Application materials for the 2013 Academy
must be received by February 1st, 2013.

Admission to the ACADEMY is through competitive application. Interested candidates must submit the application form along with letter(s) of recommendation, recorded performances, and an application fee of $35.

All application materials are submitted online.

At least one but no more than three letters of recommendation should be submitted and written by qualified teachers/mentors or other professionals who can attest to the candidate's talents and abilities. If one letter is submitted, it should be written by the candidate's principal teacher/mentor.

Audio recordings must be in .mp3 format, at least 15 minutes in length, and must feature the candidate prominently as either soloist or a member of a small chamber ensemble. Each candidate should choose appropriate repertoire that best shows his/her level of technical and musical accomplishment. For help, see "Transfer of Audio Files" below.

NOTE TO RETURNING APPLICANTS: If you were a previous Academy member/participant and wish to return, you must submit the application form and pay the application fee. You do not need to submit recommendation letters, but you are encouraged to submit new audio files. They are not required, but you may wish to upload new materials.

Candidates will be notified of their admission status by March 1st, 2013. Tuition fees must be paid in full by May 1, 2013. Payment plans are available.

Timeline for Applicants:

To view a PDF containing the information below, please click here.

There are four parts to the application process.

1. Payment of $35 application fee
2. Submission of the online application form
3. Transfer of audio files
4. Submission of recommendation letters

1. Payment of $35 application fee

Click on the “Pay Application Fee” link on the right side of this page

2. Submission of online application form

Click on the “Submit Application Form” link on the right side of this page.

Note that you must complete the form in one session and that changes are not permitted once the form has been submitted. You will be asked to provide the following information:

• Name
• Primary (and optional secondary) instrument(s)
• Contact information including mailing address, email address, and phone number
• Educational background including institution name(s), years of study, and type of program
• Experience and Qualifications including two short essays. You may wish to compose your responses first, then paste them into the form.
  • Tell us why you and our Academy are a good fit. Describe your experiences in early music so far, your interests, and your qualifications to participate in a program for advanced students and emerging professionals.
  • What specific technical, interpretive, historical/cultural, or repertoire aspirations do you hope to accomplish through your participation in the American Bach Soloists Academy?
• The titles of the works that you submit as audio audition materials. Be prepared to list complete information including composer, and all appropriate identifying information including opus and/or catalogue numbers and movement titles. Example: "Partita No. 3 in E major BWV 1006 7. Giga"

3. Transfer of Audio Files

Note that we can review only .mp3 files. You may use a number of free applications to convert CD audio or wave files to the mp3 format, including iTunes or Switch Sound Converter from NCH Software

• iTunes – http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
• Switch - http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html

Before uploading to our applications server, you must rename the files in the format
YourLastName_YourFirstName_FileNumber.mp3 (using the underscore character as indicated).

Examples:     Doe_John_1.mp3     Doe_John_2.mp3     Doe_John_3.mp3

To begin the upload process, you will need to enter a username and password. Click on “Request Email Authorization to Upload Audio Files” on the right side of this page to send a request for authorization. You will immediately receive an email with the upload web address and a username and password.

4. Request Letters of Recommendation

Click on the “Request Recommendation Letters” link on the right side of this page for further instructions.