Degree Requirements

Strings & Harp

Artist Diploma • Instrumental Performance

Overview

The two-year Artist Diploma (A.D.) in Music Performance is a highly specialized and performance-oriented non-degree graduate certificate program for exceptional musicians who have great potential for a professional career in music performance at the international level.

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Contacts
Degree Requirements
Advising & Registration
Graduation Timeline
Important Links

Contacts

Administrative Contacts

Graduate Advisor | Director of Graduate Studies

James Buhler

Scholarships & Assistantships

Anne Hall

Graduate Admissions Coordinator

Daniel Seriff

HR Coordinator

Theresa Orendain

Graduate Coordinator

Marina Martinez

Operations & Scheduling

Page Stephens

Division Contacts

Division Head, Strings

Bion Tsang

Area Counselor, Strings

Joel Braun

Faculty

Joel Braun

Associate Professor of Double Bass
Daniel Ching

Associate Professor of Practice in Violin
William Fedkenheuer

Associate Professor of Practice in Violin and Chamber Music
Joshua Gindele

Associate Professor of Practice in Violoncello
Adam Holzman

Professor of Guitar
John Largess

Associate Professor of Practice in Viola
Brian Lewis

Professor of Violin
Mallory McHenry

Lecturer in Harp
Laurie Scott

Associate Professor of Music and Human Learning
Director, The University of Texas String Project
Director, Musical Lives
Bion Tsang

Professor of Cello
Division Head, Strings
Sandy Yamamoto

Associate Professor of Practice in Violin Performance

Ensembles

Farkhad Khudyev

Music Director, Symphony Orchestra
Douglas Kinney Frost

Principal Conductor, Butler Opera Center

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Degree Requirements

The A.D. in Instrumental Performance requires 27 hours of registered coursework and three public recitals. A chamber music option is available.

Major Coursework 

Major Coursework for the Instrumental A.D. Degree
Hours	Course Number	Course Title/Description
4	Inst. 480	Graduate Performance (in the first semester)
9	MUS 398D	Artist Recital (in the second, third, and fourth semesters)
4	ENS 18x	Problems in Performance Practice (4 semesters) Piano students must enroll in MUS 180T Accompanying
4	MUS 181D	Chamber Music (4 semesters)
6		Upper-division or graduate level courses not including those listed above. Students are encouraged to take courses appropriate to their instrument, such as literature, pedagogy, or specialized techniques.

Ensemble Requirements

All String Division students are required to participate in the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra (UTSO) or equivalent ensemble, as determined by the Director of Graduate Studies, the director of orchestral activities and the string division head, in each semester of enrollment. Post-candidacy D.M.A. students are exempt unless advised otherwise by their studio instructor.

Three Public Recitals

Solo Option. Two solo recitals, one of which must include a complete concerto, and one chamber recital.
Chamber Option. Two chamber recitals and one solo recital.

One of the three recitals must be presented off of the University of Texas campus.

Find recital scheduling procedures on the Butler School Operations website.

Juries

Artist Diploma students in string or chamber music performance must perform a single 20-minute jury in their first semester of study.

Postponements are allowed for extenuating circumstances (injury, death in the family, etc.). No-shows are considered a failure.

Students should fill out a jury form and provide it to their instructor for every semester of study until the jury sequence for a degree program is fulfilled.

A.D. Jury Requirements for All String Instruments
Instrument	Jury Repertoire (20 minutes \| 480a) All concerto & unaccompanied works must be memorized*
Violin	1) One complete movement from J.S. Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (the Doubles for each movement must be prepared as a pair) 2) One complete movement of a concerto for violin and orchestra 3) Additional repertoire may be added at the discretion of the teacher for a total of 20 minutes of music
Viola	1) One movement of solo Bach 2) Two or more contrasting pieces drawn from the sonata or concerto repertoire for a total of 20 minutes of music
Cello	1) One movement of solo Bach 2) One movement from a standard concerto 3) One other contrasting work or movement of a work for a total of 20 minutes of music
Double Bass	1) One movement from the Bach Cello Suites 2) One movement from a standard concerto 3) One other contrasting work or movement of a work 3) At least two contrasting orchestral excerpts selected from the standard repertoire for a total of 20 minutes of music
Guitar	1) One movement of Bach (or equivalent Baroque composer, i.e. Scarlatti, Weiss etc.) 2) Two contrasting works from different periods, one of which may be a concerto movement, for a total of 20 minutes of music
Harp	Three to four works in contrasting style for a total of 20 minutes which may include: multiple movements of a concerto or sonata; an original 16th to 18th-Century harp composition (or a published transcription from that time period); and a concert etude, solo, duo, or chamber work by a major or harpist composer

*Orchestral excerpts and etudes (excepting concert etudes) may be performed with printed music; all other solo repertoire should be memorized

Find more information about this semester's juries, including FDFJ forms and deadlines.

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Advising & Registration

For information about course registration, deadlines, adding and dropping courses and other policies, visit the Graduate School Academic & Registration Policies webpage.

Students who wish to take an independent study course need to fill out a Consent Form. Once the faculty member and Graduate Coordinator have approved your request, the bar to register for the course will be lifted.

To be eligible for fellowships, scholarships and assistantships, graduate students are required to be enrolled full-time (at least 9 hours).

All international students are also required to be enrolled full-time during each long semester, regardless of whether they receive funding from the Butler School of Music.

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Graduation Timeline

Semester-by-Semester Overview

Semester 1

Registration for (Instrument/Voice) 480 Graduate Performance course.
A qualifying jury must be performed at the end of the first semester of study.

Semester 2-4

Registration for MUS 398D, Artist Recital (for second and subsequent semesters)
- Instrumental Artist Recitals - 3 recitals with a choice between these two options: the Solo recital option (two Solo recitals, one including a complete concerto, and one chamber music recital); or the Chamber recital option (two chamber recitals and one solo recital). Two of the recitals must be presented on the UT Austin campus and one recital must be presented off the UT Austin campus.
- Voice Artist Recitals - 3 recitals (opera roles may substitute for two of the recitals).
In order to certify the diploma, students must submit the Artist Diploma Reporting Form to the graduate coordinator (check with the coordinator for the deadline).

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