Organ Prescreening & Audition Procedures - Manhattan School of Music

Requirements for Organ

There is no prescreen requirement for Organ.

Prepare ALL of the required audition repertoire for the degree level you are applying to, as listed in the dropdown menu below.
MSM offers in-person and recorded final auditions, except for the Doctor of Musical Arts & Artist Diploma programs, which require an in-person audition.

Carefully review the specific repertoire requirements for your degree level in the dropdown menu below.

Master of Music (MM), Professional Studies (PS) & Professional Performance Diploma (PPD)
- A major work from the Baroque period, such as Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor A work from the Romantic period, such as any large work by César Franck
- A work composed after 1930, such as Duruflé’s Toccata from Suite Op. 5
- In addition to pieces from the standard repertoire, the MSM Organ Faculty strongly encourages you to include works written by composers from your home country, or pieces written by underrepresented creators such as women (e.g., Jeanne Demessieux, Rachel Laurin), composers from Asia (e.g., Takashi Sakai, Chelsea Chen), African Americans (e.g., Florence Price, Adolphus Hailstork), or others.
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
- A complete solo recital program representing at least three contrasting style periods, including a work composed after 1930. Playing time should total approximately 60 minutes.
- In addition to pieces from the standard repertoire, the MSM Organ Faculty strongly encourages you to include works written by composers from your home country, or pieces written by underrepresented creators such as women (e.g., Jeanne Demessieux, Rachel Laurin), composers from Asia (e.g., Takashi Sakai, Chelsea Chen), African Americans (e.g., Florence Price, Adolphus Hailstork), or others.

Organ