Trinity Viola Diploma Exam: ATCL, LTCL and FTCL Guide

Trinity viola diplomas are performance-led recital exams. The candidate prepares a substantial programme, provides a written programme, and is assessed on both the playing and the planning of the recital.

This hub follows Trinity’s Classical Music Performance Diplomas syllabus and the 2026 Trinity viola diploma repertoire list. Before entering, always check Trinity’s latest syllabus, fees, dates, digital submission rules and programme approval requirements.

Trinity viola diploma route at a glance

Level	Standard	Performance duration	Assessment shape
ATCL	Level 4, comparable to a first-year undergraduate recital	32-38 minutes	Marked out of 100
LTCL	Level 6, comparable to a final-year undergraduate recital	37-43 minutes	Marked out of 100
FTCL	Level 7, comparable to a postgraduate recital	42-48 minutes	Approved or Not Approved

At ATCL and LTCL, the recital carries 96 marks and Programme & Planning carries 4 marks. At FTCL, there is no numerical mark; the exam is either Approved or Not Approved, and the written programme includes 1,200-1,600 words of programme notes.

Why Trinity can suit violists

The viola repertoire naturally crosses categories: Bach transcriptions, Classical sonatas and concertos, Romantic sonata writing, British viola repertoire, modern solo works, and works originally linked to violin or cello traditions. Trinity’s programme flexibility can suit this very well.

Candidates may use listed repertoire, a mixture of listed and own-choice repertoire, or a fully own-choice programme. Any programme with own-choice repertoire must be approved in advance, and the approval process considers the whole programme’s technical and musical level.

For a first post-Grade-8 diploma, ATCL viola is the natural starting point. The 2026 list includes Alwyn, Bach viola da gamba sonata movements, Bach Suite no.1 for solo cello, Blake, Bloch, Boccherini, Britten Lachrymae, Bruch Kol Nidrei, Dittersdorf, Glinka, Hummel, Jacob, Martinu, Milhaud, Schumann, Vaughan Williams and Weber.

LTCL viola raises the level with repertoire such as Bach cello suites, Bax, Berkeley, Biber, Bloch Suite Hebraique, Brahms sonatas, Bruch Romanze, Enescu, Hindemith, Hoffmeister, Holst, Martinu, Mozart, Reger, Schubert Arpeggione, Schumann, Stamitz, Vaughan Williams and Vieuxtemps.

FTCL viola is fellowship-level, with repertoire such as Bach solo violin sonatas or partitas, Bartok Concerto, Bax Sonata, Bowen Concerto, Clarke Sonata, Henze Serenade, Hindemith, Ligeti Sonata, Milhaud, Paganini, Penderecki, Schnittke, Shostakovich, Takemitsu, Walton and Wiesenberg.

Practical planning points

Requirement	Why it matters
Minimum two works	The recital needs contrast and shape
Exact timing window	Trinity is strict about minimum performance duration
Written programme	Programme details must be accurate; FTCL includes notes
Own-choice approval	Unlisted repertoire must be approved as a whole programme
Unaccompanied limit	Accompanied instrumentalists may normally use unaccompanied works for up to 40% of the programme duration

For Hong Kong violists, Trinity can be attractive because it rewards recital thinking. It allows a player to design a programme around the viola’s real identity instead of treating the exam as a narrow list of tests.

But that freedom requires taste. A good viola programme should avoid becoming one long dark sound-world. It needs articulation, space, line, colour, historical contrast and physical pacing.

Related viola pages

Page	Use it when
ATCL viola guide	You are planning a first Trinity viola diploma after Grade 8
LTCL viola guide	You are ready for a larger and more independent recital
FTCL viola guide	You are considering fellowship-level performance

The strongest Trinity viola programmes let the instrument’s middle voice become an artistic strength, not a compromise between violin and cello.