The bachelor programme is a four-year course. It is tailored to the needs of young singers wanting to specialize in the vocal techniques and performance practices required for the various musical styles that flourished from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century. In addition to the principal subject (solo singing) and the usual theoretical subjects like solfège, theory of harmony and musical analysis, several specialized courses are offered, such as rhetoric, gesture, Renaissance and Baroque dance, improvisation, ornamentation and the practice of diminutions, as well as the reading of figured basses.

The course also includes participation in various projects that more specifically focus on a particular style, period or composer, given by internationally recognized specialists in the relevant fields.

Application, preselection and live auditions
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
The candidate prepares a programme with seven works, to be sung from memory. The candidate may choose the first piece; after that the exam committee will choose two more pieces. The programme should meet the following requirements:

• two pieces from the 17th century (monody, song, aria, air, madrigal)
• two opera or oratorio arias from the 18th century, one of which with recitative (secco or accompagnato)
• three German Lieder from the early 19th century (Beethoven, Schubert or Schumann)
• the programme should contain at least three languages
• one poem to be recited, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Spanish or German

Master students follow a two-year course aimed at the attainment of the highest level of skills needed for professional participation in the world of Early Music. During the master course the student can choose his/her own specializations within the Early Music repertoire. The attainment of the master degree also involves carrying out and documenting, through written work and an oral presentation, independent musicological research.

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.

The candidate has completed a bachelor's degree. 

Audition repertoire

1. The candidate prepares a varied programme of 50 minutes to be sung from memory. The candidate chooses one work to perform; the committee chooses two or three more works from the programme.
2. The candidate must submit a repertoire list with a proposed programme for the entrance examination to the CvA student registrar office before 15 February.