The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University

Peabody has been averaging about 240 voice auditions a year, with roughly half being graduates. The acceptance rate for graduates centers around 53%, but that varies by program and by gender. While we enjoy having visitors to our campus during Audition Week, we tend to run short on audition time, so we would like to give you some additional material to help you judge whether the time and expense of applying to Peabody is likely to end with a positive result. The information varies according to the program to which you are applying, so we will divide this page accordingly.

MASTER OF MUSIC

Since most graduate applicants come to us with an undergrad degree from a college music program, it makes sense that our audition requirements would mirror a senior recital. That is what it states in our literature. However, when the voice faculty was asked about the typical audition repertoire of successful applicants, they gave me this informal list. Successful applicants would have most of this stuff ready to perform on short notice, with maybe just a little polishing:

1. Ten pieces from memory (with the exception of oratorio and difficult 20th century pieces)
2. One English song, plus repertoire in German, French, and Italian
3. At least one operatic aria of any period; and at least one oratorio aria.

On average, we accept 42% of female MM applicants, and 82% of the male MM applicants.

GRADUATE PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA (GPD)

Only one graduate voice applicant in four applies for the GPD program. It is considered more specialized because the program does not lead to an academic degree. Thus, the voice faculty asks that all GPD voice applicants be pre-screened by CD recording. Repertoire for the pre-screening recording is just three selections--two arias and one song (one of the selections must be in English).

The good news about the pre-screening is that if you are invited to come to Peabody to audition, you will certainly be in the running for acceptance. Still, you should be sure your repertoire is at least as strong as the repertoire listed for the MM program.

The first year for pre-screening is 2005-2006, so we don't have admissions data reflecting that process. In previous years ("pre pre-screening," so to speak) we have accepted 56% of female GPD Voice applicants and 71% of male GPD Voice applicants.

DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS

The DMA program at Peabody is flexible, featuring "tracks" you can use to tailor the program to your interests. However, all versions of our voice DMA have a strong scholarly component. To ensure success as students, applicants must pass not only an audition but also an academic review by the Doctoral Committee. Over the past three years we have processed thirteen voice applications for the DMA program. Only four were accepted (1.33 per year, if you insist). As a general rule, half of all DMA rejections come from the academic part of the evaluation process. The DMA Committee only meets during February Audition Week, so we cannot consider DMA applications past the December 1 deadline.

Doctoral audition repertoire is similar in type and content to other graduate programs, but it is assumed the selections will be at the upper end of difficulty, and will be part of an extensive repertoire list. DMA auditions run longer than auditions for other programs, so more selections are performed.

ARTIST DIPLOMA

The Artist Diploma was designed for singers with a career already in progress. Thus the application requirements include career-oriented items such as concert reviews. Artist Diploma applicants in all musical majors perform for a special panel of judges, so this is truly a competition to find "the best of the best." To qualify for a performance in front of the Artist Diploma Committee applicants are first screened with a live audition before the voice faculty. It takes a unanimous vote by the voice faculty to get you into the running for AD consideration. More often, Artist Diploma applicants are invited to join the Peabody community as GPD students. The curricula is similar between the two programs. The AD Committee only meets during February Audition Week, so we cannot entertain AD applications past the December 1 deadline.

In a three-year sample, there were only six applicants for the Artist Diploma program. Four were invited to come to Peabody as GPD students. One was granted a hearing by the Artist Diploma Committee, and was subsequently accepted.

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