Degree-Required Student Recitals
Guidelines, Forms and Helpful Hints
Revised: 8/22/2024
This policy applies to all degree-required Student Recitals receiving production crew support in the Canady Creative Arts Center.
Jamie Whoolery
Assistant Dean
Production, Presentation, Operations and Cultural Engagement
Jamie.Whoolery@mail.wvu.edu
304-282-7357
General Info
Student Recitals are held in the Canady Creative Arts Center’s Bloch Learning and Performance Hall and Falbo Theatre on select Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the academic year. Available recital times have been determined based on the production calendar to ensure the needs of all productions, including your recital, are met with the highest level of professionalism.
In order to maintain these high standards, each Student Recital rehearsal and performance will be run by a student stage manager. The stage manager is responsible for the stage, backstage areas, and house, and will work diligently to ensure you have a smooth, uninterrupted rehearsal and a successful recital. Some of their duties include supervising the production crew, starting and ending rehearsals and performances on time, enforcing General House Rules, and keeping the backstage areas secure. The stage manager has been trained to help your recital run seamlessly by coordinating these elements so that you and your applied instructor can focus on your repertoire.
Because your rehearsal and recital may have different stage managers, it is important that you provide certain information through the Advance Information online form and answer certain questions at your rehearsal. Good communication between you and your stage manager is essential to the smooth and professional running of your recital.
Table of Contents
- Student Recital Timeline Checklist
- Cancellations
- Scheduling of Recitals
- Scheduling of Rehearsals
-
In-Person Attendees
- Livestreaming
- Authorized Recording Opportunities
- General House Rules
- Personnel and Page Turners
- Technical Info
- Length of Performance
- Digital-Only Recital Programs
- Piano Use
- Student Recital Harpsichord Protocol
- Rehearsal Day
- Recital Day
- Receptions
- Links to Forms
Student Recital Timeline Checklist
- At least FIVE weeks before your recital:
- Schedule your dress rehearsal online.
- Contact WVU Recording Services if you wish to discuss a recording of your performance. (see Authorized Recording Opportunities for more information)
- If applicable, discuss the use of the harpsichord with Dr. Bill Haller.
- Read the Student Recital Packet in its entirety. Contact Jamie in the Production Office if you have questions (Jamie.Whoolery@mail.wvu.edu or 304-282-7357).
- At least FOUR weeks before your recital:
- Submit the Advance Information form.
- Submit the Percussion Request form (if needed).
- Type your program following the template.
- Send your program to your applied instructor for proofing.
- THREE weeks before your recital:
- Recruit page turner(s), if applicable. (see Personnel and Page Turners for more information)
- Review the Student Recital Packet to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
- TWO weeks before your recital:
- Make final corrections on your program.
- Save your final program (and program notes) as a single pdf.
- Submit your pdf program using the Recital Program Submission form.
- WEEK of your recital:
- Remind everyone involved when your rehearsal and recital are scheduled.
- Share the link to your livestream with friends, family and your social media channels.
- DAY of your recital:
- Be on time.
- Have fun.
For questions regarding the running of your recital or rehearsal, contact the Production Office at 304-293-4171 or CCAM.Production@mail.wvu.edu.
For any other inquiries, contact Ms. Jones at 304-293-4532 in the School of Music.
Cancellations
Due to the high demand placed on our limited resources, it is expected that all Student Recitals scheduled through this process will take place on the day and time originally scheduled. If you and your applied instructor decide that a cancellation is necessary, you must contact the CCAM Production Office immediately ( Jamie.Whoolery@mail.wvu.edu). From there, the cancellation will be disseminated to all interested parties. The School of Music will assess a $25 cancellation fee for all degree-required recital cancellations.
In all cases, except those of extreme hardship (e.g. debilitating illness) as identified by the School of Music, you will not be permitted to reschedule in the Canady Creative Arts Center within the same academic semester. As arranged with the SOM administration, you may be permitted to reschedule or choose to postpone your recital until the following academic semester in order to perform in Bloch Hall or Falbo Theatre.
The swapping of recital slots is not permitted.
Special consideration will be given to all cancellation and rescheduling requests related to COVID-19 and recommended quarantine circumstances.
Scheduling of Recitals
Degree-required DMA, MM, and Undergraduate Recitals are eligible to be scheduled in Bloch Hall or Falbo Theatre. Non-required recitals may be held in Bloch Hall or Falbo Theatre but are not eligible for crew support and may not utilize a recital slot designated for degree-required student recitals.
Available recital slots, as determined by the Production Office in consultation with the School of Music, are chosen to minimize sound bleed with other venues, to ensure each recitalist is able to schedule rehearsal time in the venue, and to minimize scheduling conflicts with other School of Music events.
Prior to scheduling, please confer with your applied professor, committee members (if applicable), and any recital collaborators to ensure everyone’s availability.
Scheduling for the entire academic year will begin Monday, 8/26/24 at 8am via the online Recital Scheduling Form. All requests for this first scheduling window must be submitted by Wednesday, 9/4/24 at 5pm. Please note that the Production Office will be closed on Monday, 9/2/24 for the University holiday. Requests will be processed in the order in which they are received.
A second scheduling opportunity will be offered at the beginning of the Spring semester for remaining recital slots from 1/15/25 to 1/24/25.
The available slots during the second scheduling opportunity will be extremely limited. If at all possible, it is highly recommended that you book your date during the Fall scheduling window.
The available slots will fit within the following framework.
Wednesday: 6pm and 8pm
Thursday: 6pm and 8pm
Friday: 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm
Saturday: 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm Sunday: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm
Only grad assistants and final DMA recitals may be scheduled during dead week or finals week.
No recitals may be scheduled from December 21 (Commencement) to January 13 (first day of classes); May 10 to June 1; or after July 31.
Prior to scheduling your recital, you must read and understand this packet. If you have any questions, please email Jamie.Whoolery@mail.wvu.edu. Once you are comfortable with this information, please complete the online quiz to pre-register for your recital. If you do not successfully complete the quiz, you will not be permitted to sign up for a recital slot.
Half recitalists must have a partner. When submitting your recital scheduling request, you will need to identify your recital partner. Please confer with your partner when selecting your recital slot options. Both recitalists are required to pass the quiz, pre- register, and complete a recital scheduling request form.
Scheduling of Rehearsals
One full recital or two joint half recitals will receive one 1-hour 45-minute (1:45) rehearsal. Rehearsal slots are offered each week based upon the number of Student Recitals and the other demands of the production calendar on that particular week. Rehearsal slots for the entire academic year will be available for scheduling as soon as you have received confirmation of your scheduled recital. Please submit the rehearsal scheduling request form at least five weeks before your recital. For the best chance of obtaining your ideal rehearsal time, submit your request early.
In-person Attendees
In-person attendees must follow the instructions of onsite staff, which may include the assignment of seating to aid in physical distancing from other guests.
In-person attendees may arrive up to 30 minutes prior to the published start time, but we ask that all plan to be seated at least 10 minutes prior to the start to ensure the recital can begin on time and without interruption.
Livestreaming
Optional livestreaming of your recital is available for a fee unless otherwise indicated at the time of scheduling. The livestream will begin five minutes before the start of your recital and will run uninterrupted until the conclusion of your recital. An archival copy will be available for download following your recital.
Authorized Recording Opportunities
WVU Sound Productions audio recordings may be requested for all recitals at the expense of the recitalist pending availability of equipment and staff. More information can be found online at music.wvu.edu/student-resources/recording-policy.
All audio and video recordings are intended to be for your own personal archival use. Any other use of such recordings must comply with all applicable copyright law.
Any tripods or other equipment must be clear of all walkways in accordance with the Fire Marshal and should be set up in designated areas only. Your stage manager will assist with this prior to your recital.
General House Rules
Seating is General Admission. There are no tickets and no charge for Student Recitals. Only crewmembers, performers, and other authorized personnel are permitted backstage. Friends and family not directly involved in the performance are not permitted backstage at your rehearsal or before or during your recital.
Performers are permitted to have sealable water bottles onstage or backstage only. No other food or drink is permitted in the venue or backstage at any time. This includes during performances and rehearsals. Any food or drink, other than water, integral to your performance must receive approval from both the School of Music and the Production Office prior to your rehearsal.
If a fire alarm goes off in the building, all audience members, performers, and crew must exit the building. The stage manager will make an announcement to the audience and assist in their evacuation. A representative from the Morgantown Fire Department must come to the CCAC to give the all-clear. At that point, patrons can be let back into the building, and your recital may resume.
Following the performance, production crew will need to clear the venue within five minutes in order to adhere to our tight production schedule.
Personnel
Personnel directly involved in your recital includes you, your accompanist, guest musicians, your page turner(s), your dresser, your applied instructor or their representative, your recording and livestream engineers, and the stage manager and production crew on duty. These are the only people permitted to attend your rehearsal or be backstage before or during your recital. Additional rehearsal attendees may be approved for academic reasons. Please see Rehearsal Day below for details.
Page turners
Page turners are your responsibility. The production crew is not available for page turning. All page turners are expected to arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to your performance so that they may go over any specific instructions you or your accompanist may have for them.
Technical Info
With prior approval from the Production Office, video projection support is available in Bloch Hall. Your stage manager will be able to assist you with setup and running of this equipment as determined at your rehearsal. Any video equipment to be used in Falbo must be provided by the recitalist.
A portable sound system appropriate for sound playback and light reinforcement may be available for your recital but must receive approval from the Production Office prior to your rehearsal to ensure the required equipment is available. The Production Office will provide an audio engineer. If you or a collaborator plans to operate some aspect of the sound playback, please discuss with the Production Office, so this can be considered in planning the setup.
Portable Student Recital Sound System
2 @ JBL EON610 Powered Speaker
1 @ Soundcraft EPM6 6-Channel Mixer
2 @ Shure SM58 Vocal Microphone
2 @ Shure SM57 Instrumental Microphone
4 @ Microphone Boom Stand
1 @ Radial Engineering JPC Stereo DI
3 @ 50’ XLR audio cable
4 @ 25’ XLR audio cable
2 @ 5’ XLR audio cable
1 @ 5’ 1/8” Mini audio cable
Lighting in Bloch Hall will consist of a no-color wash of the stage. Lighting in Falbo Theatre has some limited flexibility provided by a rep light plot. For additional information, contact the Production Office.
House lights typically remain at a program-reading level. Any special cueing of light changes (e.g. bringing up the house lights mid-performance) must be discussed at your rehearsal.
Length of Performance
Per School of Music guidelines, your recital (solo or joint half) is expected to complete within 75 minutes of your scheduled recital start time. This includes any transitions, introductions, pauses or intermissions. Spontaneous, unplanned encore performances are not permitted at Student Recitals.
Digital-Only Recital Programs
The School of Music requests that your student recital program follow the template. At least four weeks before your recital, send your program to your applied instructor for proofing. Two weeks before your recital, make final corrections to your program, save as a pdf, and submit it using the Recital Program Submission form.
Submitting through the online form will route your pdf program to Mattie Jones to meet the requirements for recital credit. Additionally, the Production Office will provide a QR code at the entrance to the venue for in-person attendees to access your program and add a direct download link to the description for your recital’s livestream, should you choose to arrange for that service.
Piano Use
There is an inventory of concert pianos that serve the needs of all performances held in the Canady Creative Arts Center’s venues, including student recitals. The Production Office works with the School of Music piano technician to manage this inventory for all productions. The specific piano available for your performance will be based upon the whole of the production calendar at the time of your recital. You may contact Kirill Tyulkov to request a specific piano. Every effort will be made to accommodate your request. While student recitalists are not guaranteed a choice of piano, you will be provided the same piano at both your dress rehearsal and your recital.
Prepared Piano and Other Non-traditional Techniques
A prepared piano is a piano that has been modified in some fashion—perhaps with objects placed in it—in a very special way as dictated by a composer of a prepared piano composition. Non-traditional techniques include any form of interacting with the piano other than fingers touching the 88 keys.
These are both valid practices, but may only be done as prescribed below, and in consultation with the assigned piano technician. If you plan to utilize any of these techniques, contact the Operations Office as far in advance as possible, but not less than four weeks before your recital, to schedule a meeting with a technician.
- All structural changes to any piano must be supervised or performed by the School of Music’s designated piano technician. This includes removing the lid or attaching anything to strings or soundboard to modify the sound.
- Marking strings. Small stickers may be used on plate parts to mark notes. Only the stickers provided by the piano shop are to be used. Care must always be used not to touch the dampers as they are easily bent. The performer is responsible for removing any stickers immediately after any rehearsal or performance. There should be nothing applied directly to the strings.
- Striking and plucking strings. Strings may be struck or plucked with fingers or guitar pick. Since oil from the skin will tarnish strings over time, please wash hands well before touching any string. Other devices must always be of a material that will not mar or scratch strings. On steel strings, brass or aluminum may be used. Acceptable materials for the copper-wound bass strings include wood, plastic, rubber, etc. Piano Shop technicians are available to help the performer select materials that will not damage the piano.
- Foreign Objects. When literature calls for the insertion of screws or mutes between piano strings, the material must be softer than the string. In extreme cases, an older piano outside of our typical concert grands will need to be brought in. The piano technician will make the final decision on acceptable materials.
- Common sense. Most damage to pianos can be avoided by using good judgment. When you consult with the piano technician, an alternative can usually be found to satisfy both the performer and this policy.
Remember that non-traditional and prepared piano techniques require a special preparation so advance planning and consultation is a must.
Student Recital Harpsichord Protocol
Contact Bill Haller to discuss your harpsichord needs at least five weeks prior to your recital. He will be the one to confirm that the harpsichord will be available for your recital and to tell you when and where you can rehearse with the harpsichord before your final dress rehearsal in the venue.
The Dowd French Classic instrument with three courses on two keyboards is available for solo harpsichord playing and continuo playing in Bloch Hall.
Dr. Haller will work with Kirill Tyulkov to arrange for the instrument to be moved to and from the venue for dress rehearsals and recitals. Production Crew will not move a harpsichord to or from any other room without the explicit instruction of Dr. Haller or Kirill Tyulkov.
Any tuning of the instrument must be arranged with Kirill Tyulkov.
Rehearsal Day
The 1-hour 45-minute rehearsal slot you schedule with the Production Office is all- inclusive. This means that within 105 minutes, you will need to load-in, tune, rehearse, run, discuss, work, re-run, and load-out. The stage manager will work to help you make the most efficient use of your time, but you should expect to spend some amount of time answering questions that will ultimately result in a more polished performance.
In order to accommodate as many recitalists as possible, rehearsals are typically scheduled back-to-back. Please be considerate of your fellow recitalists by remaining quiet as they are finishing up and by clearing out quickly once your time has elapsed. It is recommended that you arrive a few minutes ahead of your scheduled start time and wait in the hallway outside the backstage area. Please be careful not to block the doors to the backstage area or the piano storage room. As soon as the stage manager is able, they will invite you in.
In order to have a productive and efficient rehearsal, think about your transitions ahead of time. If you need help drawing up your plan, don’t hesitate to contact the Production Office.
Be sure to submit your pdf program online prior to your rehearsal. Your stage manager will ask you to confirm that nothing has changed.
The first few minutes of your rehearsal will be for the stage manager to go over a few logistics with you, your accompanist, and any guest performers. It is understood that music students are exceptionally busy, but it is essential that—if at all possible—all performers attend your rehearsal.
Plan to finish your rehearsal five minutes early. This allows time for you to ask the stage manager questions and touch base with your teacher. It also allows the room to be cleared so that the next rehearsal can begin on time.
Your Dress Rehearsal is closed. This means the only people permitted in the venue are your applied instructor (or their representative) and people directly involved in the recital as described in the Personnel section. For academic reasons, additional attendees may be approved by the Production Office with at least one week’s notice and the consent of your applied instructor.
You may record your rehearsal. The setup and teardown of any equipment for this purpose must also fit within your allotted rehearsal time.
Recital Day
You and any additional performers are expected to arrive 40 minutes prior to your recital, which will coincide with the conclusion of the previous recital.
Please wait in the backstage hallway. As soon as they are able, the stage manager will allow you onstage to setup, tune and warm up. We may begin seating in-person attendees at the same time that you are permitted to enter the space. You will have up to 25 minutes to prepare before we ask you to clear the stage. You will then have another 5 minutes backstage before we begin the performance as scheduled. The house will be open no later than 15 minutes prior to your recital start time, so a portion of your onstage warm-up may be with audience in the room.
We will begin exactly on time; please advise all performers, page turners, faculty, and studio members attending in person that we would like them to be seated 10 minutes prior to the start time.
Following the recital, you will be asked to vacate the venue within five minutes to allow us to stay on schedule. You will be permitted to step out into the house briefly to greet in- person attendees in the venue following the performance.
Timeline for recital day
- 40 minutes to start time: you and any additional performers arrive;
- 30 minutes to start time: your page turner arrives;
- 15 minutes to start time: house opens if not previously opened;
*in-person attendees may arrive up to 30 minutes prior to the start of your recital but should plan to be seated by 10 minutes to start time - 5 minutes to start time: stage manager will call performers to places and livestream starts if previously arranged
- start time: recital begins on schedule
- 75 minutes or less after start time: you exit the stage and livestream ends
- 5 minutes after end time: you gather your belongings and clear the area
Receptions
A classroom on the ground floor, typically 2045 or 2051, is reserved for receptions. If you would like to utilize this space, be sure to indicate this on your advance information sheet. If you are having an offsite reception, please arrange for any food or beverage to be delivered directly to the reception site. Remember that no food or drink other than bottled water may be brought into Bloch Hall or Falbo Theatre.