Opera audition package: how many arias, which languages, what to prepare

An audition package is the short list of arias you can sing on request. Panels pick from it, so every piece on it must be ready. This page combines what conservatories require with a young-singer guide from the opera publication Schmopera. It is part of the roles section.

The core package

Schmopera’s 2015 guide to audition arias says to collect five arias you can sing really well and vary the language and style⁴. It is always more important to have quality of arias than quantity⁴. Three comfortable arias go much farther than a padded aria package of five⁴.

Language versus repertoire

Do not choose a piece only to tick a language box. Singing the right kind of repertoire is more important than covering all the language bases⁴. Young mezzo-sopranos might have a hard time finding anything to sing in Russian⁴. Match each language to a piece your voice can carry, and use your Fach as the filter.

Singers under 25 will have a very hard time convincing an audition panel that their voice suits the Countess but not Susanna⁴. Your first couple of auditions will likely be for a summer opera workshop or something similar, not for an opera company or an agent⁴. The young artist programs comparison shows where those auditions are held. The Schmopera audition arias guide covers the same ground in more detail.

What conservatories require

University requirements are the clearest numbers available. The UCLA rows below come from its audition requirements titled for 2021 and revised August 2020¹; the UNCSA rows come from its audition process page, seen 19 October 2026².

UCLA’s list of sample repertoire is grouped by language and composer, for example Italian songs and arias by Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Donaudy¹. It is intended merely as a guide: present only pieces that are suited to your level and voice type¹. The list includes selections from the 24 Italian Songs and Arias¹. The UCLA voice requirements are a PDF.

UCLA first-year details

The first-year mix is one piece in Italian, one piece in English and one in your choice of French, German, Spanish, Latin or Russian¹. The three selections must represent contrasting languages, historical periods and musical styles, tempi and moods¹.

UNCSA details

UNCSA voice auditions require one selection in Italian and one musical theatre selection². Auditions are conducted in three parts². The live audition includes musical and dramatic work on your pre-screen selections and audition repertoire list, and you are tested on sight singing and diction². The application also asks for three letters of recommendation from professionals in the field of opera, and transcripts from all secondary institutions attended². See the Fletcher Opera Institute audition process for the full list.

How to pick the arias

Start from contrast. UCLA asks that the selections contrast in language, historical period, musical style, tempo and mood¹. Then work down the list.

• Fit first. Present only pieces that are suited to your level and voice type¹.
• Spread the languages. Italian and English come first for a first-year; the UCLA upper-level audition adds French and German¹.
• Spread the centuries. When a school asks for it, cover each period it names: before 1800, 1800 to 1899 and after 1900¹.
• Spread the mood. UCLA asks for contrasting tempi and moods¹.

Know the aria types

Arias in ternary form (A-B-A) were known as da capo arias, with the opening section repeated, often in a highly decorated manner³. Types of aria were named by character, for example aria di bravura, typically given to a heroine³. Aria buffa is an aria of a comic type, typically given to a bass or bass-baritone³. A favoured form of aria in the first half of the 19th century in Italian opera was the cabaletta³. Arias in opera buffa were often specific in character to the nature of the character being portrayed³.

Plan by audition type

A summer workshop, a conservatory entrance audition and a graduate audition ask for different things, so keep the package flexible. For a first-year university audition, UCLA asks for at least three pieces from memory¹. For an upper-level audition, UCLA asks for five pieces from memory, two of them opera arias¹.

At graduate level the numbers grow. UNCSA asks for six selections of contrasting style in four languages for the Master of Music in Voice, and for the Graduate Certificate four of the selections must be opera arias². For the Professional Artist Certificate the number is eight selections of contrasting style in four languages². Applicants send a pre-screening video of two contrasting arias in two languages before the live audition for the Master of Music, and four arias for the Professional Artist Certificate².

Prescreening videos

Video is required for all UCLA prescreening recordings, and piano accompaniment is preferred but not required¹. For the upper-level audition, UCLA asks for up to 20 minutes of video with 3 pieces showing contrasting languages¹.

After you choose

The live audition at UNCSA tests sight singing and diction². Start with the Italian diction guide, because UCLA asks every first-year applicant for an Italian piece¹. For the work that follows an accepted audition, see how to learn a role.