(Updated 10/24)
Student recitals are fundamental in becoming a professional musician or music educator. We want you to succeed and have the knowledge you need to organize the best performance possible.
Scheduling
- Do not schedule your recital or dress rehearsals when you have a registered class or rehearsal. If you schedule your recital or dress rehearsal during a registered class or rehearsal, you will not be excused.
- Dress rehearsals are normally required. Signups go out the second week of the semester, after the tech request has been received. Jazz students will not receive the signup but should contact Dr. Purcell to reserve a jazz room for their dress rehearsals. Undergraduates may have a one-hour dress rehearsal, master’s and doctoral students can have two consecutive hours. You must run on time for your rehearsal, so if you are scheduled for 12-1 pm and you don't arrive until 12:15, you still must end at 1 pm.
- Please consult your applied teacher when you select a dress rehearsal.
Technical Needs
- Tech requests will be sent the first day of the semester. Things often change, so do your best and know that there will be a check-in about a month before your recital. A description of your recital that you provide in your tech request will be used for the online event calendar.
- Standard tech requests include up to two Steinway pianos, acoustic shell (except for jazz recitals), music stands, chairs, necessary microphones, equipment for livestreaming, and for lecture recitals, a screen, podium, and speaking mic. If there is something truly exceptional that you need beyond the standard setup, we will discuss with the production team, the applied faculty, and Dr. Monson. Any exceptional technical needs will need to be rehearsed as part of the dress rehearsal.
- Backing tracks will be tested at the dress rehearsal. Please bring an adapter for the playback device (our sound system can connect to a 3.5 mm jack or HDMI) and be prepared for you or a friend to control the device.
- You will receive a summary a month before your recital with your tech, results of a copyright check, deadlines for your program, and any follow up questions we may have. This is a great time to make sure we all have the same understanding about what will be happening at your recital.
Livestreaming (Degree Recitals Only)
- Copyright checks will be done to all degree recitals to ensure that we can legally livestream your performance. You can determine in advance your repertoire’s copyright status by using the Copyright How-To on the Recital page. Pieces that aren’t covered by our licenses may require you to reach out to the composer or publisher or might need to be muted for the livestream.
- All degree recitals receive three archival recordings: audio, livestream video, and the unedited camera video. If a piece were muted on the livestream, it will be fully available on the unedited camera video.
Programs & Posters
- Students are responsible for making and printing their own programs with program notes.
- Your approved program (approved by your applied teacher) must be sent to Bridget Higgins a minimum of a week before your dress rehearsal. Program requirements are determined by the applied music teacher. Programs are uploaded to the livestream for the virtual audience.
- Templates for programs and how to order them from the PrintHub are on the Recitals page. Please know that the PrintHub is closed on weekends.
- Program notes are written by the performer and must be original prose. Direct quotes from other sources must appear in quotation marks, and all information taken from other sources must be cited using Chicago-style formatting (footnotes or parenthetical citations with works cited list). Program notes follow the same standard for original writing that applies for coursework.
- OPTIONAL: You may choose to print a QR code to your program along with printing a minimum of 25 hard copies for you to bring to your recital.
- Students are responsible for making and printing their own posters. The standard size is 12 x 18. Before displaying, posters must be stamped by the front desk for approval. Please use the guidelines on the Recital page for where to place the posters, as other locations have caused damage when posters were removed.
Venue Use
- Please pay attention to your venue entry time, listed with your tech summary email. This is the time when you can have access to the venue, not begin rehearsal. Entry times prevent interruption of other performances or rehearsals. Arriving earlier than your appointed hour is not permissible. Early arrivals can cause disruption with whoever is on stage or walking in on someone in a dressing room. No one wants that.
- The backstage door to Harris will open 5 minutes prior to the start of your dress rehearsal for Harris dress rehearsals.
- If your recital is in Harris, please only use the stage entrance door when you arrive.
- If another rehearsal or performance is taking place when you arrive, please be respectful and quiet.
- Harris Theatre dressing rooms are not to be used as a practice room.
- Percussion, composition, and jazz students are given additional load in time.
*Please remember that cancellation for a recital will only be permitted for documented medical reasons or an extraordinary circumstance. In the event of these occurrences, permission to reschedule the recital can be granted by Dr. Monson only.
Cancellations will not be permitted for lack of preparation.