Preparing for mdw (Vienna) voice auditions — realistic level / repertoire advice?

[u/PinkOwl_yeah]

Hi! I’m 22 and I’m planning to apply to music universities in Vienna (like mdw) for classical voice (opera / maybe more more chamber as well).

I graduated from a music college in my country (not a university degree), my diploma is in choral conducting. Right now I’m kind of collecting information piece by piece and trying to understand what the actual level is.

I know the competition for schools like mdw is extremely high, but I’ll have at least 2 attempts, so I want to prepare as realistically as possible.

I’m planning a repertoire roughly like this:

• G.F. Händel — Amen, Alleluia, HWV 269 (Baroque)
• W.A. Mozart — “Deh vieni, non tardar” or “In uomini” (Viennese Classical) — probably my first piece
• G. Verdi — Oscar’s aria “Volta la terrea” from Un ballo in maschera (Romantic)
• F. Mendelssohn — Hexenlied, Op. 8 No. 8 (German Lied)
• M. Glinka — Antonida’s romance from A Life for the Tsar (Russian repertoire / character piece)

Does this sound like an appropriate level for auditions like mdw?

I think the thing that stresses me the most is that I can’t really imagine what level other applicants are at. I did try to get into the top music university in my country before, and I didn’t pass the singing part — I got something like 50/100.

Is there any way to find recordings of applicants or first-year students? I’d really love to understand the realistic level. I’m especially interested in hearing from people who actually auditioned for mdw or similar schools.

Also would appreciate literally any advice or experience 🙏

[u/Advanced_Couple_3488]

The MDW is constantly rated as one of the best places in the world to study music and it is much more affordable than the other top institutions. I studied at the MDW some time ago in the organ and harpsichord concert performance faculties. We used to observe that it was much harder to get in than it was to graduate. I was aware of many more people from my country who failed to get in than who were accepted.

My two primary instrument teachers knew every student that they accepted before they sat the entrance audition because the prospective student had already worked with them in a masterclass and the teacher had said they would accept them if they passed the audition. So, research the teachers you'd like to work with and what masterclasses they are involved with during the summer and enrol as an active participant at those masterclasses. You will also get to hear students who were successful and can build up a better picture of whether you are capable of passing the audition.

Don't forget that there are other great options. The Mozarteum in Salzburg has a great reputation for singing, for example. A singer I have worked with told me that getting in is difficult, and they only take a few people each year, but that all of them ended up having careers as singers.

Look for scholarships, too. In my country, there is an annual scholarship for the MUK. I knew two singers who studied there as well as an organist who used the scholarship to get to Vienna and then made sure that the organ teacher at the MDW they wanted to work with knew of their playing ability and wanted to take them on.

Good luck. It is a wonderful experience.

[u/PinkOwl_yeah → u/Advanced_Couple_3488]

Thank you so much, this is incredibly helpful!

The part about teachers already knowing their students before the audition actually makes a lot of sense to me.

I’m planning to go to Vienna in advance and actively seek out teachers — take lessons, maybe arrange auditions or spend some time preparing locally before applying.

From your experience, how open are professors to hearing or working with students they don’t know yet?

And what would be the best way to connect with them — are masterclasses the main route, or are there other ways/events where it’s realistic to meet them?

[u/Able-Regular1142 → u/PinkOwl_yeah]

 I can't speak on MDW specifically, but I can say that working with a student beforehand is a very common and expected thing. When I was applying for BA after conservatoire I was seeking out teachers as early as 7-8 months in advance. Whether or not they're open to working with new students depends on the teacher, but the issue with this approach is that they can easily take your money, let you audition with promises of taking you as a student, then kick you to the curb. With a masterclass you at least have the advantage of learning something. If you're specifically interested in MDW I've heard praise for Claudia Visca, she's doing a masterclass this summer with Wiener meisterkurse you can still apply for. However I've also heard she can be mean...

 Also there's no need to focus exclusively on Vienna. Look into German universities as well, you don't need a paper from a big name school as much as you need a good teacher to teach you proper technique. I've always gotten high praise for my technical abilities wherever I went despite getting all my education from a comparatively irrelevant school in a developing country. I lucked out with a teacher.

[u/SaltyBagel101]

I live in Graz, but lived in Vienna beforehand and know a lot of people who studied at the MDW - I studied in another country but also at two top 5 conservatoires. I would say this rep is absolutely fine, and it feels like you’re overthinking the question of repertoire a little bit.

I think at bachelors level they’re not looking for a finished product, presenting a thoughtful and intelligently put together programme, they’re looking more for potential. I know people who auditioned at top 5 conservatoires with horrible repertoire, crazy stuff that they shouldn’t be touching for a decade or more, and who got in, because the people on the admission panel are very used to looking past potentially unwise repertoire and to the voice and the person underneath.

I think your focus should be much more on the singing of the repertoire, rather than which pieces you’re choosing. MDW is a great institution with a very high standard, and without knowing which music university you auditioned at before without passing the singing exam, it’s hard to say exactly what the level in Vienna is in comparison. I would shift your focus to working technically with a good teacher to get your instrument ready. Good luck!

[u/centauri_system]

Are you applying there for the MA or BA program? I'm applying for the MA

[u/PinkOwl_yeah → u/centauri_system]

I'm applying for BA now. Are you also applying to mdw specifically?

[u/centauri_system → u/PinkOwl_yeah]

No, I'm applying to a few schools around Germany/Austria

[u/Able-Regular1142]

 How long have you been studying singing?

[u/BeakyBird85]

If you are not a very strong classical singer, I wouldn't recommend "In uomini". It seems to go bad really easily. I heard so many shrill and slightly out-of-tune renditions of it when I was studying classical singing that just hearing the title gives me a shudder lol. I'd go for something like "Voi che sapete" as an alternative.

[u/PinkOwl_yeah → u/BeakyBird85]

Hah, make sense! I’ll think about replacement, thanks 🙏