Recitals

student flute

 

Recital Program Preparation - Guidelines for Students

Congratulations on reaching this significant stage in your music degree. As you are busily practicing your music, you are also responsible for creating your recital program document. Please carefully follow the guidelines given here to help make this an efficient and worry-free process. Department of Music recital programs follow standards of appearance, layout, and typography in order to communicate information about your music selections effectively. This process both serves to support the department’s mission of maintaining excellence in performance protocol and it plays an important role in connecting with your audience: family, friends, student colleagues, and members of the community.

Concise instructions follow. More detailed explanations appear at the bottom of this webpage. PLEASE READ THIS INFORMATION CAREFULLY AND THOROUGHLY.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Download the relevant template (MS Word .docx file) from this website.
  • Replace the content in the template with your own specific recital information. Be careful not to leave any imaginary content from the template behind.
  • Follow the formatting in the file exactly! Do not change font sizes or other typographical characteristics. Adjust the spacing as needed to fit your content in a visually appealing way.
  • Compare your draft against the original template to make sure that you have not accidentally deleted any of the required elements.
  • Save your file using this naming style: LastName-DD-Month-YY (Smith-08-May-18).
  • At least four weeks prior to your recital, submit first camera-ready draft of program with accompanying documents (translations, program notes) to applied teacher.  Applied teacher proofs program and requests edits from student.  Student submits it to applied teacher again for final approval.
  • Follow the "Recital Concert Program Step-by-Step Process" guide available here.  At least three weeks prior to your recital, applied teacher forwards the final proofed and approved program documents in electronic form (MS Word, NOT a PDF) as follows:
    • Instrumental/Keyboard/Composition Recitals & Concerts - and and the student recitalist.
    • Vocal Recitals & Vocal/Choral Concerts - and and the student recitalist.  Submit both the proofed program and text/translations formatted and proofed by the teacher.
  • At least two weeks prior to your recital, final edits made and programs will be printed ten days to two weeks prior to recital. 
  • Failure to submit the revised draft two weeks prior to your recital may result in cancellation of your recital at the discretion of the Department Chairperson. The two week submission deadline is for all materials; program, translations, program notes etc... The sole responsibility for the timeline articulated above rests with the student. Seek input in a timely fashion from your teacher and request further information with any problems from the Department Office.
  • Practice professionalism and meet these deadlines punctually. The department reserves the right to cancel your recital if you are unable to adhere to these instructions.

Program Templates are available for download below. Right click the proper template and select "Save target as..." or "Save link as..." depending on your browser.

Solo Recitals - All Degree Programs

            (1) Voice

            (2) Instrumental/Keyboard

            (3) Jazz/Commercial

            (4) Composition or Jazz/Commercial Composition

            (5) Sample for performance in Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall

Joint Recitals - All Degree Programs

            (6) Voice Option 1

            (7) Voice Option 2

            (8) Instrumental/Keyboard/Jazz-Commercial/Composition Option 1

            (9) Instrumental/Keyboard/Jazz-Commercial/Composition Option 2

            (5a) Sample for performance in Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall

Graduate - All Degree Programs

            (10) Master Recital Hall

            (11) Master Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall

Sample Translation Page (for Voice Recitals)

            (12) Sample Translation

FURTHER DETAILS / PREPARATION CHECKLIST:

  • The recital program templates, although filled with “imaginary” content, attempt to provide models for the most common performance types given by music students. Select the one that most closely matches the recital you are presenting. However, it may be helpful to examine multiple templates for additional examples of how to correctly list the titles and movements of musical works.
  • The template files were created in MS Word. It is recommended that you prepare and edit your program in that software too.
  • Work titles appear in bold.
  • Include opus numbers, years of composition, or composer catalog numbers (BWV, K., D., etc.) as appropriate.
  • Individual movements of a larger work (or individual songs from a cycle) appear in regular type and are indented ½ inch.
  • If you are performing only a single movement from a larger work (or an aria from an opera), list the movement/aria title in bold. Indent the following line ½ inch, begin with lowercase “from” and provide the work title in Italics.
  • Composer names and dates align with the right margins. Use the Tab key once or twice to move the cursor there (as this Tab stop is built into the template). Do not just press the spacebar a bunch of times!
  • A composer’s dates appear in parenthesis, using years of birth and death only. If the composer is still living, use lowercase (b. ####).
  • If a composer’s music occurs more than once in your program, subsequent appearances only need the composer’s last name without any dates.
  • If your recital employs a single accompanist or a consistent combo throughout the entire program, these additional performer names should be listed as part of the program heading. See the voice or jazz templates, for examples.
  • If your recital involves a variety of collaborators, list these additional performers after the pieces in which they participate. Center their names on the page. See the solo instrumental or composition templates, for examples.
  • For performances given in the Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall, if you are notusing the Susan Fine Langsam Memorial Steinway, please delete its mention from your program.
  • List your degree in the following way, to complete the “…partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of…” statement:

      *  Bachelor of Music with a major in [instrument] performance
      *  Bachelor of Music with a major in vocal performance
      *  Bachelor of Music with a major in jazz commercial [instrument/vocal] performance
      *  Bachelor of Music with a major in composition
      *  Bachelor of Science in Music with a major in [instrumental/vocal] performance
      *  Bachelor of Science in Music Education
      *  Master of Music with a major in [instrumental/vocal] performance

  • Review your work carefully. Re-check for errors in names, titles, dates, etc. Make sure that you have replaced all the template's imaginary content with your specific information!
  • Remember that your applied teacher must first review and approve your recital program as well as any supplemental materials, such as translations or program notes.