Piano chamber music

The focus of the course is on building upon the academic and artistic skills already gained in a subject-related Bachelor's degree. This study programme qualifies students for work in the following professional fields:

• Chamber musician
• Freelance artist
• Ensemble musician (for example in chamber, opera and symphony orchestras, orchestras and ensembles for contemporary music, orchestras and ensembles for historical instruments)

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

• master their instrument at the highest level 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 in an orchestra/ensemble
• be able to work as a team-player in an artistically constructive way as a member of a chamber music formation or ensemble
• have acquired in-depth knowledge of various playing techniques
• have acquired in-depth knowledge of orchestral repertoire and mastery of the relevant orchestral parts
• have acquired in-depth knowledge and mastery of the solo and chamber music repertoire of various periods
• have in-depth knowledge of stylistics and repertoire
• have mastered the techniques of academic research and writing, and be able to analyse, interpret and write about artistic content in a grounded manner
• be able to use audiovisual media for self-presentation (competition submissions, demo recordings, internet presentations etc.)
• have gained insights into the following areas: safeguarding physical and mental health, self-management and performance optimisation
• have further developed their individual interests beyond their own subject area through targeted consolidation in the context of elective subjects, in the spirit of lifelong learning

The four-semester master's 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 Master's programme is a face-to-face programme and cannot be offered - not even in part - as a distance learning programme. 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 Tuition 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

Admission to a master's program requires the completion of a relevant bachelor's degree (BA) or another equivalent degree at a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution (e.g. university, college) (§ 64 Para. 3 UG 2002).

A prerequisite for starting the course is also passing an audition. Auditions take place once a year and consist of an instrumental audition and, if necessary, proof of German language skills. All information about the audition can be found under “Information on the admissions process” further down on the page.

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

Students of the Master's programme are encouraged to complete a semester abroad. Semesters 2 and 3 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.

Admission to a Master's programme in performance requires the completion of a relevant bachelor's degree (BA) or another equivalent degree at a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution (e.g. university, college) (§ 64 Para. 3 UG 2002).

A prerequisite for admission to this university course is also the successful completion of an audition. Registration for an audition is completed online and requires candidates to upload documents proving their eligibility for the course, as well as an application video. An invitation to audition will only be issued after the necessary documents have been submitted in full and approved by the admissions office.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Document checks and the evaluation of application videos can take up to 6 weeks! Early registration is therefore recommended.
• You can only apply for study programmes for which you have not yet obtained a degree!
• Double registration for auditions in MA Lied (Department of Voice) and MA Piano Chamber Music and Lied Interpretation (Department of Keyboard Instruments) is possible.

The audition panel will make a selection based on the application videos submitted. The selected applicants will be invited to an on-site audition. This consists of an instrumental audition and, if necessary, a test of German language skills.

The following documents must be uploaded in the online application form:

• BA certificate or degree certificate of a relevant degree programme, if the degree programme has already been completed
• Confirmation of current enrolment if the degree programme has not yet been completed (the certificate must be submitted prior to enrolment!)
• Overview of subjects and grades (Transcript of Records) of the BA degree programme
• Official confirmation of the principal study, if this is not evident from the other documents (e.g. "Bachelor of Music" is not sufficient!)
• If further previous studies have been completed, a full overview of subjects and grades (Transcript of Records) of all artistic and pedagogical Master's and diploma studies must also be uploaded.

Format of documents

• The documents can be uploaded as PDF in the application form.
• If the documents are not available in German or English, an official translation must be submitted.

Please note:

Applicants who pass the audition and are offered a university place must ensure that their documents meet the certification requirements by the time of their enrolment at the latest.

The application video does not need to be uploaded with the application. Applicants will only be invited to upload a video once their documents have been verified and their personal details processed.

• Online registration during the application period via the application portal Muvac (Please note: Registration is only possible if all required information and documents have been submitted!)
• Once the online application has been processed: invitation to the video pre-selection in Muvac; the application video must be uploaded there by the deadline specified.
• If successful in the pre-selection (video) round: invitation to on-site audition. The invitation will be sent via Muvac.
• The invitation to audition on-site must be accepted or rejected in Muvac; information on the audition programme in the principal study must be provided if required by the instrument/degree programme in question
• participation in the on-site audition
• Upon passing the audition and being offered a place: invitation to enrol in the degree programme
• Enrolment (in person) during the general admission period

The repetition of composite parts of the audition in case of failure is not permitted; the audition can only be repeated in its entirety and only in the next academic year. The audition can be repeated an unlimited number of times.

A pre-selection of applicants will be made by the audition panel based on the videos submitted.

The following excerpt from the audition programme for MA Piano chamber music is to be uploaded on a video platform of the applicant's choice (solo programme):

• an etude
• the first movement of a classical sonata

Important information on video uploads can be found HERE, as well as the data protection information. Applicants are kindly requested to observe the guidelines given here!

If you have received an invitation to the admission examination based on your application video, the following partial examinations must be completed:

The programme presented must include pieces typicl of the piano chamber music repertoire from several styles or periods, taking into account technical and stylistic diversity. The following works must be prepared (Piano chamber music/Lied programme):

• one Classical chamber music work
• one Romantic chamber music work
• three Lieder, including one by each of the following composers: Schubert, Wolf, and R. Strauss.

^{If it is not possible to bring your own chamber music partners, instrumentalists and singers are available for the following works (all songs in high edition): 
Mozart - Piano Trio in B flat major KV 502 
Brahms - Sonata in E minor for Violoncello and Piano
Schubert - Rastlose Liebe 
Wolf - Verborgenheit 
R. Strauss - Allerseelen}

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

Application video: upload in Muvac until 20.3.2025
Exam A - Instrumental audition to determine artistic aptitude: 2.6.-6.6.2025
Exam B - 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.