To become an official music major and be considered for music scholarship awards, you must audition for members of the music faculty in addition to applying to Centenary College. Due to the pandemic, Hurley will not hold live auditions for Fall 2021 applicants. We look forward to reviewing a recording of your work. Following are some guidelines.
- Video is required, no audio-only recordings. Smart phones create recordings that are relatively good quality, both video and audio.
- Videos should include all elements listed for your primary instrument below. Instrumentalists, please play four major scales (two in flat keys, and two in sharp keys) and two minor scales (one in sharp, one in flat) of your choice.
- Accompaniment tracks/recordings are acceptable as they are safer than recording with a live pianist.
- Composers should send an audition recording on a primary instrument (that with which you are most proficient) and digital files of representative compositions.
Submitting Your Music Major Audition
Call the Music Office at 318-869-5235 or email to confirm that you will be sending an audition as part of your overall application to Centenary as a music major.
- Please upload your recording (and composition files, if applicable) to a site (i.e. YouTube) or drive that can store your file(s) and allow for sharing with Hurley.
- Do NOT email large files or mail flash drives.
- Please send a link (with access permission) to your audition file(s) in an email to: music@centenary.edu
- Please be sure your full name and desired area of study (i.e. B.A. in music with general studies or a performance concentration, choral concentration, sacred music concentration, or composition concentration; or a B.A. in Vocal Music Education) are included in the email.
- We urge you to submit your audition recording as early as possible. Hurley offers scholarships to music majors. Since we do admission on a rolling basis, chances for significant scholarships are higher if we are able to consider your audition early in the admission cycle.
Repertoire for Music Major Auditions
Brass and Woodwinds
Major scales; two brief selections (one lyrical, one technical), or a movement from a major concerto.
Organ
At the organ: three hymns and two selections of the applicant's own choosing. At the piano: Major and minor scales and arpeggios, and two selections of the applicant's own choosing.
Percussion
Major scales: two octaves on a mallet instrument; plus snare drum, timpani, and melodic percussion selections.
Piano
Three contrasting selections, one from each of the following style periods: Baroque, Classical, and Romantic/Twentieth Century. All selections are to be memorized.
Strings
Major Scales (C, G, D, A, F, B-Flat, E-Flat, A-Flat); two brief selections (one lyrical, one technical), or a movement from a major concerto.
Composition
Bring examples of your compositions in score form, if possible. Perform one selection on your major instrument.
Voice
Two contrasting selections, memorized. Art songs or arias are preferred. If possible, one selection should be in a language other than English.
For Non-Majors
Those who wish to minor in music are not required to provide an audition.
We do have some scholarships available for minors or those who wish to major in a discipline other than music, if they are part of an ensemble. We do require that you audition for scholarship consideration. See below for details.
Ensemble Audition Repertoire
**To audition for Centenary College Choir, contact Dr. Dave Hobson. To audition for Centenary Camerata, contact Dr. Cory Wikan. To audition for Centenary Wind Ensemble and/or Hurley Orchestra, email music@centenary.edu.
Brass and Woodwinds
Major scales and one brief selection.
Percussion
Major scales on a mallet instrument and one snare drum or keyboard selection.
Strings
Major Scales (C, G, D, A, F, B-Flat, E-Flat, A-Flat) and one brief selection.
Voice
For either Camerata or Centenary College Choir, the director will hear you perform one brief selection of your choice, then will vocalize you to check your range, and hear you in a short sight-reading excerpt.