Piano

Admission to the BA programme requires passing the entrance examination as well as the availability of a study place.

The entrance examination is conducted in two rounds. Application for the 1st round is submitted by sending in an application video. Important information on how to record your application video correctly can be found here. Candidates selected for the 2nd round will receive an invitation by email to attend an in-person audition (Johannesgasse 4a, 1010 Vienna).

1st Round: Video Recording

Self-introduction (approx. 2 minutes)
The self-introduction must be delivered freely in German or English, without reading from a script. Please address your motivation for studying as well as any additional information relevant to your written application.

Artistic Performance (approx. 20 minutes)
Your artistic performance must follow immediately after the self-introduction. You may choose the order of the works yourself. The self-introduction and the entire programme for the 1st round must be recorded in one continuous take, without pauses or cuts.

a) one virtuosic étude
b) one Prelude and Fugue from J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier
c) one work from the Viennese Classical period (including Schubert): a fast movement of a sonata or an excerpt from a set of variations (not exclusively slow sections)
d) one work from the remaining repertoire required for the 2nd round

You are free to choose the technical equipment used for the recording. Please bear in mind that good audio and video quality are in your own best interest.

2nd Round: In-Person Audition (minimum 30 minutes of repertoire)
The programme for the 2nd round includes all the works from the 1st round, supplemented by additional repertoire. The examination panel will spontaneously select sections of the programme to be performed.

a) the virtuosic étude from the 1st round
b) the Prelude and Fugue from the 1st round
c) the complete work from the Viennese Classical period selected for the 1st round (all movements or the complete set of variations)
d) one work from the Romantic period (including Late Romanticism)
e) one work from Impressionism, Classical Modernism or contemporary music (composed from 1950 onwards)

All works (except contemporary music composed from 1950 onwards) must be performed from memory. The examination may be supplemented by additional tasks such as improvisation, sight-reading or a prepared examination piece.* This will be followed by an interview with the examination panel.

*The examination piece will be provided one hour before the examination and may be prepared in a practice room. Therefore, all candidates are required to arrive at least one hour before their scheduled examination time.

Admission to the MA programme requires a completed BA degree, successful completion of the entrance examination, and the availability of a study place.

The entrance examination is conducted in two rounds. Application for the 1st round is submitted by sending in an application video. Important information on how to record your application video correctly can be found here. Candidates selected for the 2nd round will receive an invitation by email to attend an in-person audition (Johannesgasse 4a, 1010 Vienna).

1st Round: Video Recording

Self-introduction (approx. 2 minutes)
The self-introduction must be delivered freely in German or English, without reading from a script. Please address your motivation for studying as well as any additional information relevant to your written application.

Artistic Performance (approx. 30 minutes)
Your artistic performance must follow immediately after the self-introduction. You may choose the order of the works yourself. The self-introduction and the entire programme for the 1st round must be recorded in one continuous take, without pauses or cuts.

a) two virtuosic études: one from the Romantic period (including Rachmaninoff) and the other from the 20th or 21st century 
b) one Prelude and Fugue from J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier 
c) one representative work from the remaining repertoire required for the 2nd round

You are free to choose the technical equipment used for the recording. Please bear in mind that good audio and video quality are in your own best interest.

2nd Round: In-Person Audition (minimum 45 minutes of repertoire)
The programme for the 2nd round includes all the works from the 1st round, supplemented by additional repertoire. The examination panel will spontaneously select sections of the programme to be performed.

a) the two études from the 1st round 
b) the Prelude and Fugue from the 1st round 
c) one complete sonata or a set of variations from the Viennese Classical period (including Schubert) 
d) one work from the Romantic period (including Late Romanticism) 
e) one work from Impressionism or Classical Modernism 
f) one contemporary work composed from 1950 onwards

All works (except contemporary music composed from 1950 onwards) must be performed from memory. 

This will be followed by an interview with the examination panel.

The entrance examination serves to check the following

a) the motivation to study
b) the educational, artistic and personal competence of the candidates.

The entrance examination is divided into four parts; the positive assessment of the first and second parts is a prerequisite for admission to the further parts of the examination.
 

1. Online Application

The following documents must be included in the online application:

• A short biography with an overview of the qualifications, competences and main areas of activity acquired so far.
• Letter of motivation with details of personal expectations and objectives
• Programme (prepared pieces) for the artistic examination part (= part 2)
• Programme (prepared pieces) for the pedagogical-practical examination part (= part 3)

More information on the online application can be found here.

2. Artistic part of the examination

ATTENTION: The programme to be prepared as well as the examination process (video or on-site audition) are identical to the requirements of the respective artistic bachelor’s programme. Please inform yourself on the respective page for the corresponding programme requirements.

Another examination of the musical ear and of music theory knowledge will take place at the start of the first semester as part of a classification in the Aural Training and Composition courses only for those candidates who have been admitted to the course.
 

3. Educational-practical part of the examination

Applicants must demonstrate their educational-practical abilities and potential by showing their practical piano and vocal skills in a presentation:

a) Singing and chordal accompaniment

Singing and simultaneous chordal accompaniment (with lead sheets) at the piano. Applicants are given five songs from the field of popular music to prepare (see here)

b) Accompaniment at the piano

Applicants prepare the accompaniment of three pieces (or single movements) which they may choose from the beginner and intermediate literature for their own instrumental or vocal musical subject (in the piano, organ, accordion, guitar, harpsichord and historical keyboard instrument subjects, accompanying three pieces or single movements of their own choice from the beginner and intermediate literature for an orchestral instrument of their own choice).

Practice-oriented simplifications of the accompaniment parts are permissible, if not desirable. Applicants are required to name the pieces when they submit their musical programme at the time of registration. They must submit four copies of the scores to the Examination Panel at the examination.

c) Sight-Singing

Singing a simple song in German.

4. Colloquium

For testing cognitive and linguistic skills.

The panel will discuss and reflect with the applicants on the results of the previous parts of the examination and will examine their individual educational potential as well as their objectives and suitability for the course.

Sample questions for the colloquium are available here.
 

Proficiency in German:
Applicants whose native language is not German also have to prove their proficiency in German. They need to prove that they have at least level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, at the latest upon enrolment.

Admission to the VL programme requires successful completion of the entrance examination as well as the availability of a study place. 

The entrance examination is conducted in two rounds. Application for the 1st round is submitted by sending in an application video. Important information on how to record your application video correctly can be found here. Candidates selected for the 2nd round will receive an invitation by email to attend an in-person audition (Johannesgasse 4a, 1010 Vienna).

1st Round: Video Recording 

Self-introduction (approx. 2 minutes) 
The self-introduction must be delivered freely in German or English, without reading from a script. Please address your motivation for studying as well as any additional information relevant to your written application.

Artistic Performance (approx. 20 minutes) 
Your artistic performance must follow immediately after the self-introduction. You may choose the order of the works yourself. The entire programme for the 1st round must be recorded in one continuous take, without pauses or cuts. 

a) one virtuosic étude 
b) one Prelude and Fugue from J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier or a three-part Invention by J. S. Bach 
c) one work from the Viennese Classical period (including Schubert): a fast movement of a sonata or an excerpt from a set of variations (not exclusively slow sections) 
d) one work from the remaining repertoire required for the 2nd round 

You are free to choose the technical equipment used for the recording. Please bear in mind that good audio and video quality are in your own best interest.

2nd Round: In-Person Audition (minimum 20 minutes of repertoire) 
The examination panel will spontaneously select sections of the programme to be performed. 

a) the virtuosic étude from the 1st round 
b) the Prelude and Fugue from the 1st round or the three-part Invention by J. S. Bach 
c) the complete work from the Viennese Classical period (including Schubert) 
d) one work from the Romantic period or the 20th/21st century 

All works (except contemporary music composed from 1950 onwards) must be performed from memory. 

The examination may be supplemented by additional tasks such as improvisation, sight-reading or an aural skills test. This will be followed by an interview with the examination panel.