Master of Arts in Musical Performance - Instrumental/vocal
Preparing for a career as a professional artist with help from renowned teaching staff
Key data
Degree
Master of Arts FHNW in Musikalischer Performance, Studienrichtung instrumental/vokal
ECTS points
120
Start of semester
Beginning of September
Studying mode
Full time
Duration
4 semesters
Place
Campus Musik-Akademie Basel
Stay abroad
Possible, not curricular
Application fee
200 CHF
Semester fee
700 CHF for Swiss citizens and students with legal place of residence in Switzerland | 1000 CHF for students from EU-/EFTA-countries | 1250 CHF for students from third countries
Registration
The application window is open from mid-December to the end of February. Information days on the degree programmes are held in mid-January. More information about the info days at musikstudium-basel.ch
At the core of this internationally aligned, two-year Master’s programme is a practice-oriented engagement with interpretative and instrumental/vocal issues. The knowledge and abilities possessed by the students at the beginning of their studies will be consolidated with a view to a subsequent concert career. This expertise will then be expanded upon so that they reach the standard necessary for a professional qualification and for professional performance.
With respect to quality and with regard to the time to be invested in preparation and follow-up work, this Master’s programme gives the greatest weighting to the major subject. Students will also receive extensive practical training in chamber music and ensemble playing and these are complemented by a focus on issues of interpretation and a reflective learning process (theory/analysis).
In addition to the broad range of elective subjects, students may choose to specialise in a particular subject by enrolling for elective minors.
The city of Basel and the campus in particular offer the ideal environment in which to learn, work and find inspiration.
Rafael Rosenfeld, lecturer
Overview
The FHNW Master of Arts in Musical Performance prepares students for a career as a professional classical, jazz or early music performer. It focuses on producing musicians with a unique artistic identity whose instrumental/vocal proficiency and means of artistic expression equip them to become international performers and assert their presence in the "music scene and music business".
The FHNW Master of Arts in Musical Performance is aimed at highly gifted instrumentalists/vocalists who already hold a Bachelor degree.
Graduates of the FHNW Master of Arts in Musical Performance are qualified to embark on a career as a soloist, chamber musician or orchestral musician. In many cases, graduates opt to pursue a combination of the three, sometimes alongside instrument/singing tuition at music schools or on a private basis (see also the FHNW Master of Arts in Musical Pedagogy).
Core curriculum
Major module (84 CP): Individual and group tuition Major-specific courses/regulations
Complementary courses
Practical module (14 CP): Chamber music, new chamber music Orchestral projects, repertoire rehearsals/orchestral studies
Theory/Music in context module (2 CP): Interpretationsforum, Colloquium 48 Theoretic and contextual events/activities
Elective courses
Personalised module (20 CP): Minor or courses/activities chosen from the electives on offer
In order to be considered for the FHNW Master of Arts in Musical Performance with a instrumental/vocal major, applicants must hold a Bachelor degree in music (or equivalent qualification) from another higher education provider. They must also pass the entrance exam and win a place on the programme (numbers are limited).
Only applicants who have submitted the required registration documentation duly completed and on time will be invited to take the entrance examination. Applicants must also be sufficiently proficient in the German language from the outset (A2 level).
General information about the entrance exam, aptitude test and exam dates can be found on the Entrance Exams page.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, candidates must submit a video that meets the repertoire requirements (see below) at the time of registering for the aptitude test 2021 in their artistic major by 28 February 2021. The works and movements respectively may be recorded individually. The recordings must be current and in no event older than one year.
Generally speaking, the submitted videos replace the physical entrance exam on location. Should the jury remain undecided as to the candidate’s aptitude after viewing the recording, the candidate may exceptionally be invited to perform physically on location, in which case she/he may perform the identical repertoire as in the submitted video.
Admission criteria
Prospective students should have a sufficiently advanced manual/technical mastery of the instrument/voice that no longer requires them to work on acquiring practical and theoretical foundations, thereby enabling them to concentrate fully on the artistic, stylistic and performance-related aspects of playing music.
Prospective students should have a sufficiently firm grasp of the different styles within the basic repertoire that they are able to concentrate on consolidating and expanding their knowledge of instrumental/vocal styles in order to achieve the standard necessary for a professional qualification and for professional performance.
Prospective students must demonstrate a strong desire to express themselves musically and to develop and actively pursue their own performance-related ideas. They must also be able to convincingly inform and communicate through the medium of music.
Students are expected to have a high degree of autonomy and self-awareness (healthy self-esteem), and to be broadly familiar with certain areas beyond their particular specialisation that could be beneficial to their career as a professional musician.
Entrance exam
Exam duration: 30 minutes
Duration of the repertoire: 30-45 minutes
Applicants should prepare a repertoire comprising works from at least three eras
Playing/singing from memory as professional practice dictates
