FRSM Viola Guide: Fellowship-Level ABRSM Performance
How to approach FRSM viola performance, including the 50-minute recital, Written Submission, Viva Voce, Quick Study and repertoire planning.
FRSM viola is fellowship-level work. The candidate needs to present a mature recital, write critically about performance issues, and show that the programme is held together by real artistic judgement.
In the ABRSM Performance Diploma Syllabus 2022, FRSM Music Performance includes a recital of about 50 minutes, a Written Submission of about 4,500 words, a Viva Voce and a Quick Study. The usual prerequisite is LRSM Music Performance in the instrument, or an accepted substitution.
For the broader pathway, see the ABRSM viola diploma exam hub.
What makes FRSM different
| Area | FRSM expectation |
|---|---|
| Recital | A long, coherent programme at fellowship level |
| Written Submission | A researched study of performance issues connected with the recital |
| Viva Voce | Discussion of the submission, recital and wider performance thinking |
| Quick Study | High-level reading with control, tone and musical sense |
At this level, the candidate must sound significantly beyond LRSM. That does not only mean harder notes. It means stronger identity, sharper judgement and the ability to make a long viola programme compelling.
Repertoire direction
The FRSM viola list includes complete Bach cello suites in transcription, Brahms sonatas, Glinka, multiple Hindemith solo sonatas, Hoffmeister Concerto, Maconchy, Martinu Rhapsody Concerto, Milhaud, Patterson, Penderecki, Rainier, Reger, Schubert Arpeggione, Seiber, Shostakovich Sonata, Stamitz, Vaughan Williams and Walton.
This repertoire asks the violist to think carefully about scale. Bach can expose independence and inner pulse. Brahms asks for long-range harmonic and tonal control. Hindemith, Shostakovich, Walton and Martinu demand a more modern command of colour, rhythm and structure.
FRSM viola repertoire choices
| Composer | Repertoire choice |
|---|---|
| J.S. Bach | Cello Suite no.3 in C, BWV 1009: complete, trans. Forbes (Chester) |
| J.S. Bach | Cello Suite no.5 in C minor, BWV 1011: complete, trans. Forbes (Chester) |
| J.S. Bach | Cello Suite no.6 in G, BWV 1012: complete, trans. Forbes (Chester) |
| Brahms | Sonata in F minor, Op.120 no.1: complete (Wiener Urtext) |
| Brahms | Sonata in E-flat, Op.120 no.2: complete (Wiener Urtext) |
| Glinka | Sonata in D minor: complete (Musica Rara 1034) |
| Hindemith | Sonata for solo viola, Op.11 no.5: complete (Schott ED 1968) |
| Hindemith | Sonata for solo viola, Op.25 no.1: complete (Schott ED 1969) |
| Hindemith | Sonata for solo viola, Op.31 no.4: complete (Schott ED 8278) |
| Hindemith | Sonata for solo viola (1937): complete (Schott ED 8279) |
| Hoffmeister | Concerto in B-flat: complete with cadenza (Schott ED 11247) |
| Maconchy | 5 Sketches for solo viola: complete (Chester) |
| Martinu | Rhapsody Concerto: complete (Barenreiter BA 4316a) |
| Milhaud | Concerto no.2, Op.340: complete (Heugel) |
| Paul Patterson | Tides of Mananan for solo viola (Weinberger) |
| Krzysztof Penderecki | Cadenza for solo viola (Schott VAB 52) |
| Rainier | Sonata: complete (Schott ED 10410) |
| Reger | Suite in G minor: complete, no.1 from 3 Suites for solo viola, Op.131d (Peters EP 3971) |
| Schubert | Sonata in A minor “Arpeggione”, D.821, arr. Wrochem: complete (Barenreiter BA 5683) |
| Seiber | Elegie (Schott ED 10422) |
| Shostakovich | Sonata, Op.147: complete (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| C. Stamitz | Concerto in D, Op.1: any two movts, with cadenza where appropriate (Peters EP 3816a) |
| Vaughan Williams | Suite for Viola: Group 2 complete (OUP) |
| Vaughan Williams | Suite for Viola: Group 3 complete (OUP) |
| Walton | Concerto: complete (OUP) |
Written Submission
The FRSM Written Submission should explore idiomatic features and performance issues connected with the recital. It should not be a long version of Programme Notes. It should ask a focused question and use research to illuminate performance.
Possible viola topics include:
| Topic type | Example angle |
|---|---|
| Transcription and idiom | What changes when Bach cello suites are performed on viola |
| Instrumental colour | Register, resonance and bow weight in Brahms or Vaughan Williams |
| Modern viola language | How Hindemith or Shostakovich reshapes the instrument’s identity |
| Performance history | How recordings reveal changing approaches to tempo, vibrato or articulation |
| Ensemble role | How the viola’s chamber identity affects solo recital interpretation |
The strongest submissions usually grow from a real performance problem. If the writing helps the candidate play more intelligently, it is probably pointed in the right direction.
Recital pacing
A 50-minute viola recital needs more than beautiful sound. It needs relief, contrast, line and architecture. Too much dark lyricism can become heavy; too much solo intensity can become emotionally narrow. The programme should let the instrument speak in more than one register, one texture and one kind of time.
Candidates should record full runs long before the exam. Listen for pacing: where the ear becomes tired, where the programme needs brightness, where a pause should breathe, and where the physical demand may affect intonation or bow control.
Specialist and orchestral thinking
FRSM allows a substantial specialist option in suitable cases. For violists, the orchestral route can be musically meaningful because the instrument’s professional life is deeply connected to ensemble responsibility. The FRSM orchestral excerpt list includes major viola excerpts such as Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shostakovich Symphony no.5.
Only choose a specialist route if it strengthens the candidate’s profile. Fellowship level will reveal whether the option is genuinely inhabited.
Before entering
FRSM is worth waiting for. A candidate should enter when the programme has a clear artistic reason, the Written Submission is already sharpening interpretation, and full recital runs sound persuasive rather than merely possible.
Candidates still choosing between levels should compare LRSM viola before committing.
