Contact Us
Blair Events Coordinator
Vanderbilt University
Blair School of Music
2400 Blakemore Avenue
Nashville, TN 37212
615.322.7508, Direct
615.322.343.0324, Fax
All seniors, juniors with a requirement, and high school seniors who are completing the Blair Academy Certificate Program may book a recital in Turner Hall or in Choral Hall. Juniors without a degree requirement, all sophomores, freshmen, and Blair Academy students may book recitals in Choral Hall only. Freshmen and sophomores who are planning recitals are encouraged to share the program with another Blair student. Below you will find forms and information regarding Blair’s policies and procedures for booking a recital. Please follow the directions below to reserve your recital.
Booking Resources
Recital Booking Dates
Request forms must be turned in by the last day of the priority booking period to gain priority over other grade levels. Seniors and juniors will still be able to book their recital after their priority periods are over, but you may receive a less desirable time slot.
Fall 2024 Recitals
If you are planning to book a recital in Fall 2024, please see the booking periods below. The deadline to book your fall recital is October 30.
- April 11-14: Priority booking for seniors with a degree requirement (registered in MUSO 4970)
- April 15-17: Priority booking for seniors with an elective recital
- April 18-21: Priority booking for juniors with a degree requirement (registered in MUSO 3970)
- April 22: Schedule opens to all student solo and chamber ensemble recitals. Required recitals get priority over elective recitals.
- Deadline for booking a Fall 2024 recital: October 30
Spring 2025 Recitals
If you are planning to book a recital in Spring 2024, please see the booking periods below. The deadline to book your spring recital is March 7.
- Oct. 30-November 3: Priority booking for seniors with a degree requirement (registered in MUSO 4970)
- Nov. 4-5: Priority booking for seniors with an elective recital
- Nov. 6-7: Priority booking for juniors with a degree requirement (registered in MUSO 3970)
- Nov. 8: Schedule opens to all student solo and chamber ensemble recitals. Required recitals get priority over elective recitals.
- Deadline for booking a Spring 2025 recital: March 7
Recital Time Slots
To avoid conflicts, recitals must fit into specific time slots. Exceptions will only be made if a previously scheduled event conflicts with the time slot. Please check the most current schedules for Turner Hall and Choral Hall before booking a recital time. These are updated frequently, so please check back.
Turner Hall
Recital Time Slots for Turner Hall.
Saturday and Sunday Recitals
- 12:30-2:30 p.m., with recital starting at 1 p.m.
- 2:30-4:30 p.m., with recital starting at 3 p.m.
- 5:30-7:30 p.m., with recital starting at 6 p.m.
- 7:30-9:30 p.m., with recital starting at 8 p.m.
Weekday Recitals
- 7:30-9:30 p.m., with recital starting at 8 p.m.
Choral Hall
Recital Time Slots for Choral Hall.
Saturday and Sunday Recitals
- 1:30-3:30 p.m., with recital starting at 2 p.m.
- 3:30-5:30 p.m., with recital starting at 4 p.m.
- 6:30-8:30 p.m., with recital starting at 7 p.m.
Weekday Recitals
- 6:30-8:30 p.m., with recital starting at 7 p.m.
Recital Booking Policies
Students may book a two-hour block of time to complete their recital; this includes set-up, actual performance time and tear-down. Students are encouraged to limit their program time to 60 minutes, including set changes and intermission. Programs may NOT exceed 70 minutes (including breaks) Please plan your program accordingly.Students who wish to book a recital must fill out a request form and turn it into the Events Coordinator. You may download this form. If you have questions about the form or your major professor believes you will need additional time for your recital program, contact the Events Coordinator immediately for additional instructions. Students are encouraged to use the suggested “recital start” as their start time. All programs must be finished no later than 15 minutes prior to the end of the two-hour time slot to allow the technical staff to prepare for the next recital..
Joint Recitals
Joint recitals are encouraged for two students who each have a program that is 30 minutes or less. Only one Recital Request Form needs to be turned in. However, if each student has a different teacher both teachers will need to sign the form. Please note if this is not a required recital it must take place in Choral Hall unless both students are seniors.
Dress Rehearsals
Once you have received your recital date from the Blair Registrar, book your dress rehearsal time through the EMS website. Please note that students are allowed up to two hours of rehearsal time in the performance hall as available. Technical staff is not automatically assigned to rehearsals. If your rehearsal requires technical assistance you must request this through the Technical Director.
Canceling or Rescheduling a Recital
Students are expected to check the availability of their professors, assisting artists and family members prior to booking a recital. The student is allowed to reschedule a recital one time, and the rescheduling must be requested by the professor. Please remember, time in the halls books up quickly. If you are completely prepared prior to submitting your recital request form, you’ll have the best chance of securing your preferred date and time. If a student who is booked in Turner Hall reschedules the recital within a month of the scheduled recital date without a legitimate reason, it is not guaranteed that another date in Turner will be available.
Legitimate Reasons for Rescheduling a Recital
- Illness or injury (with a doctor’s note)
- Family emergency
- Act of God
NOT Legitimate Reasons for Rescheduling a Recital
- The program isn’t ready
- The student failed the recital hearing
- Schedule conflicts
- Problems with assisting artists
If a student does need to cancel a recital, he or she must contact the Events Coordinator immediately. Hall time is limited, and there may be a student waiting for that time slot to open up. If two students wish to swap assigned hall time, the trade must be agreed to by both students and their professors and approved by the Events Coordinator prior to being processed.
Pre-Recital Hearing
All students (except composition) giving required recitals and any student who wishes to give a recital in the Blair building must pass a hearing, held at least three weeks before the recital. After establishing a recital date, the student and their instructor will assemble a recital hearing committee, consisting of two additional faculty members, one of whom must be from outside the student’s performing area. For musical arts and teacher education students, the committee will normally consist of the studio instructor, a teacher education faculty member, and at least one additional faculty member. For non-required, non-credit recitals, the hearing committee may be from within the department. For any recital involving a student’s second performing medium, a full-time faculty member from that department must be part of the hearing committee. The student and/or instructor must notify the recital hearing committee, in writing, of the hearing date, recital date, time and place. Senior composition recitals are screened in advance at the department level. For require junior or senior recital, the repertoire must encompass three major style periods, as appropriate to the medium; at least one work in a modern idiom must be included in either the junior or senior recital. The hearing committee should hear the entire recital repertoire. Grading of the hearing is on a Pass/Fail basis, with written faculty comments. If a student fails the hearing, another must be scheduled. Only two recital hearing in one semester is permitted. The student must print and have the Recital Hearing Form filled out by their Hearing Committee following their hearing. This form should then be emailed to Rachel Hobbs.
Hearing and Recital Committee
For recitals given for credit, the recital committee is the same as the hearing committee whenever possible. The final grade is a composite of those of the committee members, with the instructor’s grade valued at 50 percent. Copies of the committee member’s grades are kept by the instructor. Recitals not given for credit are not graded; they involve a hearing committee but not a recital committee.
Technical & Program Information
Tech Info: You are required to submit your tech form four weeks prior to your recital
Program: Your program information must be submitted online three weeks prior to your recital. All degree recitals MUST have their programs formatted by the school.
Additional Bookings: You can book your hearing and rehearsal with EMS.
Reception Information: The designated reception area for events in Turner Hall and Choral Hall is the “family seating area” just outside the first-floor practice rooms. Please consult the EMS schedule for the day of your event to see if other receptions will precede or follow your event and accordingly so that no recitals are disturbed. No alcohol may be served at any student recital reception.
Piano and Harpsichord Tuning (coming soon)
Additional Booking Information
- Student Reservation Services
- Student Recital Booking Information
- Student Recital Handbook
- Reserving a Practice Room
- Recording Services
- Friday Student Recital
- EMS
- Facilities