Universitetet i Agder

Classical Music Performance

Master

Duration: 2 years

Scope: Full time

Start: Autumn 2023

Campus: Kristiansand

This master’s programme focuses on your personal artistry as a musician, allowing you to follow your vocational and professional ambitions and offering great opportunities for professional and practical exposure in cooperation with the Kilden Performing Arts Centre, namely the Kilden Vocal Ensemble and the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra.

Professional internships will develop and nurture your musical growth and open the possibility for feedback and learning from a variety of sources.

Our teachers at the Department of Classical Music and Music Education value your creativity and your desire to learn, and will provide you with a learning environment that enables you to fully polish and cultivate your musical strengths.

UiA’s unique Master’s Programme in Classical Music Performance offers two specialisations:

Artistic Performance Specialisation:
Alongside your principle study/main instrument and depending on your background and qualifications – you can follow one of the following in-depth fields: Creative performance, Ensemble singing, Orchestral academy, Collaborative piano, Classical music improvisation or Choir conducting.
Artistic Scientific Specialisation:
Alongside your principle study/main instrument, you can choose a musicological and theoretical module. A topic related to your principle study/main instrument and repertoire can be chosen for your academic work and the successful submission of a Master Thesis will complete the programme.

See videos of performing students:

What do you learn?

You will develop technical skills as a musician and instrumentalist at a high professional level.
You will acquire further understanding about the relations between music theory, music history and music performance.
You develop an academic and professional basis which is crucial to reflection, creativity and innovation in the field of music.
You will get broad knowledge on how to carry out advanced tasks and projects in the field of music.
The program provides a comprehensive introduction to the musicological disciplines and how to facilitate research on your own music.

Job opportunities

Upon completed course you will earn a master's degree in music performance. The program qualifies to work as a professional musician, as well as for creative and artistic work in the arts and cultural sector. It is a good starting point for a musical career. Completed master's degree may qualify to attend studies on a higher level, such as the PhD program at the University of Agder.

Student exchange

You can take part of the master's program in Classical Music Performance abroad. It is facilitated for exchange in the 3rd semester.

More about exchange in Classical Music Performance

You can travel here

All you need to know about exchange studies

Course structure

Admission requirements

The general admission requirement is a bachelor's degree or equivalent education of at least three years (180 credits). The admission criteria must include specialization unit of at least 80 credits in performing music or equivalent. At least 20 credits in the specialization unit must be level 2. Ranking of applicants takes place on the basis of an entrance exam with the following parts:

• Audition with self-selected program. In the audition, a score from 10 to 20 is given for passing the test. Applicants who get less than 10 points have not passed the audition. The audition counts for 50% of the total score.

• Interview. At the interview, a score is given from 10 to 20. The interview counts for 50% of the total score. The audition must be passed in order to be admitted to an interview.

Otherwise, admission takes place in accordance with the Regulations on admission to study programmes and courses at the University of Agder.

See information about auditions.

Recommended previous knowledge

MUK107 Philosophy of Science, Aesthetics and Analysis at UiA, or similar.

Tuition fees

The Norwegian government has proposed the introduction of tuition fees for students from countries outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland who will begin their studies in the autumn semester of 2023.