School of Composition – Audition Requirements

This is your chance to shine, so it’s good to remember that we’ll be looking for candidates who demonstrate a real passion for composition and a determination to develop their compositional voice at conservatoire level.

Stage 1 (Initial Requirements and Shortlisting):

Undergraduate and postgraduate applicants are required to submit a portfolio of three scores (in pdf format), and where possible, recordings (e.g. MP3 or video/audio links) electronically via Acceptd. Recordings without scores will not be considered and all scores must be submitted by 3 October. Each piece should be a single document (please do not send each page of your score separately).

These are then assessed by a shortlisting panel.

Stage 2 (Interview and Score Analysis):

If you are successfully shortlisted at Stage 1, you’ll be invited to undertake an in person or online interview with the Head of School and one of our Composition Tutors. Here you’ll be asked to talk about your background, work and study aims, as well as to discuss your portfolio. You’ll also be asked to answer a few questions on the structure and instrumentation of an extract from a score of 20th century or contemporary music. There will be a choice of extracts to choose from, all of which will be supplied in advance. Please note: if your interview is online, you will receive the extracts via email 30 minutes before your interview start time.

Undergraduate Online Test

BMus applicants are also required to complete an online test as part of their audition. This is because academic studies is a key component of your degree and we want to ensure that you’re in a position to thrive from the outset. The multiple choice test isn’t pass or fail, but the results do tell us about your knowledge of music theory, general musicianship and contextual awareness.

If you have any queries, please email [email protected] or call 0161 907 5465/210.