The Vocal/Choral/Opera programs at CSUF offer a variety of opportunities for singers and conductors at both the bachelor's and master's levels. Students receive a specialized yet comprehensive education while preparing for careers as performers, teachers and conductors.

Vocal Program: Private lessons in voice are the core of each of the study programs and are solely taught by members of our well-respected faculty. The program also includes courses in vocal pedagogy, art song literature, opera literature, foreign-language diction and stage techniques. Students receive individual attention and perform frequently in recitals and master classes.

Choral Program: The University boasts four choral ensembles: the University Singers, the Chamber Choir, the Men's Chorus and the Women's Choir. The ensembles have toured internationally, performing at numerous national and regional conventions and with major orchestras including the Pacific Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Choral conducting classes are available at the undergraduate level, with private lessons available at the graduate level.

Opera Program: Each fall CSUF Opera Theatre presents a program of opera excerpts and one-acts designed to provide performance opportunities for our singers. Each spring semester, fully staged operatic productions with orchestra are mounted, which have included Candide, La Bohème , Street Scene, Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus, The Crucible, Le Nozze di Figaro and Gianni Schicchi. Beyond the campus productions are offered at Leisure World in Orange County and other venues. Singers are also given the opportunity to participate in all aspects of opera production including staging, costumes, props, make-up, set design and lighting.

Degree Programs
The Cal State Fullerton Music Department offers a wide variety of specialized, professional degrees in addition to the traditional liberal arts degree in music.
Areas with a vocal/choral emphasis are:
Bachelor of Music
> Vocal Performance
The Bachelor of Music degree is tailored to the needs of students who desire strong performance and academic training as part of their undergraduate experience. The degree combines the standard musical curriculum pursued by all majors with courses in foreign language diction, vocal literature, and voice pedagogy. Weekly hourly lessons with a faculty member are at the core of the BM experience.
The Bachelor of Music degree is for students that have demonstrated consistent progress during their initial period of applied study at CSUF. It is also expected that prospective students for the Bachelor of Music degree make satisfactory progress in other music courses. First year students may petition the faculty for admission to the Bachelor of Music degree at the end of the first year of study. Transfer students may begin in this degree track in their first semester IF the entrance audition indicates good potential for success.

Bachelor of Arts in Music
> Liberal Arts
Students in this degree track exhibit a range of interests in music and other subject areas. The degree is targeted to students who desire in-depth musical study and the opportunity to focus on other areas of study.
> Music Education
While students in this degree emphasis aspire to teaching credentials, they may also access all courses and performing activities offered in the vocal area. The goal of the faculty is to prepare teachers with experience in performance, pedagogy, and literature. Weekly half hour lessons are offered as a core experience in this degree path.

Master of Music
> Performance
With over seventy graduate students, the CSUF Music Dept. offers a solid graduate education experience for vocal students. Graduate study plans are customized to a student's individual interests and needs. Students in the Master of Music program focus on the acquisition of a comprehensive set of technical, linguistic, and interpretive skills for the performance of classical vocal music from a variety of styles and periods. Students study at CSUF before going on to advanced conservatory Artist Diploma programs, doctoral programs, and professional choral work, theatrical work, and teaching.

Minor in Music

Both scholarship and program entrance auditions for incoming students are scheduled in the fall and spring of each year. Students who are unable to come to Fullerton on regularly schedule audition dates may make special arrangements for an audition through the area coordinator.

Here are some typical questions from entering students to help you:

Q: How do I prepare for a vocal audition?

A: All audition pieces are to be sung from memory. Sight-reading and musicianship fundamentals are evaluated at all auditions. See below for the audition requirements relevant to you.

For prospective graduate students:
Typically, a graduate student will already have completed one or more solo recitals during their undergraduate study. Prospective graduate students should prepare five (5) pieces from memory, in a variety of styles and languages. These pieces may be drawn from the student's undergraduate degree recital. (Please bring a copy of the recital program with you to the audition.)

For prospective transfer students:
Transfer students should prepare a minimum of two art songs in contrasting languages, and one operatic or oratorio aria -- to be sung from memory.

For incoming freshmen:
Incoming high school students should prepare the following, to be sung from memory.
a) an English art song
b) an Italian art song

For a scholarship audition at the freshman level, an additional "legit" musical theater piece (Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, etc.) may also be offered.

Anthologies in which high school students might find repertoire include:
Classical Contest Solos
26 Italian Songs and Arias (John Glenn Paton)
The Joan Boytim "First Book of Solos" or "Second Book of Solos"

To show auditioning students to their best advantage, the presentation of operatic arias at the freshman level is discouraged. Pop, folk, rock, and music in the contemporary Christian idiom is not considered acceptable audition repertoire.

Write:
California State University, Fullerton
Department of Music
P.O. Box 6850
Fullerton, CA 92834-6850

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