YOUNG ADULT | CARNEGIE HALL

Application Details

Ready to apply? Follow the steps outlined below to submit your application materials.

How to Apply

The honor of participating in the Series is offered to talented young musicians aged 18-25 identified from an international pool of applicants. Eligible applicants will have graduated high school or completed their school-leaving examinations between 2016 and 2022. All application materials must be submitted electronically following the instructions below.

Planning on applying?
Rolling Admissions opportunities may be available for select parts, click here to learn more about Rolling Admissions, or email honors@honorsperformance.org. The Rolling Admissions process offers performers who have missed the regular application deadline, the opportunity to join the Series waitlist, if available.

How and When to Submit Your Materials

Please submit all application materials as soon as possible in order to ensure a timely review of your application. Each application component must be submitted individually using the links in the appropriate section below.

Required Application Materials

All applications must complete the following steps.

Online Enrollment
Teacher Reference Form
Performing Biography
Audition Recording

All required components must be received on or before the application deadline for an application to be considered by our Selection Board.

Step 1: Complete Online Enrollment

If you received a Student ID with your invitation materials, please include it when you start the enrollment process.

To give appropriate attention to all applications, our Selection Board prefers to receive materials sooner than later. Applicants must electronically upload all required application materials to our website by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2022, to be eligible for the 2023 Series.

As the regular application deadline has passed, please visit our Rolling Admissions page for more information about the Rolling Admissions process.

Please note: If you aren't selected as a Finalist, all but the $30 deposit fee will be refunded. If you start the application process but don't submit the required materials by the deadline, or if you withdraw for any reason, your deposit will not be refunded.

Once you've completed online enrollment and submitted your application deposit, you'll gain access to your student portal, where you can submit your Teacher Reference, Performing Biography, and Audition Recording(s).

Access Online Enrollment

Step 2: Provide a Teacher Reference

All applicants are asked to provide the contact information for a music teacher who can answer questions about your application. While most questions can and will be directed toward the applicant directly, certain questions (such as verifying information in your application portfolio) may be asked of your teacher reference.

If you've already received a nomination, please confirm the contact information for the teacher who nominated you. Otherwise, your teacher reference can be any music professional—a college/university professor, private instructor, etc.—who is familiar with your abilities.

Step 3: Complete the Performing Biography Form

Provide more information about yourself and your musical background by completing the brief Performing Biography Form in your student portal. An overview of the questions asked is included below to assist as you get ready to apply:

Do you take private lessons? If so, for how long and with whom?
Voice part(s) and/or instrument(s) you sing/play proficiently
Please list any SELECTIVE performance groups of which you are/have been a member (and when).
Please list any other performance groups of which you are/have been a member (and when).
Please list any honors/awards/recognitions (musically or otherwise) you've received that you feel are relevant to your selection for the Series.
Please list significant solo or ensemble pieces you've performed or learned.
Why would you like to be a part of the Honors Performance Series? Please respond in 250 words or less.

At the end of the Performing Biography, applicants are also given the opportunity to provide any additional information they feel is relevant to their application.

Step 4: Submit an Audio Recording

Each student must submit an audition recording by uploading a digital file with their application. Please review the following requirements before completing and submitting your recording.

Recordings may consist of one or multiple pieces and should total between three and five minutes for each instrument/voice part for which you are auditioning (except percussionists – see below). Recordings will not be disqualified if they are slightly over or under this guideline.
As the audition upload form accepts up to three recordings per part on which you are applying, different pieces may be submitted as separate recordings.
Begin each piece by introducing yourself, tell us the instrument/voice part for which you are auditioning, and the piece that you'll be playing—for example: “My name is John Smith, and the following is the suggested audition etude for snare drum.”
Recordings should be audio-only (no videos, please) and submitted in MP3 or M4A format only. Please note: We'll do our best to notify students if we encounter a problem with an audition recording, but we cannot guarantee the Selection Board will be able to review your submission if it's not submitted in the required format.
When naming the file, please include your first and last name as well as the instrument or voice part for which you're auditioning.
Recordings may not be engineered or enhanced in any manner.
You may audition on more than one instrument and you may audition as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist. In both cases, you should complete Online Enrollment once, submitting only one teacher reference and one performing biography. You'll need to submit a separate recording for each instrument/voice part on which you wish to apply.
All applicants are encouraged to prepare one of the sample etudes listed below. See below for information about the selection of additional audition pieces.

Please note: The audition upload form can be submitted only once per applicant. If you are applying on more than one part, please submit the form only when you are ready to upload your audition recordings for all parts.

Instrumentalists:

If you wish to audition on an instrument not listed below, please select a technical piece (or pieces) that you feel best demonstrate(s) your musical abilities. Classical pieces are preferred but not required.
All performances must be solo, without accompaniment.

Instrumentalists should prepare one of the following sample etudes, and if desired, may play an additional technical piece of their choosing.

Clarinet – Bass
Clarinet – Bb
Bassoon
Cello
English Horn
French Horn
Euphonium

Flute & Piccolo
Oboe
Percussion – See Below
Saxophone – Alto
Saxophone – Bari
Saxophone – Tenor

String Bass
Trombone
Trumpet
Tuba
Viola
Violin

Percussionists should include solos of the below etudes for snare, timpani, and marimba. You may also select an additional solo, if desired, that demonstrates your technical abilities on one of these or another percussion instrument. Please clearly identify each piece and instrument in your recording. Your total recording time for all audition recordings should be approximately 3-5 minutes. Please label your recordings clearly as to which instrument is featured in each.

Snare: Portraits in Rhythm by Antony Cirone, Etude No. 6 – page 8
Timpani: The Solo Timpanist by Vic Firth, Etude No. 18 (XVIII) – page 33
Marimba: Masterpieces for Marimba arr. by Thomas McMillan, Sonata in E MAJOR by Handel – page 22 (play to the end of measure 24; no repeats)

Vocalists:

Vocalists may apply for the Young Adult Honors Performance Series at Sydney Opera House.

Evaluation Process and Selection of Finalists

Applicants will receive an official confirmation email approximately two to three weeks following the Series‘ receipt of your materials. The Series will use the email address(es) you provide on your application to send official program communications.
Once a completed application is received, it will be reviewed by our Board of professional musicians to select Finalists for the Young Adult Honors Instrumental Ensemble.
Performers selected for the program to perform as part of the Honors Ensembles are designated as Finalists and will be notified by email by the end of October 2022.
Applicants who are not accepted will also be emailed by the end of October 2022 and will be notified of their status: Runner-up (waitlisted) or Deferred (not waitlisted and not accepted).
All applicant notifications will be sent via email to all email address(es) listed on your account.
Accepted Finalists should expect to receive their sheet music and Conductor’s rehearsal notes no later than the end of December 2022.
After acceptance, should any Finalist cancel their participation, a First Runner-up will be offered the opportunity to fill the open seat.

“The guest speakers and activities were useful, fun, and extremely educational. College choir and All State are excellent programs; however, singing at Carnegie, working with such an excellent director, and getting to see NYC was priceless.”

Summer
Family Program Participant