This is a multifaceted degree programme in which repertoire ranging from the 15th to the 19th and 20th/21st century style periods is taught, incorporating as many aspects of the profession as possible:

• individual private lessons (technique, use of the instrument, technique and performance practice, repertoire from the various periods)
• basso continuo lessons, individual/practical lessons as well as theoretical (group) lessons
• 20th- and 21st-century harpsichord repertoire
• improvisation
• theory of the principal subject (tunings, construction, history, repertoire, notation, performance practice)
• possibility to take organ, pianoforte or clavichord as a subsidiary subject
• regular group lessons
• methodology (teaching)
• chamber music and ensembles taught by various teachers
• orchestral repertoire, orchestra class and participation in orchestra projects
• the Sweelinck Baroque Orchestra class is held once a week under the guidance of various teachers, giving participants a chance to work on harpsichord concertos, in addition to other opportunities.
• regular evening group recitals
• visiting museums and libraries
• participation in masterclasses
• lectures
• attending the rehearsals and concerts of acclaimed orchestras and ensembles

Admission requirements
Audition candidates will be selected on the basis of a video recording to be submitted digitally via the application form. Recordings must be received by February 1st at the latest. The video repertoire consists of a diverse selection from the required audition repertoire of maximum 15 minutes.

Audition repertoire

Music from various style periods, including the following required works:

• an English pavane and galliard
• a seventeenth-century Italian work
• three movements from a suite by a French composer
• J.S. Bach – a prelude and fugue from Das wolhtemperierte Clavier (Book I or II)
• D. Scarlatti – a fast sonata
• a short sight-reading test (solo and basso continuo) will also be given.
• should the candidate so wish, he/she may perform a short improvisation and/or a modern work for harpsichord.

After the two-year course, students will be ready to enter the professional music world at the highest level. The student will acquire the in-depth knowledge intended in the master's degree programme by choosing to study a particular area of repertoire which will be examined in a more profound and comprehensive way than is possible during the bachelor's degree programme.

Admission requirements
Audition candidates will be selected on the basis of a video recording to be submitted digitally via the application form. Recordings must be received by February 1st at the latest. The video repertoire consists of a diverse selection from the required audition repertoire of maximum 15 minutes, and should include a Praeludium en Fuga from the Wohltemperierte Clavier (Book I or II).

1. The candidate will perform a programme which may not exceed one half-hour. During the entrance examination, which will last approximately one half-hour, the candidate must demonstrate that he/she possesses above-average, high-minded qualities as a harpsichordist, a good overview of the harpsichord repertoire and a solid mastery of the various main styles.
2. The candidate must submit a list of repertoire with a proposed programme for the entrance examination to the CvA study secretariat before 15 February. This programme will include a variety of musical styles. The admissions committee will evaluate the proposed programme and make any necessary changes. Programme guidelines may be obtained from the department co-ordinator.