Vocal Studies

Bachelor
BA
Gesang | © Christian Schneider

The bachelor's degree program in voice is a comprehensive vocal and musical education which also provides basic instruction in acting and music-dramatic performance. Students can continue their studies after graduation in one of three advanced master's programs (voice, lied, opera & music theatre). 

 

General information

The goal of the bachelor's programme is to provide practice-oriented and academic professional preparation for a career as a singer in all available professional fields.

The curriculum is competence-oriented. After completing the programme, students should:

  • master their instrument, the voice, and be able to present themselves professionally
  • be free and independent in their artistic work
  • be able to deal critically with artistic and academic issues
  • be able to perform professionally as a soloist and in an ensemble
  • have a comprehensive knowledge of style and repertoire
  • have gained insight into the repertoire and performance practice of new and early music
  • have acquired comprehensive knowledge of music theory and musicology and be able to apply this in practice
  • have mastered the basics of academic work and be able to analyse, interpret and write about artistic content in a grounded manner
  • have further developed their individual interests beyond their own subject area through targeted selection of elective subjects in the spirit of lifelong learning

The eight-semester bachelor's degree programme is modular in structure. Each module comprises teaching and learning content that has been combined to form thematically and didactically meaningful units of study. The names and content descriptions (study objectives) of the individual modules, the number of ECTS credits to be achieved for each module, and the type of performance assessment are specified in the curriculum. The module descriptions refer to the corresponding learning outcomes and competencies. The Bachelor's program is a face-to-face program and cannot be offered - not even in part - as a distance learning program. The courses from the Principal Study, as well as in other One-to-One Tuition, are designed to build upon each other. Prerequisite for enrolment in courses from the Principal Study or One-to-One Tutition is a positive evaluation of the previous semester (from the second semester onwards).

The curriculum provides an overview of the courses to be completed, which are grouped into modules.

The courses are visible online in Curriculum Support:

Link to the curriculum

A prerequisite for beginning a bachelor's degree (BA) is passing an audition. Auditions take place once a year and consist of various partial exams. All information about the audition can be found under “Information about the admissions procedure” further down the page.

A high school diploma is not necessary.

PLEASE NOTE: You can only apply for study programmes for which you have not yet obtained a degree!

Students of the Bachelor's programme are encouraged to complete a semester abroad. Semesters 5 and 6 of the degree programme are particularly suitable for this. In addition to subject-specific competences, a study period abroad can also lead to the acquisition and deepening of:

  • Subject-specific foreign language skills
  • General foreign-language skills (language comprehension, conversation, etc.)
  • Organisational skills, through independent planning of everyday student life in international administrative and university structures
  • Knowledge about international study systems, as well as broadening one's own subject perspective
  • Intercultural competences

Examinations and assessments taken during studies abroad can be approved by the Director of Studies as equivalents to compulsory subjects, elective sujects or free elective subjects required by the Mozarteum University for your degree course. The documents required for the approval procedure are to be submitted by the applicant immediately after their exchange semester.

Details at International Affairs.

After completing the Bachelor's programme in Voice, the following Master's programmes are possible at the Mozarteum:

  • MA Voice
  • MA Lied
  • MA Opera & Music Theatre

Please note that a regular admissions procedure (incl. audition) must be completed again for admission to the Master's programmes!

Information on the admissions process

The prerequisite for admission to a bachelor's degree program (BA) is passing the audition. Application for an audition takes place online via Muvac.

PLEASE NOTE: You can only apply for a study programme for which you have not yet obtained a degree!

Applicants are then invited to an on-site audition, which consists of several partial examinations.

Several steps are necessary for registration. Applicants who have already studied at an Austrian university start with step 3.

1. Create a basic account in MOZonline [Link]
2. in MOZonline: fill in the mandatory statistics UHstat1 (pre-registration for studies) and note the application number that you will receive by email afterwards
3. create an application account in Muvac [Link]
4. fill out your own profile in Muvac (in any case necessary: personal data, information on expertise matching the desired degree programme, in the CV: current employment and information on previous training)

During the application period:

5. selection of the desired degree programme in Muvac (Browse -> Studies)
6. Fill out the application form in Muvac ("Apply now") - in the form, the application number (see step 2) or the Austrian matriculation number must be entered in the appropriate place

Detailed instructions with screenshots can soon be found HERE.
Communication during the application process takes place via Muvac or email, depending on the degree programme. Please ensure that you can be contacted at the email address entered in your profile throughout the entire application process and regularly check whether you have received any new messages in Muvac. You can set your own profile to inform you of any new messages in Muvac by email (Account settings -> Notifications). If your contact details change, please update your profile yourself.
  • online registration during the application period via the application portal Muvac (Please note: Registration is only possible if all information is complete!)
  • after processing your online application: invitation to the on-site audition (the invitation is sent via Muvac)
  • in Muvac: acceptance or rejection of participation in the admission exam; if necessary: information on the examination programme for the audition in the main subject (ZKF)
  • participation in the on-site audition
  • upon passing the audition and obtaining a place: invitation to enrolment to the degree programme
  • personal enrolment during the general admission period
If the admission test is not passed, it is only possible to repeat the admission test in its entirety and only from the next academic year. It is not possible to repeat an exam in the same year. The admission test can be repeated an unlimited number of times.

first round:

  • Compulsory for all
  • Performance of a piece chosen by the candidate and possibly one chosen by the audition panel.
  • Five pieces (opera and oratorio arias, art songs) from different stylistic periods and in different languages must be prepared, at least one of which must be in German and one in Italian, as well as a recitative.
  • The programme must be performed from memory (except for oratorio arias).
  • Following a positive outcome, participation in the examinations B, C and, if applicable, D.

second round:

  • for all those who have positively completed the first round and participated in the partial examinations
  • Performance of a piece chosen by the candidate and possibly other pieces chosen by the audition panel.
  • A freely chosen text in German or in the candidate's first language must be prepared for recitation.

If necessary, there will be an interview with the audition panel to discuss motivation, background, previous studies, expectations or career prospects.

Examination in basic knowledge of general music theory (written and oral), including an aural test.


Requirements in the written part of the examination (approx. 60 minutes):

•    Notation of melodies from memory
•    Continuation of given melodies
•    Composing a short melody to a given text
•    Noting down one-part and easy two-part melodic dictations as well as rhythmic dictations
•    Forming all triads and seventh chords including inversions (especially dominant-seventh chords in root position and 3rd inversion)
•    Recognising and notating simple figured basses as well as harmony functions and harmony steps in a musical context


Requirements in the oral part of the examination (5-10 minutes):

•    sight-reading
•    Listening to and naming intervals and simple chord progressions
•    Singing triads (in inversions) and dominant seventh chords (in root position only)
•    Listening to harmonic steps and dissonant neighbour notes
•    Extended cadence in major and minor in two different keys (on piano or guitar)

You can find an example of the exam as well as further help for preparation HERE.

Audition lasting approx. 10 minutes. The programme must consist of two pieces in different styles. The following examples illustrate the level of difficulty expected:

  • J.S. Bach: Notebook for Anna Magdalena
  • J. Haydn: Sonatas in C major, G major or F major (HOB: XVI: 7, 8 and 9)
  • R. Schumann: Album for the Youth, Op. 68

All applicants whose first language is not German must prove their German skills by the time of enrolment at the latest.

  • Required language level: at least A2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages GER 2001)
  • Information on the approved language certificates can be found HERE

Exam A - Audition to determine artistic aptitude: 1.7.-3.7.2025
Exam B - Music theory & aural skills: 2.7.2025
Exam C - Elementary piano exam: 2.7.2025
Exam D - German language skills: certificate (to be presented upon enrolment)

overview of all current entrance exam dates

Please note that the Mozarteum University Salzburg offers various support options at the time of your audition and during your studies if you have a disability or a chronic illness.

If this applies to you and you would like to take advantage of counselling, please contact Claudia Haitzmann: claudia.haitzmann@moz.ac.at or +43 676 88122 337.

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