicant to be given the fullest consideration for placement in their studios. Typically, these additional meetings are scheduled around, but not during, the regular live audition dates. All specific arrangements for these meetings are considered and finalized by the faculty members themselves. Thornton faculty contact information can be found here.

Violin

1. One complete solo Bach sonata or partita, no repeats
2. One complete work from the sonata or duo repertoire
3. One complete concerto work (with applicable cadenzas)
4. One virtuoso work or Paganini Caprice
5. An open/choice work or movement (the Strings department is dedicated to expanding exposure to works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) composers. To see a sample list of some pieces, please click here.)

Viola

1. One complete solo Bach suite, sonata, or partita, no repeats
2. One complete concerto (with applicable cadenzas) from the repertoire
3. One complete sonata for viola and piano.
4. One virtuoso work
5. An open/choice work or movement (the Strings department is dedicated to expanding exposure to works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) composers. To see a sample list of some pieces, please click here.)

Cello

1. One complete concerto with applicable cadenzas
2. One complete solo Bach Suite, no repeats
3. One complete sonata for cello and piano
4. An open/choice work or movement (the Strings department is dedicated to expanding exposure to works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) composers. To see a sample list of some pieces, please click here.)

Double Bass

1. One complete concerto with applicable cadenzas
2. Two contrasting movements from a solo Bach Suite, no repeats
3. An open/choice work or movement (the Strings department is dedicated to expanding exposure to works by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) composers. To see a sample list of some pieces, please click here.)

Harp

A full length recital with complete, contrasting works including one work written after 1970 (commercially published work), and a concerto with applicable cadenzas.

DMA applicants to Strings must take Thornton’s Graduate Academic Admission Examination. The examination will be administered via an online platform on January 18, 2025 from 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM Pacific Standard Time. Applicants will receive materials to be reviewed in preparation for the exam about two weeks prior to the exam date. Additional details will be sent in mid-December to those applicants who are required to take the exam.

This written examination reflects the types of critical inquiry with which graduate-level courses at USC Thornton engage. The examination will be assessed by academic faculty as a measure of an applicant’s readiness for the academic rigors and multi-disciplinary structure of Thornton graduate programs. This assessment will be one of several important components considered by the faculty in order to reach a final admission decision for each applicant.

The examination will be administered in two sequential sections:

1. Conceptual Essay: Applicants will be given an essay prompt about an issue or issues in the music profession today. Applicants will be asked to write a short essay exploring various aspects of the topic(s) introduced by the prompt, responding to specific questions and drawing on their own experience, knowledge, and opinions as appropriate.
2. Analytical Essay: Applicants will be given a scholarly/literary text on a music-related topic. Applicants will be asked to respond in essay form to a series of analytical questions relating to the text provided. The analytical issues may concern basic music theory (possibly with reference to a short example in musical notation), music history, and/or aesthetics.

It is important to note that Thornton’s Graduate Academic Admission Examination is not an examination for which students are generally able to study or prepare. It is not designed to examine factual knowledge, but rather the ability to think analytically and express critical thought in academic language, as this is the type of work that is required for graduate-level academic courses at USC Thornton. While the content of Thornton’s Graduate Academic Admission Examination may be drawn from a wide range of scholarly sources, it may be helpful to refer to the following publications by our own faculty:

• Barrett, Janet & Webster, Peter: The Musical Experience: Rethinking Music Teaching and Learning.
• Brown, Bruce: W. A. Mozart: Così fan tutte (Cambridge Opera Handbook)
• Coppola, William, Herbert, David, & Campbell, Patricia: World Music Pedagogy: Teaching World Music in Higher Education.
• Demers, Joanna: Anatomy of Thought-Fiction: CHS Report, April 2214
• Foster, Kenneth J: Performing Arts Presenting: From Theory to Practice
• Garcia Corona, León: & Wiens, Kathy: Voices of the Field: Pathways in Public Ethnomusicology.
• Gordon, Stewart: Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas: A Handbook for Performers
• Nye, Sean: “Sprockets + Autobahn: Kraftwerk Parodies, German Electronic Music, and Retro Dreams in Amerika.” In Dreams of Germany: Musical Imaginaries from the Concert Hall to the Dance Floor. Neil Gregor and Thomas Irvine, eds.
• Page, Tim: On Music: Views and Reviews
• Russo, Frank, Ilari, Beatriz, & Cohen, Annabel: Routledge Companion of Interdisciplinary Research in Singing
• Simms, Bryan: The Atonal Music of Arnold Schoenberg, 1908-1923
• Sloan, Nate. Switched on Pop (blog with Charlie Harding). http://www.switchedonpop.com.
• Vest, Lisa: Awangarda: Tradition and Modernity in Postwar Polish Music