Step 2: Listening to excerpts

Listening to excerpts

The Library has many audio resources to help you prepare your audition excerpts. It is recommended that you listen to as many recordings of the excerpts as possible to understand its performance context and ways it might be performed. The Naxos Music Library is a great source to find these multiple recording as it offers over 2 million tracks.

Naxos Music Library

Naxos Music Library
Provides streaming music, cover artwork, biographies and more. This resource concentrates on western classical music but contains content from other genres such as jazz, world, classic rock and nostalgia.
Naxos Music Library is the most comprehensive collection of classical music available online. The Naxos Music Library offers complete catalogues or selected recordings of over 400 independent labels such as ARC, Berlin Classics, BIS, Capriccio, Chandos, CPO, EMI Classics, Erato, Haenssler Classic, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naïve, Naxos, Nimbus, Ondine, Teldec, Vanguard Classics, Virgin Classics and Warner Classics. Resources include music notes, cover artwork, tracklistings, instrumentation and publisher information, libretti and synopses of more than 700 operas, more than 40,000 composer and artist biographies, pronunciation guide for composer and artist names, glossary, guide to musical terms and work analyses. Streaming quality is 128 Kbps.

QCGU Library CD collection

Also search the Library catalogue and limit results to CDs to discover many more recordings not available online. Listening equipment is available in the Library.