1. Fill in the online application form

The online application form can be completed by following this LINK.

2. Complete the three steps in our applications portal

The three steps must be completed by 31 March 2021.

Access to the applications portal is possible in one of the following ways:

• As soon as you fill in the application form (automatic redirect)
• By clicking the link received by email with the pre-registration data
• By heading to applications.conservatorio.ch and login in with the access credentials provided via email

Incomplete applications will not be evaluated (applications which are incomplete on 31 March 2021). The University of Music reserves the right to ask for further documents (e.g. translations or certificates), should it find any of the documents in the application dossier to be lacking in clarity or comprehensibility, with particular attention to the diplomas.

2A. Upload the required documents

The following documents must be uploaded to the applications portal:

1. Copy of ID or passport: the copy must be readable and both personal information and expiration date of the document must be clearly visible
2. Copy of access diploma to university studies: for the Bachelor’s programmes, the access diploma is the High School diploma (or equivalent), while for the Master’s programmes is the Bachelor’s diploma (or equivalent). Candidates who are sitting their diplomas (high school or Bachelor’s) in the current academic year should attach a self-certification that the qualification will be obtained by the start of the academic year of the programme being applied for
3. Copy of other musical diplomas: if available
4. Curriculum vitae et studiorum: by points, not in prose
5. Motivation letter: in which candidates state the motives that inspired them to choose the study programme they are applying to
6. Criminal record check: only for candidates for the CSI-DFA double Master's degree
7. Certification of B2 level proficiency in the Italian language: only for the Bachelor and Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy [1]

Deadline: 31 March 2021.

2B. Share the links for your video audition

Candidates to the following study programmes must share links to their video auditions in the applications portal:

• Bachelor of Arts in Music
• Bachelor of Arts in Music and Movement
• Master of Arts in Music Performance - Major in Instrumental/Vocal Performance
• Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy
• Master of Arts in Specialized Music Performance
• CSI-DFA Double Master’s degree

Programme of the auditions
For the Bachelor of Arts in Music, Master of Arts in Music Performance, Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy, and Master of Arts in Specialized Music Performance:

• Compositions from different periods and styles (free choice)
• Duration of at least 30 minutes

For the Bachelor of Arts in Musica and Movement and for the CSI-DFA Double Master’s degree:

• Two pieces (free choise) for a duration of maximum 10 minutes with the candidate’s main instrument.
• Sing and play by heart three children songs.
• Free accompaniment of a popular melody (with the piano or other harmonic instrument) with an instrument different from the candidate’s main instrument.
• Two pieces (free choice) on a complementary melodic instrument (recorder or other).

Conditions that must be observed

1. Individual movements of larger pieces (Sonatas, Concertos) are also admitted for the audition. All pieces must be recorded in a single take: cuts or editing within a piece or a single movement are therefore not allowed, in the case of works articulated in more than one movement.
2. The video camera should be place in a way that both the musician and the instrument are always visible. In particular, the face and the hands of the performer should always be visible.
3. Only video recordings are allowed. Audio-only recordings will not be admitted.
4. Recordings must have been made during the past six months, i.e. they must not have been recorded prior to October 2020. 

Link(s) to the video recordings
The video audition must be uploaded to a video sharing web platform (preferably YouTube or Vimeo) and the link(s) must be copied to the admissions portal.

Links to Dropbox, GoogleDrive, WeTransfer, or similar services will not be evaluated. Video recordings must be watchable from a web browser without having to download files, or being prompted to insert passwords. Admission commission members must thus be able to directly watch the video recordings at the time of selection without restrictions.

Example link: https://youtu.be/ZuB6r1f18Gg

Deadline: 31 March 2021.

2C. Pay the application fee

The application fee of 100.- CHF (plus transaction costs), can be paid in any of the following ways:

1. Online payment with a credit card or PayPal account, through the applications portal. In this case it is not necessary to upload a transaction receipt in the portal
2. Payment by bank transfer. In this case, a copy of the transaction receipt must be uploaded to the applications portal. All information necessary for the transfer are available in the Fees and Charges page on our website

Deadline: 31 March 2021.

3. Await for information regarding the admission exams (when necessary)

In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and with the intentions of providing all candidates with the same admission conditions, the University of Music has decided to modify admissions procedures as follows: 

Practical tests

All live auditions for the Bachelor of Arts in Music, the Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy, and the Master of Arts in Music Performance - Major in Instrumental/Vocal Performance, for all instruments, have been substituted by video recording (which should have been shared through the admissions portal). Admissions committees will evaluate the video auditions during the month of April.

The first auditions for the Master of Arts in Specialized Music, for all instruments, have been substituted by video recording (which should have been shared through the admissions portal). Should the admissions committee consider a candidate admissible for the second round of admissions, a second video recording with a different 30 minute programme will be requested. 

All live auditions for the Bachelor of Arts in Music and Movement have been substituted by video recording (which should have been shared through the admissions portal).

All live auditions for the CSI-DFA Double Master’s degree have been substituted by video recording (which should have been shared through the admissions portal). The admissions committee will only evaluate the video recordings of those candidates who will have passed the written exam on 12 April 2021.

Other tests

The following admissions tests will be held online during the month of April, according to specific calls:

• Theory exam for the Bachelor of Arts in Music and the Bachelor of Arts in Music and Movement will take place between 12 and 15 April, in one or more sessions, depending on the number of applicants. Instructions on the theory exams are available in this link;
• The pedagogical test and the interview for the Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy;
• The written exam for the CSI-DFA Double Master’s degree (see admissions calendar).

The following admissions tests will take place during the month of April, in ways that still need to be defined. Specific information will be communicated via email to all applicants as soon as they become available:

• The pedagogical test with a group of children and the interview for the Bachelor of Arts in Music and Movement.
• The test lessons for the CSI-DFA Double Master’s degree (see admissions calendar).
• All tests for the Master of Arts in Music Performance - Major in Wind Orchestra Conducting.
• All tests for the Master of Arts in Music Performance - Major in Ensemble Conducting (Contemporary Repertoire).
• The written and oral tests, as well as the interview for the Master of Arts in Composition and Theory.

4. Confirm your enrolment

Candidates who pass all the admission examinations will receive a letter of admission and a registration confirmation form by ordinary post and by email. This form must be signed and returned to the Academic Services Office of the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana as instructed in the letter of admission. Once registration has been confirmed, you will officially become a student at the Conservatorio. Registration confirmation is binding.

Contact
Secretary Office
servizi.accademici@conservatorio.ch

Note 1 – For admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Music, the Bachelor of Arts in Music and Movement and the Master of Arts in Pedagogy, candidates who are not native speakers of Italian must present a certificate proving that their level of Italian language is at least B2 according to the Common European Framework for Modern Languages. (Celi 3 level, www.cvcl.it). Students who are native speakers of Italian, French, German or English, or students who can demonstrate a level of B2 language proficiency in one of these languages according to the Common European Framework for Modern Languages, may apply for exemption from this rule. They must, however, demonstrate a sufficient level of knowledge of the Italian language and reach Celi3 level by the end of their first year of study.

Contact

Academic Services Office
servizi.accademici@conservatorio.ch