Organ

Learn everything about your application process:

The Bachelor of Music (BM) degree in Performance is a professional degree that prepares students for a career performing in various spheres, including solo, chamber music, and large ensemble settings, as well as teaching, including at the university level. Often students who have earned this degree craft an entrepreneurial mix of these and other artistic endeavors throughout their careers. Acknowledging that professional artistic success often comes after earning advanced degrees, this program also focuses on preparing students for graduate performance study.

Resources

BM in Performance Degree Plan Checklists

Directly contact Jens Korndörfer if you have any questions.

Undergraduate Organ Audition Requirements

BM in Performance (Organ) - three contrasting solos are required:

one work by J.S. Bach, such as a trio-sonata or a prelude and fugue
one work from the Romantic era, or one movement of a multi-movement work
one work from the 20th or 21st centuries

BM in Church Music (Organ Emphasis), BME (Organ), & BA in Music (Organ)

one work by J. S. Bach, such as a prelude and fugue
one work from the 19^th, 20^th, or 21^st centuries
one hymn with introduction and three verses

Pianists interested in organ

Keyboard students who have not previously studied organ and who wish to begin organ lessons at Baylor should plan to audition in piano as an indication of the necessary background for organ study. See the requirements for piano students.

Graduate Organ Audition Requirements

MM in Performance (Organ)

Solo repertoire of at least 30 minutes in duration from three style periods. The program must include one large work of J.S. Bach such as a trio-sonata, a large-scale Prelude/Toccata/Fantasy and Fugue, or another comparable work, and one virtuosic work from the 19^th, 20^th, or 21^st centuries. Auditions in person are recommended but not required.

MM in Church Music - Performance (Organ)

Solo repertoire of at least 20 minutes in duration from three style periods. The program must include one work of J.S. Bach, such as a trio-sonata, large-scale chorale-prelude (from the Leipzig collection or Clavierübung III), or a diptych. Auditions in person are recommended but not required.
One hymn (extended introduction and three verses with varied accompaniment, including interlude with modulation before the last verse)

D.M.A. in Church Music with Organ Concentration

Prepared to play a thirty-minute audition, including at least the following components:

one major work by J. S. Bach, such as a prelude and fugue
one work from a representative Romantic composer
one work from the 20th or 21st century

Advanced Performers Certificate Audition Requirements

Admission will require a live audition before a committee which will include at least four members of the Keyboard Division faculty appointed by the Director of Keyboard Studies and the Graduate Program Director in Music. The option of a video performance may be approved when distance to the audition would be a hardship. When the audition is by video, the student must present a live audition before a designated faculty committee during the first semester of residence in order to be fully accepted into the program. The audition will require sixty minutes of solo repertoire, including one work before Bach, one significant work of J.S. Bach (diptych or trio-sonata) as well as representative works from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The audition committee may choose from the repertoire prepared.

Jan

2025

School of Music Auditions

Feb

2025

School of Music Auditions

Feb

2025

School of Music Auditions

Feb

2025

School of Music Auditions

The organ program at Baylor University offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Degrees and an Advanced Performer’s Certificate. Students can major in organ performance, church music with organ concentration, or organ as a secondary major. In addition to applied lessons, classes in service playing/improvisation, choir conducting, harpsichord, (jazz-) piano, etc., prepare students for successful careers as church musicians, concert organists, and educators.

Performance and Service Opportunities

Organ majors regularly perform with Baylor University’s choirs and orchestras, in chamber music and early music ensembles, and as soloists, both on and off campus. Students usually hold positions in one of the many churches in the Waco area, where they can apply their skills and gather valuable practical experience.

Travel Opportunities

The organ studio regularly goes on study trips to major instruments in the US and in Europe.

Past destinations include Paris, London, Haarlem, Leipzig, New York and Philadelphia. These trips offer students the possibility to experience first-hand the sounds of the instruments that inspired many of the masterworks of the organ repertoire. Encounters with local organists and visits to major monuments, museums, and operas/concert halls provide students with an immersive experience in the culture of the respective destinations.

Guest Artists

We offer many opportunities to learn from other leading professional teachers and performers in the field. Recent distinguished guests have included Paul Jacobs, Ken Cowan, Alan Morrison, Johann Vexo, Jean-Baptiste Robin and Simon Johnson.

Alumni Success

Our alumni currently hold positions with the Nashville and Dallas Symphony Orchestras, as faculty and adjunct faculty in U.S. universities, and at numerous churches across the country. Baylor organ graduates pursuing higher education have been accepted into advanced degree programs at many of our nation’s finest institutions.

McLane Organ

Jones Concert Hall

Petty-Madden, Op. 34
Built 1993
Electro-pneumatic action
IV/92

Markham Organ Studio

McCrary Music Building

Travis Johnson Memorial Organ

Recital Hall II (Waco Hall Complex)

Powell Chapel Organ

Truett Seminary

Practice Organs

McCrary Music Building

Jens Korndörfer, DMus

Associate Professor of Organ

Jens Korndörfer, DMus

Associate Professor of Organ

Praised as “a virtuoso in the grand Romantic tradition” who creates “performances that are deeply musically satisfying as well as exciting” (The American Organist), German organist Dr. Jens Korndörfer is regularly invited at the most prestigious venues and festivals around the world.

A top-honor graduate from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, the Oberlin Conservatory, the Musikhochschule in Bayreuth, and McGill University in Montreal, Korndörfer’s teachers include Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, James David Christie, and Ludger Lohmann. Prior to his appointment at Baylor University, he was Director of Music and Organist at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta - where he also directed a highly successful concert series -, and taught at Georgia State University. Korndörfer recently founded the National High School Organ Competition at Baylor University.

jens_korndoerfer@baylor.edu

McCrary Music Building 159

jenskorndoefer.com

National High School Organ Competition

An opportunity for talented young organists to gain valuable performance experience and recognition.

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Who do I contact about general undergraduate admissions questions?

If I am accepted to the University, am I automatically accepted into the School of Music?

No. Getting into the School of Music is a dual-acceptance process. All students desiring to pursue a degree in music must apply to both Baylor University and the School of Music in addition to completing an audition (audition dates are selected on the School of Music application).

On campus audition days provide an opportunity for students to display their abilities and to meet the faculty. The audition day also provides an opportunity to have questions answered concerning the School of Music, the admissions process, student financial aid, housing, campus life and other aspects of being a music student at Baylor.

Am I required to audition for the School of Music to play in the band or orchestra, or to sing in a choir as a non-music major?

No. School of Music auditions are not required if your only desire is to perform in the bands, orchestras, or choirs. However, the band, orchestra, and choir directors do audition students for placement into those ensembles. These placement auditions often occur in August, right before classes start. For more information, see Ensemble Audition Information.

What do I do if I cannot attend a scheduled audition day?

What do I wear to my audition?

Is it possible to double major?

What about solo performance opportunities?

Opportunities for solo performance are strongly encouraged and include weekly studio classes and departmental recitals, which provide a format for students to present single works. Convocations showcase superior student performers in recitals attended by the entire School of Music student body. In their Junior and Senior Recitals, performance majors present partial and entire concert programs, respectively. Special Recitals are often presented by ambitious students in addition to the degree requirement recitals. Master Classes with guest artists are held every year as well.

The School of Music also has competition opportunities for aspiring soloists and chamber performers. Each year, one winner is selected from the Concerto Competition to perform a solo work with the Baylor Symphony Orchestra. Every other year multiple soloists and chamber groups are selected as Semper Pro Musica Competition winners and travel to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall.

Will I have access to faculty members who can assist me in my professional development?

From the time you enter the Baylor University School of Music, you will be able to confer with full-time faculty members. All music majors and secondary majors will study one-on-one each week with a faculty member. Faculty advisors will help develop a plan for each upcoming semester during a School of Music advisement period that precedes pre-registration. Members of the faculty are also available by appointment to counsel and advise you throughout the semester when you have questions.

How will I know if I get a scholarship or other financial aid?

Students receive notification of their financial aid status from the University. If a student is selected to receive a music scholarship, they will receive a separate notification from the School of Music via email and will be asked to respond to verify acceptance of the scholarship. No notification letters are sent in the event that a student does not qualify for a music scholarship.

Who do I contact about general graduate admissions questions?

If I am accepted to the University, am I automatically accepted into the School of Music?

What do I do if I cannot attend a scheduled audition day?

Is it possible to double major?

Do I have to submit GRE scores?

How will I know if I get a graduate assistantship?

Graduate Associate positions (graduate assistantships) are awarded based on the recommendation of the faculty in the student's major area. Decisions typically begin to be made about March 1 and may take up to two months to complete. Candidates will be notified of their status by email as soon as possible after this has been determined.

Students who are awarded Graduate Associate positions will be asked to sign and return a contract. The Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of the School of Music will make the official notice of Graduate Associate position awards in writing. Any discussion of Graduate Associate position awards or assignments prior to that notice, or by any other persons, shall be considered preliminary and unofficial.

If I am accepted to both the Graduate School and the School of Music, but do not receive a music graduate assistantship, are other financial aid options available?

For international applicants, what is the English-language proficiency requirement?

International graduate applicants must demonstrate English-language proficiency by submitting either TOEFL or IELTS scores. Baylor's Institution Code: 6032.

Minimum TOEFL scores for master's degrees are: 550 paper, 213 computer-based, 80 internet-based. The minimum IELTS score for master's degrees is 6.5. Minimum DuoLingo score is 125.

Minimum TOEFL scores for doctoral degrees are: 600 paper, 250 computer-based, 100 internet-based. Comparable scores on the IELTS or PTE exams may also be submitted for doctoral degrees.

International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement under the following circumstances:

You have a conferred degree from an institution in the United States
Your degree was issued from an institution where the medium of instruction is English.

No one will be admitted who does not meet these minimum standards because we want students to be successful academically as well as in a performance area.

Once I have been accepted, when can I register for classes?

What are Diagnostic Exams?

During the week preceding the semester in which a graduate student enrolls he/she will take music theory and music history diagnostic exams. Appropriate remedial course work may be required as a result of the exams. In addition, graduate students with majors in vocal performance, collaborative piano, and church music with vocal performance emphasis will be tested over their knowledge of Italian, German, and French lyric diction. If the student is deficient in any of these languages he/she will be expected to enroll in an appropriate diction course. See the Graduate Music Handbook for more information on the exams and how to prepare for them.

First-year and transfer School of Music admissions decisions (March)	Admissions decisions are sent via email and updated in GoBaylor accounts
School of Music Merit Scholarship offers (March)	Scholarship offers are send via email provided on School of Music application
First-year Decision Deadline (May 1)	Commit to Baylor by depositing at website

Organ

Organ

Learn everything about your application process:

BM in Performance

BM in Performance

Resources

Organ Audition Information

Organ Program

Performance and Service Opportunities

Travel Opportunities

Guest Artists

Alumni Success

Organs

Organ Faculty

National High School Organ Competition

Events for Prospective Students

Undergraduate Admissions FAQs

Graduate Admissions FAQs

School of Music

Organ

Learn everything about your application process:

BM in Performance

Resources

Additional Opportunities

How to Apply

Step 1: Start your Baylor University application

Step 2: Submit your School of Music application

Step 3: Audition

Decisions Timeline

Scholarship & Financial Aid Information

Scholarships

Financial Aid

Organ Audition Information

Organ Program

Performance and Service Opportunities

Travel Opportunities

Guest Artists

Alumni Success

Organs

Organ Faculty

National High School Organ Competition

Events for Prospective Students

Undergraduate Admissions FAQs

Graduate Admissions FAQs

School of Music