NEW! The Adolph Herseth Scholarship

NEW for 2022-2023!  The Luther College Music Department is pleased to announce a new, competitive scholarship opportunity for highly skilled musicians.  Class of 2023 graduating seniors – pursuing any academic area – may audition to receive a 4-year renewable scholarship named in honor of Adolph “Bud” Herseth, a 1943 Luther College graduate who majored in math and held the position of principal trumpet player of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 54 years.

Adolph “Bud” Herseth

The competitive audition process for this prestigious new scholarship is open to students who exhibit the highest technical and expressive musical abilities. Auditions for the Herseth Scholarship are open to students of any instrument who desire to study any academic area – not just music.

Winners of the Herseth Scholarship Audition will fall under these categories:

  1. Full Herseth Scholarship–up to $25,000
  2. Herseth Honorable Mention Scholarship–up to $15,000
  3. Weston Noble Award–$7,000

Step 1: Application and Pre-Screen Videos – DUE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18 at 4:00 p.m.

  • Apply for enrollment at Luther College. Acceptance is not required, but the application must be in process.
  • Complete the Herseth Scholarship application.
  • Prepare the specific requirements for your instrument or voice as outlined below.
  • Upload, or send the appropriate link to, your pre-screen audition videos by emailing hersethaudition@luther.edu.  Tips for successful video recordings are noted here.
  • Be sure to set the sharing settings so that all files are viewable by Luther faculty.
  • Recommendation letters written on your behalf should be sent directly from the author to hersethaudition@luther.edu.

Step 2: Notification of Invitation to Final Round

  • The scholarship application, recommendation letters, and performance videos will be reviewed by Luther College music department faculty.
  • Finalists will be notified by email of their selection into the next round no later than Monday, December 19, 2022.
  • Finalists wishing to proceed to the live competition must confirm participation with the Admissions Office by January 1, 2023.  Admissions will help arrange your visit to campus for the final round of performances. Late confirmations of participation will not be accepted unless due to extreme circumstances.

Step 3: Live Audition

  • The final round for Herseth Scholarship Auditions will be held on campus at Luther College in the Noble Recital Hall of the Jenson-Noble Hall of Music on Saturday, January 14 and (if needed) Saturday, January 21.
  • If your performance requirements call for a piano accompanist, you will be contacted by our Collaborative Piano faculty regarding an assigned accompanist and scheduling of rehearsal.
  • As a finalist, prepare the required musical material for your instrument as listed in the drop-down menus below.
  • The final round of auditions will last approximately 20 minutes and will be adjudicated by a panel of Luther College music department faculty, representing each of these areas: brass, winds, strings, percussion, keyboard, and voice.

Step 4: Awaiting Results

  • Recipients will be notified by mail of the results.
  • The Financial Aid Office will include the Herseth Scholarship in your complete college award package.
  • Herseth Scholarships can be combined with other merit-based scholarships such as academic awards. However, your total merit-based award cannot exceed $40,000. This does not have any effect on any need-based awards for which you may be eligible.

Questions about the Herseth Scholarship should be directed to the Luther College Admissions Office, or Dr. John T. Cord, Chair of Music Admissions and Scholarships.

Herseth Scholarship Audition Requirements

Preliminary Round, Bass Trombone

Repertoire required:

1. Chromatic scale

  • Demonstrate comfortable range capabilities and clean technique.
  • Articulation is at the performers discretion.

2. Prepare two contrasting etudes.  One etude must exemplify the ability to perform in a slow, lyrical or espressivo style. The second must exhibit technical capabilities specific to the instrument such as speed, range, articulations, etc. You may prepare etudes from your all state band/orchestra audition requirements (current or previous year) or select from the following:

  • Bordogni (Rochut), Melodious Etudes, Book 1 (may play as written or down an octave) 
  • Tyrell, 40 Advanced Studies for B-flat Bass
  • Grigoriev, 24 Studies

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? No

Final Round, Bass Trombone

Repertoire required:

1. Be prepared to perform major scales in the following keys (up to 3 flats and 3 sharps): C, F, Bb, Eb, G, D, & A. 

  • Scales will be selected at random by the auditioning faculty and must be performed from memory, in an 8th note rhythm, at a tempo of no less than quarter note equals 100 beats per minute. 

2. Excerpts from the student’s etude selections for the pre-screen recordings will be requested at random by the auditioning faculty.

3. Solo or movement from a larger work of your choosing, or as specified by the individual brass instrument area faculty. 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required?  TBD

Preliminary Round, Bassoon

Repertoire requirements: 

1. Two contrasting movements from one of the following:

  • Mozart, Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major, K 191
  • Weber, Bassoon Concerto in F Major 
  • Vivaldi, Bassoon Concerto in a minor, RV 497
  • Vivaldi, Bassoon Concerto in e minor, RV 484 

2. From 50 Concert Studies by Ludwig Milde, chose either etude 3, etude 5, or etude 9.

3. Unaccompanied Solo Piece: 

  • Jenni Brandon, Colored Stones, Mvt 1  

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required?  No

Final Round, Bassoon

Repertoire requirements: 

1. Jenni Brandon, Colored Stones, Mvts 1-3 

2. Other selections for the final round will be assigned by the committee from the candidate’s audition recording.

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required?  Yes

Preliminary Round, Clarinet

Repertoire required:

Record one selection each from List A, List B and List C:

List A: Concertos (choose 1 of these)

1. C.M. von Weber, Concertino 

  • record measures 10-53, m. 60-70, m. 73-90, m. 96-111 (w/o repeat), and m. 164-end

2. C.M. von Weber, Concerto No. 1, 1st movement

  • record measures. 48-145, m. 170-247, and m. 258-end

3. W.A. Mozart, Concerto K. 622, 1st movement 

  • May be played on Bb clarinet, though the original is for clarinet in A.
  • record from the measure the soloist begins (m. 57) to the end of the exposition (m. 154) 

List B: Etudes (choose 1 from the following)

Record completely, beginning to end, without cuts.

1. Rose 40 Studies, Number 13 

2. Rose 40 Studies, Number 24

3. Rose 32 Studies, Number 19

List C: Unaccompanied Solos (choose 1 from the following)

1. Willson Osborne, Rhapsody for Clarinet

2. Miklos Rozsa, Sonatina for Clarinet Solo, opus 27, 1st movement only

3. Igor Stravinsky, Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? No

Final Round, Clarinet

Repertoire required: 

1. Debussy, Premiere Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano (with accompaniment)

2. Selections from your audition recording, as assigned by the committee. 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? Yes, for the Debussy.

 

Preliminary Round, Flute

Repertoire requirements:

  1. Bach:  2 movements from either the Eb Major Sonata (BWV 1031) or the C Major Sonata (BWV 1033)
  2. Choose one etude from:
    • Élégie – Étude (in e minor), J. Donjon
    • Tango Etude #5, Astor Piazzolla
    • Flute Etudes, Op. 33: No. 5, Larghetto in D Major, Joachim Andersen 
  3. Mozart: First movement from either the G Major Concerto or D Major Concerto

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? Please record without accompaniment.

 

Final Round, Flute

Repertoire requirements:

  1. Fantaisie pour flute et piano (1912) by Philippe Gaubert
  2. Selections from your audition recording, as assigned by the committee. 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? Be prepared to perform with accompaniment

Preliminary Round, French Horn

Repertoire required: 

1. Chromatic scale

  • Demonstrate comfortable range capabilities and clean technique.
  • Articulation is at the performers discretion. 

2. Prepare two contrasting etudes.  One etude must exemplify the ability to perform in a slow, lyrical or espressivo style. The second must exhibit technical capabilities specific to the instrument such as speed, range, articulations, etc

  • Etude no. 26, Andante con moto, langsam gehend, from page 79 of The Complete Method for French Horn by Oscar Franz
  • Etude no. 34, Allegro (no repeats), from page 24 of Sixty Selected Studies (Book 1) by C. Kopprasch 

The horn etudes are provided here.

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? No

Final Round, French Horn

Repertoire required:

1. Be prepared to perform major scales in the following keys (up to 3 flats and 3 sharps): C, F, Bb, Eb, G, D, & A. 

  • Scales will be selected at random by the auditioning faculty and must be performed from memory, in an 8th note rhythm, at a tempo of no less than quarter note equals 100 beats per minute.

2. Excerpts from the student’s etude selections for the pre-screen recordings will be requested at random by the auditioning faculty.

3. Solo or movement from a larger work 

  • Malcolm Arnold, Fantasy for Horn (all)
  • Reinhold Gliere, Concerto in Bb major, op. 91 (either Movement I (write your own cadenza) or Movement III)
  • Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto, op 11 (either Movements I and II, or II and III)
  • Paul Hindemith, Sonate, op39, (Movement I)

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required?

Preliminary Round, Guitar

Repertoire required: 

1. Perform two solo pieces, two accompanied pieces, or one from each of the following categories:

Solo Guitar

  • Classical
    • J.S. Bach, “Bourree” from Lute Suite in E Minor, BWV 996
    • H. Villa-Lobos, Prelude No. 4
    • Brouwer, Simple Etudes, No. 1 & 2 
  • Jazz Chord Melodies
    • Howard, Fly Me To the Moon, arr. William Leavitt 
    • Lennon & McCartney, Yesterday, arr. Mike Elliot
  • Steel-string Fingerstyle Guitar
    • Tommy Emmanuel, It’s Never Too Late
    • Chet Atkins, Windy and Warm
  • Pete Huttlinger, The Water is Wide 

Accompanied Pieces 

*Perform with a backing track, providing the melody, with improvisation and/or transcribed solo. 

  • Jazz
    • Charlie Parker, Billie’s Bounce
    • Sonny Rollins, Oleo
  • Blues
    • Stevie Ray Vaughan, Riviera Paradise
  • Rock
    • Eric Johnson, Cliffs of Dover
  • Joe Satriani, Flying in a Blue Dream

2. A third piece of the candidate’s choosing will also be allowed. 

Note: In order to maintain scholarship, the student must demonstrate dedication to the improvement of sight reading, reaching required goals in reading proficiency each semester. 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? Yes, by a backing track if selections from the “accompanied pieces” category are chosen.

Final Round, Guitar

Please check back at a later date for final round guitar requirements.

Preliminary Round, Harp

Repertoire requirements: 

Prepare all of the following: 

  1.  Marcel Grandjany, Aria in Classic Style
  2. Alphonse Hasselmans, La Source
  3. Carlos Salzedo, Chanson dans la nuit
  4. Claude Debussy, La Mer (9 bars after 2 to number 6)

Memorization required? No

Final Round, Harp

Repertoire requirements: 

  1. Works from the pre-screening round will be assigned by the committee for the final round. 
  2. In addition, prepare Alborada del Gracioso, Maurice Ravel, beginning to number 9

Memorization required? No

Preliminary Round, Oboe

Repertoire required: 

  1. One selection from:
    • Mozart, Concerto in C major, K. 314: Mvt. I, including a cadenza
    • Bellini, Concerto in E-flat: (All)
    • Vaughan Williams, Concerto for Oboe: Mvt. I
  2. One selection from:
    • Morris, Collision Etudes: IV. Rainbow
    • Britten, Six Metamorphoses After Ovid: III. Niobe or V. Narcissus
    • Ferling, 48 Famous Studies: One slow etude 
  3. A free selection of your choice (up to 4 minutes). This could include:
    • A work for English horn,
    • A work you have written yourself, or that someone has written for you
    • Any work in a contrasting style/genre to the others on this list 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? Please record without accompaniment

Final Round, Oboe

Repertoire requirements:

  1. Handel, Sonata in C minor, HWV 366: mvt. I & II.
  2. Selections from your audition recording, as assigned by the committee. 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? Be prepared to perform with accompaniment.

Preliminary Round, Organ

Repertoire required:

  1. Two contrasting pieces. 
    • One must be a major work of J.S. Bach (prelude and fugue, trio sonata movement, or large-scale chorale setting, i.e. Leipzig Autograph or Schübler Chorale). 
    • The second piece should be from the Romantic era or Contemporary period at the performer‘s discretion. 
  2. Fully prepared hymn as if for a large church service. 
    • Include a creative introduction (published or improvised), and all stanzas with registration and creativity appropriate to the text. 
    • At least one of the stanzas should incorporate an alternate harmony (published or improvised). 

Memorization required? No

Final Round, Organ

Repertoire required:

  1. Works from the pre-screening round will be assigned by the committee for the final round. 
  2. Sight reading. A portion of a moderately difficult piece that might be used in a worship service will be provided. 

Memorization required? No

 

Preliminary Round, Percussion

Repertoire required:

Prepare works from three of the five categories listed below, one of which must be mallet percussion.

Mallet Percussion

  • Prepare a complete first movement of a standard concerto.  Repertoire may include pieces by Creston, Mayuzumi, Basta, Rosauro, Gillingham, Ewazen or equivalent, OR
  • Prepare a four-mallet keyboard solo such as pieces by Abe, Peters, Ford, Stout, Burritt, Musser, Smadbeck, Zivkovic, Schmitt, Tanaka, Sammut, Kopetzki, Miki, Burton, Friedman or equivalent.

Snare Drum

  • Prepare a work for snare drum that demonstrates technical skill and musicality.
  • Repertoire may include pieces by Delecluse, Pratt, Peters, Cirone, Masson, Gerassimez, Martynciow or equivalent. 

Timpani

  • Prepare a solo work that demonstrates technical skill and musicality on timpani.
  • Demonstrate a strong sense of pitch, tone, and technique (preferably for at least 4 drums).  
  • Repertoire may include pieces by Beck, Peters, Carter, Bergamo, Wilmarth or equivalent.

Multiple Percussion

  • Prepare a solo work that demonstrates technical skill and musicality on multiple percussion.  
  • Repertoire may include pieces by Hollinden, Keown, Milhaud, Kraft, Kopetzki or equivalent.

Drumset

  • Perform a transcription of a well-known artist’s solo such as:
    • “Sandu” – Max Roach/Clifford Brown
    • “Jordu” – Max Roach/Clifford Brown
    • “Billy Boy” – Philly Joe Jones
  • Using the list below as a guide, prepare performances of various styles demonstrating your ability to play time and solo in each style.
    • Medium Swing, quarter note = 130 bpm, alternating 4 measures of time with 4 bars of solo, for 32 measures
    • Up-tempo Swing, quarter note = 240 bpm, alternating 4 measures of time with 4 bars of solo, for 32 measures
    • 32 measure of interactive timekeeping for each of the following:
      • Jazz Waltz, quarter note = 176 bpm
      • Bossa Nova, quarter note = 116 bpm
      • Samba, half note = 90 bpm
      • 12/8 Afro-Cuban, dotted quarter note = 116 bpm
      • 16th Note Funk, quarter note = 94 bpm
      • 8th Note Rock, quarter note = 110 bpm
      • Mambo or other Cuban grooves
    • Brushes
    • Medium Swing, quarter note = 130 bpm, 16 measures
    • Up-tempo Swing, quarter note = 240 bpm, 16 measures
    • Jazz Ballad, quarter note = 60 bpm, 4 measures, doubling up to medium swing (quarter note = 120) for 8 measures

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? No

Final Round, Percussion

Repertoire required:

Two of the three works from the pre-screening round will be assigned by the committee for the final round.  

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? Yes, if the piece requires it.  

Preliminary Round, Piano

Repertoire requirements:

Submit a 15-20 minute video including: 

  1. First movement of a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert.
  2. One or two additional pieces from piano literature of these eras:
    • Baroque
    • Romantic
    • Impressionistic
    • Twentieth Century

Memorization required? Yes, for all selections

Final Round, Piano

Repertoire requirements:

  1. Portions of the material submitted for the preliminary round. 
  2. An additional substantial piece of the performer’s choosing. 
  3. NOTE:  The total program should not exceed 20 minutes in length. 

Memorization required? Yes, for all selections. 

Preliminary Round, Saxophone

Repertoire requirements: 

1. Choose one of the following: 

  • Bozza, Improvisation and Caprice
  • Bozza, Piece Breve (both are unaccompanied)

2. Choose any movement of either of the following, for a total of 15 to 20 minutes of performance time:

  • Any piece by Pierre Max Dubois, with accompaniment
  • Any piece by Bernhard Heiden, with accompaniment 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required?  For some pieces, as listed above.

Final Round, Saxophone

Repertoire requirements: 

Prepare Tomasi, Introduction et Danse

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required?  Yes

Preliminary Round, Violin/Viola/Cello

Repertoire requirements:

  1. A movement of unaccompanied Bach from the Sonatas & Partitas or the Suites
  2. A complete first movement of a standard concerto. 

Memorization required? 

Accompaniment required? Bach requirement should be unaccompanied.  

Preliminary Round, Double Bass

Repertoire requirements:

  1. A movement of an unaccompanied work (may be Bach)
  2. A complete first movement of a standard concerto. 

Memorization required? 

Accompaniment required? One selection should be unaccompanied.

Final Round, Violin/Viola/Cello

Repertoire requirements:

  1. Material submitted for the preliminary round, AND
  2. A piece or single movement of your choice – not Bach.  

Memorization required? 

Accompaniment required? No.  

Final Round, Double Bass

Repertoire requirements: 

  1. Material submitted for the preliminary round, AND
  2. A piece or single movement of your choice.  

Memorization required? 

Accompaniment required? No. 

 

Preliminary Round, Tenor Trombone or Euphonium

Repertoire required:

1. Chromatic scale

  • Demonstrate comfortable range capabilities and clean technique.
  • Articulation is at the performers discretion.

2. Prepare two contrasting etudes.  One etude must exemplify the ability to perform in a slow, lyrical or espressivo style. The second must exhibit technical capabilities specific to the instrument such as speed, range, articulations, etc. You may prepare etudes from your all state band/orchestra audition requirements (current or previous year) or select from the following:

  • H. Voxman, Selected Studies
  • Tyrell, 40 Progressive Studies
  • Bordogni (Rochut), Melodious Etudes, Book 1

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? No

Final Round, Tenor Trombone or Euphonium

Repertoire required:

1. Be prepared to perform major scales in the following keys (up to 3 flats and 3 sharps): C, F, Bb, Eb, G, D, & A. 

  1. Scales will be selected at random by the auditioning faculty and must be performed from memory, in an 8th note rhythm, at a tempo of no less than quarter note equals 100 beats per minute.

2. Excerpts from the student’s etude selections for the pre-screen recordings will be requested at random by the auditioning faculty.

3. Solo or movement from a larger work of your choosing, or as specified by the individual brass instrument area faculty. 

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required?  

Preliminary Round, Trumpet

Repertoire requirements: 

1. Chromatic scale

  • Demonstrate comfortable range capabilities and clean technique.
  • Articulation is at the performers discretion.

2. Prepare two contrasting etudes. One etude must exemplify the performer’s ability to perform in a slow, lyrical or espressivo style. The second must exhibit technical capabilities specific to the instrument such as speed, range, articulations, etc.

3. Etudes must be selected from the following sources (both etudes may be from the same source):

  • H. Voxman, Selected Studies for Trumpet
  • W. Wurm, 40 Studies for Trumpet
  • Theo Charlier, 36 Transcendental Etudes for Trumpet
  • Sigmund Hering, 30 Etudes for Trumpet

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? No

Final Round, Trumpet

Repertoire requirements:

1. Be prepared to perform major scales in the following keys (up to 3 flats and 3 sharps): C, F, Bb, Eb, G, D, & A. 

  • Scales will be selected at random by the auditioning faculty and must be performed from memory, in an 8th note rhythm, at a tempo of no less than quarter note equals 100 beats per minute

2. Excerpts from the student’s etude selections for the pre-screen recordings will be requested at random by the auditioning faculty. 

3. Select and perform one piece from the following options for solo repertoire:

  • Movements I or III from the Sonata for Trumpet by Kent Kennan
  • Movement I from the Sonata for Trumpet by Paul Hindemith
  • Movement I or III from the Concerto for Trumpet by Johann N. Hummel
  • Movement I or III from the Concerto for Trumpet by Franz J. Haydn
  • Concert Etude by Alexander Goedicke

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required?  

Preliminary Round, Tuba

Repertoire required: 

1. Chromatic scale

  • Demonstrate comfortable range capabilities and clean technique.
  • Articulation is at the performers discretion.

2. Prepare two contrasting etudes.  One etude must exemplify the ability to perform in a slow, lyrical or espressivo style. The second must exhibit technical capabilities specific to the instrument such as speed, range, articulations, etc. You may prepare etudes from your all state band/orchestra audition requirements (current or previous year) or select from the following:

  • Blazhevich, 70 Studies, Volume 1 or 2
  • Bordogni, 43 Bel Canto Studies (King), Complete Vocalises (Jacobs) or any other edition for tuba/bass trombone is acceptable  
  • Tyrell, 40 Advanced Studies for B-flat Bass

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? No

Final Round, Tuba

Repertoire required: 

1. Be prepared to perform major scales in the following keys (up to 3 flats and 3 sharps): C, F, Bb, Eb, G, D, & A. 

  • Scales will be selected at random by the auditioning faculty and must be performed from memory, in an 8th note rhythm, at a tempo of no less than quarter note equals 100 beats per minute.

2. Excerpts from the student’s etude selections for the pre-screen recordings will be requested at random by the auditioning faculty.

3. Solo or movement from a larger work of your choosing, or as specified by the individual brass instrument area faculty.

Memorization required? No

Accompaniment required? 

Preliminary Round, Voice

Repertoire requirements: Sing 3 selections from the list below. Only one of these may be an aria, though an aria is not required in this round:

  1. An art song in English
  2. An art song or aria in Italian
  3. An art song or aria in a language other than Italian or English

Memorization required? Yes, for all selections.

Accompaniment required? Yes. Live piano preferred. If necessary, use an accompaniment track with good sound quality and singer/accompaniment balance.

Final Round, Voice

Repertoire requirements: Sing 4 selections, only one of which may be an aria.

  • The first 3 selections should be a repeat of what was performed in the preliminary round.
  • For the fourth selection, if an aria was included in prelims, select either one classical musical theater (Golden Age), lyrical musical theater, or one additional selection from those specified for prelims.
    • If an aria was not included in prelims, select an opera, operetta, or oratorio aria.

Memorization required? Yes, for all selections.

Accompaniment required? Yes.