All new/first-year undergraduate piano students are required to successfully complete MUEN 581 Introduction to Ensemble Playing for Pianists prior to taking any of the other auditions for piano ensemble work.
MUEN 581 and MUEN 582 are only open to piano performance majors.
There is no audition for either course: all incoming BMus/LMus piano performance majors must register for two terms of MUEN 581 prior to taking an audition for any other piano ensemble work. Please note that BMus/LMus piano performance students also need to fulfill large ensemble requirements, usually by registering for a choral ensemble (MUEN 593). See /music/ensembles/auditions/voice-choir-auditions
Once they have completed two terms of MUEN 581, they can can also audition for other large ensembles (such as Orchestra, CME, Wind Orchestra), audition for other small ensembles, or register for MUEN 582.
Non-performance students who want to inquire about the possibility of taking MUEN 581 or 582 should contact the instructor directly, but expect that they will likely not receive an answer until after the beginning of term, when enrolment in the course is fairly final.
Mixed Ensemble Auditions
The Mixed Ensemble Audition covers the following ensembles:
- McGill Symphony Orchestra
MUEN 597
McGill Symphony Orchestra
2 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Ensemble for orchestral instruments.
Offered by: Performance
- 6 - 7 hours
- Prerequisite: Audition.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Rudolf-Alexius Hauser
- Rudolf-Alexius Hauser
- CME (Contemporary Music Ensemble)
MUEN 594
Contemporary Music Ensemble
2 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Ensemble for contemporary music - instruments and voice.
Offered by: Performance
- 4 hours
- Prerequisite: Audition.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Mélanie Léonard
- Mélanie Léonard
- McGill Wind Orchestra
MUEN 590
McGill Wind Orchestra
2 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Large ensemble for wind instruments.
Offered by: Performance
- 4-6 hours
- Prerequisite: Audition
- Terms
- Instructors
- Danielle D Gaudry
- Danielle D Gaudry
- Beethoven Orchestra
MUEN 567
Beethoven Orchestra
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: A reading orchestra that also functions as a conductor's workshop orchestra. Repertoire includes the complete Beethoven Symphonies.
Offered by: Performance
- Prerequisite: Audition.
- Note: Open to all students registered at McGill.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Rudolf-Alexius Hauser, Mélanie Léonard
- Rudolf-Alexius Hauser, Mélanie Léonard
- Schoenberg Ensemble
MUEN 568
Multiple Ensemble 1
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Special arrangement ensemble. Topic varies by year.
Offered by: Performance
- Terms
- Instructors
- Danielle D Gaudry, Dimitrios G Doxas, Rudolf-Alexius Hauser, Russell Devuyst, Richard Allen Roberts, Elizabeth Dolin, Marina Mdivani, Ali Yazdanfar, Chris James, Jacqueline F Leclair, Marina Thibeault, Camille Thurman-Green, Mattias Lundberg
- Danielle D Gaudry, Russell Devuyst, Richard Allen Roberts, Elizabeth Dolin, Ali Yazdanfar, Jacqueline F Leclair, Marina Thibeault, Jean-Sébastien Vallée
- Sonata Masterclass
MUEN 585
Sonata Masterclass
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Exploration of the vast literature for sonatas with piano and instrument, including multiple issues of ensemble preparation and performing.
Offered by: Performance
- Prerequisite: Audition or permission of the instructor.
- Restriction: Limited to 4 advanced pianists and 4 instrumentalists.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Kyoko Hashimoto, Violaine Melancon
- Kyoko Hashimoto, Violaine Melancon
- Studio Accompanying
MUEN 584
Studio Accompanying
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Highly qualified collaborative partners will be assigned to work independently with studio teachers and their students.
Offered by: Performance
- 4 hours
- Prerequisite: Audition.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Stefano Algieri, Anja Burmeister
- Anja Burmeister
MUEN 684
Studio Accompanying
2 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Students will be assigned to work as accompanists with performance teachers and their students.
Offered by: Performance
- Prerequisite: Audition; 2 hours
- Terms
- Instructors
- Michael McMahon
- Michael McMahon
Collaborative Piano major students are exempt from auditioning for Studio Accompanying MUEN 684
- Chamber Music (Small ensembles i.e.: piano trio, piano quartet) (
MUEN 560
Chamber Music Ensemble
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Ensemble for chamber music - various instruments.
Offered by: Performance
- Prerequisite(s): Audition.
- Restriction(s): For Music students; open to others by permission of the Department.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Chloe Dominguez, Nadia Cote, Albert G Brouwer, Stephane Levesque, Trevor Dix, Martin D Mangrum, Simon Aldrich, Andre J Roy, Russell Devuyst, Matt Haimovitz, Lindsay Roberts, Ali Yazdanfar, Jacqueline F Leclair, Mark Austin Howle, Marina Thibeault, Richard P Stoelzel, Marie-Chantal Leclair, Alexis Basque, Luis Guilherme Walder de Almeida, David A Stewart
- Ali Yazdanfar, Richard P Stoelzel, Jinjoo Cho
Audition Instructions:
- Learn the quick study piece (see below) and prepare your choice of solo piece(s) of minimum 4 minutes
- If you are an undergraduate student, the prerequisite for this audition is completion of MUEN 581- Introduction to Ensemble Playing for Pianists. AllÌýgraduate students are eligible to take this audition without taking MUEN 581 first.
MUEN 581
Intro to Ens Play for Pianists
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Concentration on interpretation and performance of piano duet and two piano repertoire.
Offered by: Performance
- 1 hour
- Restrictions: Open to students in the B. Mus.; Major in Performance Piano and the L. Mus.; Major in Performance Piano.
could be substituted by
MUEN 556
Intro to Collaborative Piano 1
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Aspects and techniques of performing in ensembles, including vocal accompanying, piano duos, instrumental duos and chamber ensemble work. Ensemble score-reading, preparation and performance analysis.
Offered by: Performance
- 2 hours
- Prerequisite: Audition
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken MUEN 583
- Open to singers and pianists.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Additional Information:
- If a student is unable to attend a live audition, they must contact Prof. Hashimoto as soon as possible.
- Any student that already has an established agreement with an instructor of a studio that they will accompany for Studio AccompanyingÌý (MUEN 584/586) must have the instructor confirm this with Prof. Hashimoto directly. Upon receiving the confirmation, the student may be exempt from auditioning for Studio Accompanying MUEN 584, 684.
- Piano Mixed Ensemble Auditions are restricted to students enrolled in performance programs unless special permission has been granted by the coordinator.
- There will be no auditions in January; students wanting to participate in the Winter semester must take the audition this term.
Audition Materials:
Audition Time/Date: Sunday, August 25, 2024
Questions? kyoko.hashimoto [at] mcgill.ca (Contact Prof. Hashimoto by email)
Song Interpretation Auditions
This audition is for participation in:
SONG INTERPRETATION 1 & 2
MUEN 578
Song Interpretation 1
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Normally open only to Voice and Piano Performance students. Study of the standard song repertoire with emphasis on the singer and pianist as partners. A public recital will be given at the end of each term.
Offered by: Performance
- 2 hours
- Prerequisite: Audition.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Michael McMahon
- Michael McMahon
&
MUEN 579
Song Interpretation 2
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Study of song repertoire for singers and pianists.
Offered by: Performance
- Terms
- Instructors
- Michael McMahon
- Michael McMahon
with Michael McMahon on Fridays.
These ensembles are not open to Non-Music students.
Audition Instructions:
Audition Material:
- Pianists: 1 Romantic work, up to 7 minutes in length.
Audition Time/Date:Ìý
- Monday, August 26 from 10am-5pm in Redpath Hall
- Tuesday, August 27 from 10am-5pm in Redpath HallbvcÌý
Vocal Chamber EnsembleÌýAuditions
This audition is for participation in:
Vocal Chamber EnsembleÌý
MUEN 553
Vocal Chamber Ensemble
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Vocal ensemble repertoire written after 1800.
Offered by: Performance
- Prerequisite: Audition
- Restriction: Open by audition to pianists and singers.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Annamaria Popescu, Sara Laimon
- Annamaria Popescu, Sara Laimon
(Coordinators: Annamaria Popescu and Sara Laimon)
This ensemble is open to Voice Majors and Pianists.
Vocal duets are welcome
Audition Instructions:
Audition Material:
- Pianists: 1 Romantic work, up to 7 minutes in length.
- Vocalists: 2 songs, 1 German and 1 of your choosing.
Audition Time/Date:
- Wednesday, August 28 from 5pm-8:30pm in room C-204
Opera McGill Auditions
This audition is for pianists who wish to participate in:
Opera McGill
- This ensemble is not open to non-music students.
- If accepted, pianists will be eligible to register for
MUEN 596
Opera Repetiteur
2 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Ensemble: Supervised coaching of singers, and playing of scenes and productions; rehearsal pianists and backstage conducting responsibilities.
Offered by: Performance
- 6 hours
- Restriction: Open by audition to advanced pianists, and to students in conducting, who are interested in training as operatic coaches. Students enrolled for piano instruction at McGill must also have their practical teacher's approval
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Ìý
Each pianist will have assignments within Opera McGill based on experience and the audition which can include but are not limited to: playing for production rehearsals, workshops, masterclasses, or coachings. Pianists will be invited to participate in Opera McGill classes.
Audition Instructions:
- Arrive 5 minutes prior to your audition time.
- Sign up for
Audition Requirements:Ìý
- Pianists will be expected to play a 5-7 minute solo or collaborative work of their choice, and excerpts. Please bring one CV or resume to your audition.
Excerpts:
Audition Time/Date:
- Thursday, August 29 from 10am-2pm in Wirth Opera Studio