Music at Hamilton

Solo Performance Opportunities

One of the satisfactions that music can provide is the pleasure of sharing one’s musical discoveries and accomplishments with others through public solo performance. Solo performance experience can increase a student musician's understanding of the role of the performer in the musical process. 

The Department of Music has instituted a wide range of opportunities for student performers at all levels of accomplishment to play for an audience. Students and their teachers are encouraged to seek the type of opportunity most appropriate to the student’s attainments in technical mastery, interpretation, and stamina.

Students contemplating the presentation of a full recital or a half recital with some other performer should first consult with the instructor. Planning for half or full recitals typically begins at least one year prior to the anticipated performance, and there are requirements that must be met prior to that planning.

Weekday Musicales

Each semester the department sponsors a series of Weekday Musicales intended to provide opportunities for experienced and inexperienced performers to present short works, or parts of works, that have recently acquired a certain polish.  All students registered for Solo Performance are required to perform on these programs.  Some composition students may also participate on the recommendation of their professor after an audition before a faculty committee.  Weekday Musicales prior to the Student Concert auditions are limited to Solo Performance students. These informal programs give students a first opportunity to experience the challenges of live performance in an informal and supportive atmosphere.  They will not serve as occasions to determine which students will appear on the end-of-semester Student Concert; however, they are a prerequisite for all who wish to audition for the Student Concert.

Student Concerts

Student Concerts are held at the end of each semester in Wellin Hall and tend to draw an audience from a broader segment of the college and local community. These concerts give those who have enrolled in Solo Performance and passed the required audition the opportunity to perform before the college community.  Only those students who have performed in a Weekday Musicale may audition for a Student Concert.

Weekday Musicale & Student Concert Procedures

Participation in the Musicales and work toward auditioning for the Student Concert begins early in the semester. The following is a summary of that process:

  1. Sometime after midterm, all students who are enrolled in Solo Performance or Applied Music are invited to participate in Weekday Musicales and notified of the dates of these upcoming performances and of the sign-up deadlines. All communications relative to the Musicale/Student Concert process are done by e-mail.
  2. Musicale sign-up sheets are posted on the adjunct office windows in Schambach 210. Typically, Musicales are held at noon or in late afternoon.  Solo Performance students have priority in signing up for slots.  Any student wishing to perform on the Student Concert at the semester’s end must have participated in one of the Musicales.  A student who misses the Musicale sign-up deadline will not be permitted to perform.
  3. A Musicale performer must contact his/her accompanist three weeks prior to the Musicale.  The accompanist must have been present for at least one lesson so that the student/accompanist joint performance may be reviewed by the teacher.  Students who miss these deadlines will not be permitted to perform.
  4. No more than one piece or one movement of a larger piece may be performed on a Musicale.  No student’s performance should exceed seven minutes.  The Musicale coordinator may request in advance an abbreviated version of a lengthier work in order to stay within time constraints.
  5. Students who wish to perform works that involve other student musicians (excluding staff pianists) may only consider students who meet the performance criteria for participating in a Musicale;  i.e., the student must be enrolled in Solo Performance or Applied Music on his/her instrument.  This student must also have the consent of his/her studio instructor and the instructor of the recitalist as well as the Musicale Coordinator. Typically a student’s teacher will contact the Musicale Coordinator regarding this possibility prior to the time of Musicale sign ups.
  6. The piece performed at the Musicale need not be the same piece with which the student auditions for the Student Concert.
  7. Following the last Musicale, all Solo Performance students who participated are eligible to audition before a faculty committee for inclusion on the end-of-semester Student Concert.  Sign-up sheets are posted on the adjunct office windows, Schambach 210.
  8. Student Concert auditions are held in Wellin Hall near the end of the semester. The results of the auditions are announced within 24 hours. Auditions are competitive, and all who audition may not be accepted for the Concert.
  9. The Audition Committee may determine that there are enough accepted students to warrant two Student Concerts, typically scheduled back to back on the same day (6pm and 8pm with a break in between).  Students who perform on one concert are required to attend the other concert as part of the requirements for Solo Performance.  Publicity for the two concerts will indicate which students are performing on which concert.

Student Concert Auditions

  1. Student Concert auditions open only to Solo Performance students who have appeared on the required Weekday Musicale.  Applied Music students are not eligible to audition.
  2. Only one piece or one movement of a longer work may be performed at the audition.  The piece with which the student auditions need not be the same piece that was performed on the Musicale, but must be the piece the student intends to perform on the Student Concert. No student’s performing time should exceed seven minutes.  The Musicale/Audition coordinator may request in advance an abbreviated version of a lengthier work in order to stay within time constraints. Students who wish to perform lengthier works may perform on a List Musicale rather than a Student Concert.
  3. Only accompanists provided through the Staff Pianist program may be used for musicales, auditions, and the Student Concert.  Students who miss accompanist deadlines will be ineligible to participate in the program.
  4. Students who wish to perform works that involve other student musicians may consider only Hamilton students who meet the same performance criteria for presenting a recital that the department has established for a principal recital performer.  Each student must also perform at the pre-recital jury at an appropriate level.  Finally, each student must have the consent of his/her studio instructor or ensemble conductor.
  5. Students need to be especially attentive to the deadlines for getting music to their accompanists. Photocopied music is not permitted.
  6. Students need to be attentive to e-mail for all announcements about musicales, auditions, and the Student Concert. 
  7. Participants who wish to audition for the Student Concert must provide appropriate title/composer information (full title, first and last name of composer, composer’s years of birth and/or death and length of the piece) at the time of the audition. Singers who are accepted for inclusion on the Student Concert must provide translations of any song not in English.
  8. Although students who perform full or partial recitals are exempt from auditioning for the Student Concert during that semester of study, such students may choose to audition for the Student Concert provided they do so with repertoire different from that performed in their recitals.

List Musicales

Solo Performance students who have taken lessons for at least three semesters and performed on at least one Weekday Musicale may seek to perform on a List Musicale at the recommendation of their teacher. 

  1. These are normally presented in List 106, usually on a weekend afternoon, and are shared with one, two, or three other student performers, with each student performing 10-20 minutes; the entire Musicale should last no more than one hour. List Musicales are particularly suitable for the presentation of lengthier works or sets of songs, complete sonatas, and the like. 
  2. These Musicales must be scheduled with the Performing Arts Administrator prior to June 15 for fall term events, or prior to December 1 for spring term events. 
  3. Appearance on a List Musicale may take the place of a the required performance on a Weekday Musicale for those students enrolled in Solo Performance.
  4. On rare occasions, it may be more appropriate for this Musicale to be held in Wellin Hall, if approved by the department chair. A Wellin Musicale is presented in an intimate setting with the audience seated on stage rather than in the Hall. For Wellin Musicales, students provide their own staff for stage setup, strike and their own staff and equipment for recording.

Full and Half Recitals

A full or half recital, presented in Wellin Hall or the Events Barn in the case of jazz, represents the culmination of years of musical study and maturation, and is viewed by the department as a special opportunity to apply insights gained through the study of music theory and history as well as performance. Presenting a recital can be a fun and rewarding experience.  But it takes thorough preparation and advanced planning.  Please speak with your instructor early in your time at Hamilton if you are at all interested in presenting a recital.  The department encourages such serious endeavors by students, whether or not they are music concentrators.  Under normal circumstances, only seniors may present full recitals;  both juniors and seniors may present half recitals.

In order to ensure that recitals will be a more significant learning experience for the performer, requirements have been established for any recital sponsored by the department.  These requirements are designed to ensure programs of quality for the college and community audience it serves.  For a concise outline of recital information see “So You Want to Give a Recital?” in the Appendix.

In order to give a recital you must:

  • have the consent of your instructor
  • have appeared on at least two Student Concerts, have appeared on one Student Concert and had a major soloist role with an ensemble, or have appeared on one Student Concert and one List Musicale
  • complete and turn in to the department chair a Recital Proposal Form (available in the dept. office, LIst 217) prior to April 15 of the previous academic year. This form must be signed by the student’s studio instructor, the Performing Arts Administrator, and the faculty advisor for the program notes. The student should then submit the form to the music department Chair.
  • contact the Coordinator of Staff Pianists no later than April 15 for a recital the following fall, or no later than the third lesson of the fall semester for a recital the following spring (if a staff pianist is needed); recitals that are part of the student’s Senior Project must be scheduled by December 1 of the junior year;
  • register for Advanced Solo Performance in the semester of your recital – the student may also register for Advanced Solo Performance in the previous semester at the discretion of the instructor.

Requirements for a recital

  • prepare approximately 30 min. of music for half recitals (juniors & seniors)
  • prepare approximately 60 min. of music for full recitals (seniors)
  • select a faculty advisor for guidance as you:
  • prepare programs, program notes, and a poster advertising the recital
  • perform a pre-recital jury before a panel of three solo performance instructors three weeks prior to the recital

Items to Remember

There are prerequisites you must take in order to register for Advanced Solo Performance;

  • You must perform on a weekday Musicale in order to audition for the Student Concert;
  • There are additional requirements for a Senior Recital in Music as part of the senior project for a concentration in music;
  • If an accompanist is required for the recital, the student must contact the Coordinator of Staff Pianists no later than April 15 for a recital the following fall or no later than the third lesson of the fall semester for a recital the following spring.
  • Students who wish to perform works that involve other student musicians may consider only Hamilton students who meet the same performance criteria for presenting a recital that the department has established for a principal recital performer.  Each student must also perform at the pre-recital jury at an appropriate level.  Finally, each student must have the consent of his/her studio instructor or ensemble conductor.
  • The music theory prerequisite (any music theory course or passing the music theory placement test) must be fulfilled in order to register for Advanced Solo Performance.

The Jury

Three weeks prior to any full or half recital the student must perform a pre-recital jury before a panel of three solo performance instructors.  At this jury the student must also submit to the panel program notes that are complete and in final form, approved by the faculty advisor.  When possible scores should be provided to the panel. The panel will provide the performer with constructive comments in order to make the jury an educational experience and may decide that a student may not perform one or more works on the recital.  The jury will begin with a work chosen by the student.  After that, the panel of instructors may request works or parts of works as it deems appropriate.  Any work to be performed from memory on the recital must be performed from memory during the jury.  If the three week deadline for this jury falls at a time when the college is not in session, the jury must take place prior to the college break.

Program Notes & Publicity

As an integral part of any full or half recital the student will prepare programs, program notes, and a poster advertising their recital.  See the Performing Arts Administrator for samples.  The music department web page includes templates that the student should use in the preparation of the program, program notes, and poster.  The student must ask a full-time member of the music faculty to serve as an advisor in the preparation of these materials, according to deadlines established by the full-time faculty member.  An electronic copy of the poster must be submitted to the Performing Arts Administrator two weeks prior to the recital.  The program and program notes must be submitted to the Performing Arts Administrator 5 days prior to the recital.  The music department will arrange and pay for the printing and distribution of these materials.  All posters, programs, and program notes must be approved by the faculty advisor before they are submitted.

Invitations, Keyboard Tuning, Taping, & Reception

The department will also pay for, when requested by the student on the Event Form, the tuning of keyboard instruments, audio-taping of the recital, a post-recital reception, and the printing of 50 invitations on card stock.  If invitations are desired, the student must submit the invitation text electronically along with the program, program notes, and poster.  The department will not pay for videotaping the recital.  The student may consult with the college’s Audio-Visual Department for this service, but the AV Department is not obligated to videotape the recital if it is determined that doing so would violate strict interpretation of copyright law.  Thus, if you wish a videotape of the recital, you will most likely need to make private arrangements to do so.

Rehearsals

If the student wishes to rehearse or have lessons in Wellin Hall during the weeks just prior to the recital, she or he must consult with the Performing Arts Administrator to schedule the Hall.  Such rehearsals and lessons can only be scheduled when the Hall is not otherwise in use, so a set number of rehearsal hours in the Hall cannot be guaranteed.  It is the student’s responsi­bility to move the piano, if needed, onto the stage and replace and secure the piano in its proper place after use.  A key to the piano can be borrowed for the rehearsal time only from Kim Carroll, Academic Office Assistant, in the department office.

Student or Faculty Recitals sponsored by the Music Department

  1. Before any scheduling occurs for annual seasons, all regular rehearsals by ensembles in Wellin Hall, Schambach 201, 108, and List 106 are entered into the Performing Arts Room web registration system by the Academic Office Assistant.  Extra rehearsals and tech week dates will also be entered into the system.  In addition, Performing Arts events are scheduled prior to April 15.
  2. For all recitals, the performers involved must complete a Recital Proposal Form.
  3. Students who will be presenting recitals as part of a senior project during the subsequent year must contact the Performing Arts Administrator before December 1 of the current year to place a hold on a date.
  4. All other recital dates must be requested by April 15.  To confirm the date on the calendar, the performer must see the Performing Arts Administrator to complete an Event Form.
  5. It is not possible to place multiple holds on dates for a single performance.
  6. Only the Academic Office Assistant and/or the Performing Arts Administrator can make additions or changes to the Wellin Hall schedule on the Performing Arts Room web registration system.
  7. To the extent possible, no more than two events sponsored by the department of Music will be scheduled during a seven-day period.
  8. For events that will not take place in Wellin Hall (i.e. jazz recitals in the Events Barn), it is still necessary to complete an Event Form and to contact the Performing Arts Administrator before April 15 of the previous academic year.  The producer of the concert must also contact Theresa Gallagher, x4194, who is responsible for scheduling the spaces of the Events Barn, the Chapel, the Annex, and other social spaces.  After this contact is made and the event has been scheduled, the concert producer needs to attend a C.A.C.C. (Campus Activity Coordinating Committee) meeting, offered every Tuesday at 3 pm at the Bristol Campus Center, in the Penney room.  If a keyboard instrument is not available in the venue, the student must have the approval of the chair of the department before arranging for the transportation of an instrument.
  9. To schedule a rehearsal, use the Performing Arts Room web registration system http://www.hamilton.edu/registrar/room-reservations.

Technical Needs, Publicity, and Recording

Guidelines for Securing Performing Arts Technical Needs and Publicity for Concerts and Recitals

In order to ensure that each performance event in Wellin is properly produced and gets thorough publicity and attention the following process has been established. Following these guidelines will allow for better publicity, larger audiences and fewer mistakes.  These are the minimum deadlines.  Earlier deadlines may be set for certain events, including student recitals.

One month prior to the event:

Meet with the Performing Arts Administrator to discuss your event, including dress rehearsal times, technical needs (special stage set-up, piano, stage hands, microphones, etc.), and to go over deadlines for program and publicity. This meeting can be informal or via e-mail.

Two weeks prior to event:

Press and publicity information due. Two weeks is the minimum amount of time needed to ensure that press releases will reach area newspapers and that posters will be able to be designed, printed and posted in time to publicize your event.  Press release deadlines for local newspapers are at least one-week prior to the event, and all press releases must go through C&D before being sent out.  Examples of publicity material due at this time are:

  • Event title and repertoire
  • Brief description of the event
  • Names and bios (if available) of principle or guest players, accompanists, conductors, soloists, etc. This is also the deadline for photos or artwork.

One week prior to event:

Program copy due. One week is the minimum amount of time required for the program. The print shop requires at least 24 hours to copy the program. Furthermore, a one-week deadline allows time for the producer time to proofread the program before it goes to the print shop. Program copy should be submitted electronically. DO NOT format your program.  There are templates that automatically format text, and text formatted in word will have to be unformatted before it can be used.

Concert and Recital Recordings

The department hires student recording technicians to record departmentally-sponsored faculty and student recitals in Wellin Hall, if the producer of the event has indicated on the Event Form filed with the Performing Arts Administrator that the event is to be recorded for archival purposes.  Copies of these recordings are stored in the department archives and in the Music Library.  Performers on these events may obtain as many as 5 copies of a recording if they provide suitable blank media (currently CD-R).  Arrangements for this should be made directly with the department’s student recording technician.  Performers who wish to obtain more copies than this should obtain a single copy from the department and then take this to AV Services to arrange for additional copies (typically up to 50 copies).  The cost for this is borne by the individual.

The department does not record events that are presented in spaces other than Wellin Hall (e.g., Weekday Musicales, Schambach or List Musicales, Events Barn events, master classes, etc.).  Arrangements for recording these events, if desired, should be made in a timely fashion with AV Services.

The department does not make audition recordings for students, faculty, or others.  Arrangements for this can often be made directly with one of the department’s student recording technicians, however, who will establish their own fees for this work.

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