Deepen your expertise and refine your artistry.

The Artist Diploma is a highly selective, individualized non-degree program designed for the artist on the path to a professional performance career. Artist Diploma students represent our highest standards of artistic excellence, and demonstrate an exceptional level of performance and musical achievement.

This program requires a minimum residence of two years, with an expected completion of the program within three years. Based on an apprenticeship model, these students receive professional development and management support individually from faculty and guest artists.

Admission to the program will involve a comprehensive evaluation of materials and two rounds of audition review, including a live interview. All Artist Diploma candidates are considered for a full tuition scholarship and are eligible for a Bowes Center housing stipend.

The Artist Diploma is currently offered for Piano, Opera Studies, and String and Piano Chamber Music students.

Chamber Music

Required Courses

Curriculum: Artist Diploma in Chamber Music
Credit Total: 48

The Conservatory offers a unique program of study for violin, viola, cello, and piano leading to a non-degree Artist Diploma in Chamber Music. An important aspect of this program is the apprentice concept, under which students, faculty, and guest artists rehearse and perform together. Private instruction with a member of the Conservatory collegiate faculty in violin, viola, cello, and piano is also required.

For the Artist Diploma in Chamber Music, the applicant is expected to hold a bachelor's degree in music from an accredited college, university, or conservatory. Exceptional applicants for the Artist Diploma who do not hold a bachelor's degree may request a waiver of the degree requirement. Existing chamber groups are encouraged to apply to the program.

Students must complete four semesters of full-time residency at the Conservatory. Students are required to participate in weekly concerts, workshops, open rehearsals, and chamber music master classes. Ensemble requirements other than ENS 602 (Chamber Music Performance) consist of four credits. Students are not required to register for any of these other ensembles in their first semester, but may choose to do so. Students will also perform in two chamber music groups per semester, in addition to performing with guest artists and in faculty concerts. Each chamber music major will receive four hours of coaching per week. Chamber Music majors may be assigned to ENS 200 Large Ensemble as determined by the Orchestra Director.

The Artist Diploma also requires six credits in graduate courses (as listed above) to be taken in chamber music literature. This requirement may be fulfilled in the following ways:

1. Graduate Music History and Literature courses in which the subject matter is chamber music literature.
2. Individual or group independent study projects with other chamber music majors in which specific works, or an area of chamber music literature, are studied from a historic and analytical perspective, and then presented in both written form and in a performance and discussion of the works in a seminar forum for chamber music faculty and majors.

Each student must give two recitals over the two years of the program, at least one with an emphasis on chamber music repertoire. Two juries are also required, with repertoire at the discretion of the instrumental teacher.