Up to two competition winners will be awarded a $500 scholarship each, and one Grand Prize Winner will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship. 

3. Students cannot win in two consecutive years.  Winners of the previous year’s FAU Concerto and Aria competition are ineligible to compete in this year’s competition.  
4. All applicants need approval from their applied music teacher and head of their area to compete.
5. All finalists must complete the entry form by the deadline.  Late applications will not be accepted.  Incomplete applications will not be accepted.  
6. A maximum of 3 winners (with a maximum total of 60 minutes of music) may be selected to appear as soloists with the FAU Symphony Orchestra on the Annual Dr. Eric H. Shaw Concerto & Aria Excellence in Performance Winners’ Concert.  
7. The winners must be available for regular class schedule rehearsals with the FAU Symphony Orchestra (Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 pm - 2:50 pm) and the dress rehearsal.  
8. Students who represent the best performance(s) will be selected without regard to instrument/voice type, degree program, or repertoire.  
9. One runner-up may be named in the event that a winner cannot perform.  

II. Procedure
1. The finalists will compete in the fall semester on a Saturday to be announced in advance.
2. The students chosen as winners will perform in concert with the FAU Symphony Orchestra in the following spring semester.
3. The number of candidates eligible for the final auditions from each area is a maximum of 5.  The areas include: brass, classical guitar, percussion, piano, strings, voice, and woodwinds.  
4. It is strongly recommended that only the most gifted candidates be chosen to represent each area of performance.  You need not select the maximum allotted from your area.  
5. If there are more than 5 students applying from any of the above areas, preliminary auditions must be held.  These preliminary auditions will be coordinated and conducted by the director of the respective areas during studio classes.  A panel of three FAU faculty members will decide the finalists.  This panel will consist of the Area Head, one of the area faculty as chosen by the Area Head, and another faculty member from the Department of Music (full-time or adjunct) as chosen by the Area Head.
6. Preliminary auditions must be completed 15 days before the final competition date.
7. The orchestra conductor will coordinate the final auditions and will post the finalists’ order of appearance and times after the drawing by the finalists.
8. It is the applicant’s responsibility to secure an accompanist for each round of the competition.  
9. The Music Office will have a list of recommended collaborative artists.  [Pianists are assigned to accompany FAU students in lessons and studio/performance classes only.  Competition candidates are to make their own arrangements with a professional accompanist for the preliminary and final rounds.  Applicants should be prepared to pay for additional services above and beyond department supplied accompaniment times.]  No faculty pianists will accompany piano students.  
10. Recordings cannot be used in lieu of a pianist as the judges must evaluate collaboration and spontaneity in the performance.
11. Long orchestral tutti sections should be cut during the preliminary and final auditions.  

III. Repertoire
1. Standard concertos, operatic, oratorio and concert arias are eligible.  
2. Vocal applicants must compete with a minimum of two arias.
3. Audition repertoire must be pre-approved by the student’s Applied Professor and the Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra as this same repertoire will be performed on the concerto & aria concert.  It is important that this pre-approval be secured before the preliminary audition.
4. It is important that the repertoire selected be available through the FAU Symphony Orchestra Library, a U.S. publisher, or available in the U.S. through a publisher/agent.  Orchestral accompaniment should be comfortably approachable by the FAU Symphony Orchestra on limited rehearsal time.  It is recommended that the applicant choose repertoire of moderate difficulty to be played exceedingly well.  Should any of the above limitations present unsurpassable difficulties, an “early” application may allow the applicant to reapply with another piece. 
5. Memorization is strongly recommended but not required.  The judges may take this sign of musical preparedness into account.  
6. There will be a 20-minute maximum time allotted for each finalist to audition.  Should the chosen concerto or concert piece exceed the above time limit, the judges will request that the finalist stop.  If a multi-movement work is chosen, the judges will request that they hear from each movement, not exceeding the time limit of 20 minutes.  
7. If the work is multi-movement, ALL movements that the applicant wishes to perform with the orchestra, if selected as a winner, must be represented in the Area Preliminary Auditions, and performed in the final round of the competition.  If a movement is not performed in the final round of the competition, it may not be performed in the concert with the FAU Symphony Orchestra.

IV. The Distinguished Jury
1. The winners will be selected by a jury panel made up of a minimum of 3 outside judges.  
2. These guest musicians will be recommended by the faculty, approved and invited by the Chair of the Department of Music.  
3. The Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra will serve as its chairperson.
4. Winners will be announced at the conclusion of the competition.  
5. All decisions of the judges are final.  The judges reserve the right to only select the number of finalists or winners that they deem qualified.  
6. Adjudication comments will be available after the competition.  
7. Faculty members and students who are competing in the final round are discouraged from speaking with any judge of the final round until after the winners have been announced.  

V. Location and Time
1. The final auditions will be conducted in the University Theater in the Arts and Letters building.
2. Audition times will be emailed to participating students.
3. The final auditions will be open to the public, press, and students with recital credit available.
4. After the application deadline, there will be 1 to 2 weeks to complete preliminary auditions.  The audition schedule will be finalized 2 weeks before the final auditions.  This will allow the judges to have timely notification of the exact times and repertoire.  
5. Optional individual rehearsals will be held in the theater.  Each student can sign up for one 30-minute time-slot.  Prelims (if necessary due to more than 5 applicants in the area including: brass, classical guitar, percussion, piano, strings, voice, and woodwinds) must be completed before the meeting when the students draw audition times for the finals.