Applications for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, percussion, and timpani will be accepted for the 2026 Bursary Competition. Check back in December 2025 to apply!
Solo repertoire requirements
Candidates must include both selected solo works in their preliminary audition video recording.
In addition to the solo repertoire selections listed, each candidate will be required to perform a selection of excerpts from the orchestral repertoire. Excerpted parts are available on the website or by email request by contacting Kelly.Symons@nac-cna.ca. These excerpts are an integral part of the audition; practice and study of these elements should be given as much weight as the solo repertoire.
Note: It is not required that repertoire be memorized.
Approved solo repertoire list: Winds, brass, percussion, and timpani
The approved solo repertoire list has been carefully developed and is regularly reviewed by the NACO Bursary Committee. In drawing up this list the Committee has chosen pieces which, in terms of length, variety and level of difficulty, best meet the requirements of this Competition. No substitutions will be allowed.
Winds: Flute | Oboe | Clarinet | Bassoon
Brass: Trumpet | French horn | Trombone | Bass trombone | Tuba
Timpani | Percussion
Winds
Flute
A movement from a sonata from the list below, or another solo piece, with or without accompaniment, no longer than 10 minutes.
AND
A contrasting movement from one of the concertos listed below.
Sonatas:
- Bach Flute Sonata No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1030
- Dutilleux Sonatine pour flûte et piano
- Hindemith Sonata for Flute
- Poulenc Sonata for Flute
- Prokofiev Flute Sonata in D major, Op. 94
- Pierre Sancan Sonatine for flute and piano
- Taktakishvili Sonata for Flute and Piano
Concerti:
- Ibert Concerto for Flute
- Liebermann Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 39
- Mozart Concerto in D major or in G major
- Nielsen Concerto for Flute
- Reinecke Concerto for Flute
- Rodrigo Concierto pastoral
Oboe
A movement from a sonata from the list below, or another solo piece, with or without accompaniment, no longer than 10 minutes.
AND
A contrasting movement from one of the concertos listed below.
Sonatas:
- Bach Sonata in G minor, BWC 1020
- Bozza Fantaisie pastorale, Op. 37
- Britten Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Op. 49 (for solo oboe) [Play 3 or more movements]
- Jean Coulthard Sonata for Oboe and Piano
- Dorati Duo Concertante
- Alyssa Morris Four Personalities for oboe and piano
- Saint-Saëns Oboe Sonata in D major, Op. 166
Concerti:
- Goossens Oboe Concerto (in one movement), Op. 45
- Ruth Gipps Oboe Concerto, Op. 20
- Hummel Introduction, Theme and Variations, Op. 102
- Mozart Concerto for Oboe in C major, K. 314
- Pasculli Concerto sopra motivi dell'opera La Favorita di Donizetti
- R. Strauss Concerto for Oboe in D major, Op. 144
- Vaughan-Williams Concerto for Oboe and String Orchestra
Clarinet
A movement from a sonata from the list below, or another solo piece, with or without accompaniment, no longer than 10 minutes.
AND
A contrasting movement from one of the concertos listed below.
Sonatas:
- Brahms Sonata for Clarinet, Op. 120, No. 1 or No. 2
- Debussy Rhapsody for Clarinet
- Hindemith Sonata for Clarinet in B flat major
- Messager Solo de concours
- Poulenc Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
- Rossini Introduction, Theme and Variations
- Saint-Saëns Clarinet Sonata in E flat major, Op. 167
- Stravinsky Three Pieces for Clarinet Solo (All movements)
Concerti:
- Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622
- Spohr Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 26
- Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73
- Weber Clarinet Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 74
Bassoon
A movement from a sonata from the list below, or another solo piece, with or without accompaniment, no longer than 10 minutes.
AND
A contrasting movement from one of the concertos listed below.
Sonatas:
- Marcel Bitsch Concertino for Bassoon and Piano
- Jean Coulthard Lyric Sonatina for Bassoon and Piano
- Johann Friederich Fasch Sonata in C major for Bassoon
- Camille Saint-Saëns Sonata for Bassoon and Piano, Op. 168
- Alexandre Tansman Sonatine for Bassoon and Piano
Concerti:
- Jean Françaix Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra
- Johan Nepomunk Hummel Grand Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra in F major
- W.A. Mozart Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K. 191
- Antonio Vivaldi Concerto for Bassoon in E minor
- Carl Maria von Weber Bassoon Concerto in F major, Op. 75
Brass
Trumpet
Two contrasting pieces selected from the following list:
- Artunian Trumpet Concerto in A flat major (from beginning until L, i.e.: just before the muted section)
- Balay Andante and Allegretto (complete)
- Bohme Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra, Op. 18 (Allegro moderato [1st mvt], or Adagio religioso [slow section], or Rondo Allegro Scherzando [6/8 section])
- Enesco Legend (complete)
- Haydn Concerto in E flat for Trumpet and Orchestra, Hob. VII:1 (one mvt)
- Hindemith Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (one mvt)
- Hummel Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in E flat (one mvt)
- Kennan Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (one mvt)
- Stevens Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (one mvt)
- Takemitsu Paths
French horn
Two contrasting pieces selected from the following list:
- Beethoven Sonata for French Horn and Piano in F major, Op. 17 (one mvt.)
- Dukas Villanelle (complete)
- Heiden Sonata for Horn and Orchestra (one movement)
- Hindemith Horn Sonata (one movement)
- Larsson Twelve Concertinos, Op. 45 (one movement)
- Mozart Choose from Horn Concerti No. 1 – 4 (one movement)
- F. Strauss Nocturno, Op. 7
- R. Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 11 (one mvt.)
Trombone
Two contrasting pieces selected from the following list:
- Albrechtsberger Concerto in B flat for Alto Trombone (one mvt)
- David Concertino for Trombone in E flat major, Op. 4 (beginning to downbeat of rehearsal letter D)
- Gröndahl Concerto for Trombone (one mvt)
- Hindemith Sonata for Trombone and Piano (one mvt)
- Larsson Concertino for Trombone and String Orchestra, Op. 45, No. 7 (one mvt)
- Milhaud Concertino d’hiver, Op. 327 (one mvt)
- Sulek Sonata (Vox Gabrieli) (complete)
- Tomasi Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra (one mvt)
Bass trombone
Two contrasting pieces selected from the following list:
- David Three Imaginary Landscapes, Sonata for Bass Trombone and Piano
- Defaye Deux Dances (arr. Knaub) (one movement)
- Ewazen Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra (one movement)
- George Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra (one movement)
- Hidas Rhapsody for Bass Trombone and Band (complete)
- Lebedev Concerto in One Movement (one movement)
- Elizabeth Raum Concerto for Bass Trombone, II. Romance for Nada, or III. Finale
- Spillman Concerto for Bass Trombone (one movement)
- Wilder Sonata for Bass Trombone (one movement)
Tuba
Two contrasting pieces selected from the following list:
- Broughton Sonata for Tuba (one mvt)
- Gregson Concerto for Tuba (one mvt)
- Koetsier Concertino for Tuba and Strings (one mvt)
- Lebedev Concerto in One Movement for Tuba (complete)
- Newton Capriccio for Tuba (complete)
- Plau Concerto for Tuba (one mvt)
- Plog Three Miniatures for Tuba (complete)
- Vaughan-Williams Concerto for Tuba (1st and 2nd mvts)
- J. Williams Concerto for Tuba (one movement)
Timpani
Candidates must prepare both of the following solos:
- Gauger Audition Etude #2 [for preliminary and final rounds of NACO Bursary Competition]
- Delecuse Étude No. 30 from Trente études Book Three [for finals of NACO Bursary Competition only]
Percussion
Mallet keyboard
Candidates must prepare both of the following:
- Delecuse Etude #10 from Twenty Studies for Xylophone (NOT after Kreutzer) [for preliminary round of NACO Bursary Competition only]
- Bach Gigue from Suite No. 1 in E minor for Lute [for finals of NACO Bursary Competition only]
- no repeats
- on marimba
Snare drum
Candidates must prepare both of the following:
- Mitchell Peters Advanced Snare Drum Studies, Solo #9 [for preliminary rounds of NACO Bursary Competition only]
- Tompkins IX from 9 French American Rudimental Solos for SD vol. 2 [for finals of NACO Bursary Competition only]