Organ

Learn everything about your application process:

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 Baylor Organ Program is proud of a century-long tradition of educating the finest organists. Dedicated and experienced teachers, who are committed to student-centered learning, provide students with intensive training in organ; service playing/improvisation; conducting; harpsichord and all other areas relevant for a career as church musician, concert organist and educator. Alumni of our undergraduate and graduate degree programs in organ performance, church music, and organ as a secondary major excel in their positions at universities, churches, and in orchestras; or have been accepted into advanced degree programs at many of our nation’s finest institutions.

Facilities & Instruments

Baylor University’s gorgeous campus is home to a large and varied collection of outstanding instruments in our five concert halls, which includes instruments with both electro-pneumatic (see below for details). Students have unlimited access to our dedicated practice studios with five two- and three manual practice organs (both mechanical & electro-pneumatic action), a portative organ by Klop (2023) and a French double harpsichord. Several churches in Waco have very fine instruments by Schoenstein, Schantz, and others, which are regularly used for lessons and degree recitals.

Scholarships

Generous scholarships (up to full tuition funding) are available to all undergraduate and graduate students in organ, graduate students are also eligible for GA positions. Organ majors usually also hold a position in one of the many churches in Waco, which provides additional income.

Performance 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. 2024/25 off-campus venues include the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, MA (which is home to the sixth largest organ in the world), St. Theresa Catholic Church in Austin, TX, and St. Monica Catholic Church in Dallas, TX.

Travel Opportunities

The organ studio goes on annual study trips, alternating between destinations in Europe (Paris 2024, Germany 2026) and the the U.S. (Boston 2025). 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 Kimberly Marshall, Richard Elliott, Paul Jacobs, Ken Cowan, Alan Morrison, Johann Vexo and Jean-Baptiste Robin. In fall 2025, Olivier Latry will be on campus for a concert and masterclass

Pre-College Opportunities

In 2023, Baylor launched the National High School Organ Competition (link below): ten highly talented organists from all over the U.S. are competing annually in the fall for cash prizes of currently $2,250. Our Summer Organ Camp is one of Baylor’s long-standing, cherished traditions. It takes place every June and is open to rising 8th through 12th graders.

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

Julia Dokter, PhD, DMus

Part-Time Lecturer of Academic Studies

Julia Dokter, PhD, DMus

Part-Time Lecturer of Academic Studies

Julia Dokter holds a Ph.D in musicology (Utrecht University), and a D.Mus in organ performance (McGill University), She currently teaches harpsichord, organ, and music history at Baylor.

Working at the conjunction between performance and musicology, her interests focus on the historical performance practice of baroque music. Her book "Tempo and Tactus in the German Baroque: Treatises, Scores, and the Performance of Organ Music" has been published by Rochester University Press (April 2021). She also has published a further study in German baroque tempo with the Tijdschrift van de Koninklijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschedenis (TVNM) in 2021, and studies in baroque musical rhetoric with the TVNM (2011) and Ashgate (2013), including a Dutch translation (2012) and an abridged (English) version of the 2011 article in Het Orgel and The American Organist. She has presented her research at various conferences in Europe and America, and at the Curtis Institute for Music.

She is the recipient of the American Musicological Society's "Noah Greenberg Award" and the American Bach Society's "William H. Scheide Research Grant".

She has previously taught at Georgia State University (Music History), Agnes Scott College (Organ), Brock University and Redeemer University College (Music Theory).

Julia_Dokter@baylor.edu

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

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.

Organ

Learn everything about your application process:

Organ Audition Information

Organ Program

Facilities & Instruments

Scholarships

Performance Opportunities

Travel Opportunities

Guest Artists

Pre-College Opportunities

Organs

Organ Faculty

National High School Organ Competition

Events for Prospective Students

Undergraduate Admissions FAQs

Graduate Admissions FAQs

School of Music