Apply for the Bachelor of Arts in Music, Major in Performance

• Summary

  To apply for the Bachelor of Arts in Music, Major in Performance, you must complete the following steps:

  • complete the online application form by 20 March;
  • upload the required documents to the applications portal by 20 March;
  • take the admission exam(s);
  • if admitted, confirm your enrolment by the specified deadline.

  All the information you need to complete the admission process can be found on this page.

• Admission requirements

  Admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Music is conditional on:

  • successful completion of high school exams, a vocational qualification, a diploma from another secondary school of general education, a certificate of other education with an equivalent general nature;
  • passing an admission exam.

  The requirement for completion of secondary education and vocational secondary education may be waived in exceptional circumstances if the candidate demonstrates an outstanding musical talent.

   

  Language

  For admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Music and the Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy, non-native speakers of Italian are required to demonstrate a sufficient level of the Italian language during the interview in the entrance examination. A sufficient level of Italian is equivalent to level B2 according to the CEFR, or CELI 3. Those who do not have this language level at the start of their studies must nevertheless demonstrate a sufficient level of Italian and reach level B2 or CELI 3 by the end of their first year of study.
  Most courses are conducted in Italian. On some occasions, depending on the origin of the students and/or the musicians present during the practical lessons, the use of other languages (such as English, French or German) is common. Written work is accepted in one of the three official Swiss languages or in English.

• Online application form

  The online application form can be completed by clicking the button below:

  ONLINE APPLICATION FORM 

  Once you have completed the application form, you will need to upload the required documents to the applications portal. Details on how to access the applications portal and the documents to be uploaded are given below.

   

  Deadline: 20 March

• Access to the applications portal

  All required documents must be uploaded by 20 March. 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.

  Once all documents will be uploaded, it is necessary to confirm the application by clicking on “Submit dossier” at the bottom of the page.

  Incomplete applications will not be evaluated (applications which are incomplete on 20 March). 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.

• Required documents

  The following documents must be uploaded to the applications portal:

  • Confirmation of payment: those who decide to pay for the application fee via bank transfer, should upload a copy of the transfer confirmation.
  • Audition programme: which will be performed during the live audition (does not apply to harp, guitar, harpsichord, accordion, organ, percussion and piano candidates). This programme will be forwarded to the piano accompanists.
  • ID or passport: the copy must be readable and both personal information and expiration date of the document must be clearly visible.
  • Access diploma to university studies: the access diploma is the High School diploma (or equivalent). Candidates who are sitting their diploma exams (high school) in the current academic year should attach a self-certification that the qualification will be obtained by the start of the academic year being applied for.
  • Curriculum vitae et studiorum: by points, not in prose.
  • Motivation letter: in which candidates state the motives that inspired them to choose the study programme they are applying to.
  • Other musical diplomas: if available.

   

  Deadline: 20 March

• Admissions fee

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

  • 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.
  • 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, under the "Payment details section.

   

  Deadline: 20 March

• Scholarships

  The Conservatoire offers scholarships to admissions applicants and to its own students. Candidates interested in obtaining financial support can find all relevant information on our website, at the page dedicated to Scholarships.

• Structure of admission examinations

  Admission examinations are structured as follow:

  1. a practical test (audition);
  2. a theory test to assess listening and harmony skills;
  3. an interview.

  Further information on the different tests can be found in the section "Practical information on admission tests".

  The admission examinations take place in April at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana in Lugano (Switzerland). The presence of all candidates in Lugano is required as the live auditions are of fundamental importance in order to guarantee a complete, fair and objective evaluation. Only those who have completed the registration process by 20 March will be invited to take the admission exams.
  Before the admission examinations in Lugano, candidates from non-EU countries can apply to receive feedback on their instrumental level by sending a video recording. This feedback may allow candidates to decide whether or not to sit the admission examinations in Lugano, but under no circumstances it replaces the admission examination as such. Candidates interested in receiving feedback on their instrumental level must submit their request by 20 February to the Secretariat by email (servizi.accademici@conservatorio.ch) and complete the online registration process. Links to the video recordings must then be uploaded to the applications portal no later than 23 February.

• Practical information on admission tests

  A. Details of the practical test (audition)

  The practical test (audition), is structured as follows:

  1. Candidates must be present in front of the audition room at the established time, as indicated in the invitation letter. For instrumental classes that receive a considerable amount of applications, candidates may be grouped in different time slots, each of which lasting for 2 to 3 hours. In any case, candidates must be present in front of the audition room at the established time, and wait for their audition turn.
  2. It is standard practice for the admissions commission to hear candidates in this order:
     1. by study programme, starting with BA candidates, followed by candidates to the MA in Pedagogy, in Performance, and in Specialized Music Performance;
     2. in alphabetical order within each study programme;

  The admissions commission reserves the right to establish a different order.

  Repertoire

  There is no pre-established audition repertoire for any instrument. Anyway, the audition programme should comprise pieces from different time periods and styles for a minimum duration of at least 30 minutes. During the audition, the admissions commission may ask candidates to perform only part of the programme.

  Piano accompanist

  For all auditions (except for harp, guitar, cembalo, accordion, organ, percussions, and piano auditions), the University of Music (SUM) provides a professional piano accompanist. We remind candidates that:

  • Candidates must communicate the audition programme on the applications portal by 20 March, which will be forwarded to the piano accompanists.
  • candidates must bring to the audition the score for the piano accompanist;
  • it is not possibleto rehearse with the piano accompanist before the audition.

  Candidates who wish to perform with their own piano accompanist, are required to inform the secretary office (servizi.accademici@conservatorio.ch).

  Warm-up room

  The SUM provides a common warm-up room for all candidates. It is not possible to make further bookings for admission exams.

  What to bring

  • The scores for the piano accompanist (see above)
  • Your own scores. We do not require any extra copies of the scores for the admissions commission.

  The audition rooms will be equipped with all relevant instruments—according to the nature of the audition—i.e. harp, cembalo, organ, percussions, and pianos. Candidates for all percussion Majors must inform the secretary office about the required instrumentation for their auditions. Candidates for all harp Majors must coordinate with the secretary office the use of their own instruments for the audition.

   

  B. Details of the theory test

  The theory test, which consists of a written and an oral test, is held in Italian according to the following procedure:

  1. all candidates are called to sit the exam at the same moment (same date and time);
  2. at the time of the examination, an appeal is made and the written test is conducted. The written test has a duration of approximately 90 minutes. Examples of the written test are available on our website, at the Teaching materials page, under the voice “Esempio esame di ammissione”;
  3. When the written test is concluded, the order in which candidates will be called for the oral test is established. Examples of the written test are available on our website, at the Teaching materials page, under the voice “Esempio esame di ammissione”. In general, the oral test lasts about 30 minutes.

  Important note

  Due to the nature of the theory test (structured in two different parts, a written and an oral one), candidates must reserve the whole day for the examination.

   

  C. Details on the interview

  At the end of the audition, candidates will be interviewed on topics related to their musical education, their future career goals, and their professional development.

• Exams calendar

  Candidates receive an invitation to the various examinations by e-mail, with information on the date, time and location of each test. Candidates who do not take the admission examinations are automatically excluded from the selection process.

  The presence of all candidates in Lugano for the live audition is of fundamental importance, as it guarantees a complete, careful and as objective as possible evaluation for admission.

  However, in some particular cases (e.g. for travel from non-European countries, or for proven health reasons, as in the case of subjects considered at risk), candidates may contact the Academic Services office (servizi.accademici@conservatorio.ch) no later than March 15 to coordinate the way in which possible online admissions exams may take place.

  Calendar of admission examinations:

  The University of Music reserves the right to make changes to the schedule of the examinations at any time.

   

   

• Travel to Switzerland

  Different rules apply according to the nationality of the candidates:

  1. EU/EFTA citizens (link) do not need to get a visa for sitting admission examinations;
  2. Citizens from all other countries must check the updated list of requisites on the portal of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). In many cases, candidates must request a visa to be able to come to Lugano for the admission exam. The visa may be requested to the Swiss embassy nearest to their place of residence.

  Import regulations of musical instruments to Switzerland

  Candidates are invited to pay attention to the customs and import regulations established by the Federal Customs Administration, with regard to traveling with musical instruments. Information on this regard may be found on the website of the Federal Customs Administration. When leaving Switzerland, candidates must observe import regulations in their destination country.

• Enrolment confirmation

  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.

   

  ONLINE APPLICATION FORM