FTCL Violin Diploma Guide: Trinity Fellowship Recital
Trinity FTCL violin diploma requirements: 42-48 minute fellowship recital, programme notes, approval rules and 2026 repertoire choices.
FTCL violin is Trinity’s fellowship-level performance diploma. It is assessed as Approved or Not Approved rather than marked numerically, and the standard is described as comparable to a postgraduate recital at a conservatoire or university.
The recital duration is 42-48 minutes. The written programme must include programme notes on each piece, totalling 1,200-1,600 words overall. Trinity strongly advises FTCL candidates to have attained LTCL in the same subject or an equivalent qualification, even though the syllabus does not set a formal prerequisite.
For the broader route, see the Trinity violin diploma exam hub.
What makes FTCL different
| Area | FTCL expectation |
|---|---|
| Recital | A mature 42-48 minute fellowship-level performance |
| Programme notes | 1,200-1,600 words across the performed pieces |
| Assessment | Approved or Not Approved |
| Programme identity | Coherent, contrasting and artistically convincing as a whole |
FTCL is not a longer LTCL. The candidate needs to sound like a performer with a point of view. The programme notes should support that point of view by explaining musical and historical context, structure, form and significant musical elements.
Repertoire direction
The 2026 Trinity FTCL violin list points toward major repertoire: Bach solo sonatas or partitas, Barber Concerto, Bartok concertos and solo sonata, Bax Sonata no.1, Beethoven Concerto, Berg Concerto, Brahms Concerto, Britten Reveille, Bruch Concerto and Scottish Fantasy, Chausson Poeme, Dvorak Concerto, Elgar Concerto, Glazunov Concerto, Hindemith solo sonatas, Lutoslawski Partita and Subito, Mendelssohn Concerto, Paganini Caprices and other major concert repertoire.
A successful programme does not need to include the biggest possible work. It needs a convincing arc. One large concerto movement can dominate the recital unless the surrounding pieces are chosen with real care.
FTCL violin repertoire choices
| Composer | Repertoire choice | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Bach, J S | Any unaccompanied Sonata or Partita, BWV 1001-1006 | Peters |
| Barber | Concerto for Violin, op. 14 | Schirmer |
| Bartok | Concerto no. 1, op. posth. | Boosey |
| Bartok | Concerto no. 2, op. posth. | Boosey |
| Bartok | Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin | Boosey |
| Bax | Sonata no. 1 | Studio |
| Beethoven | Concerto in D, op. 61, 1st movt with cadenza | Henle |
| Berg | Concerto | Universal |
| Brahms | Concerto in D, op. 77, 1st movt with cadenza by Joachim | IMC |
| Britten | Reveille | Faber |
| Bruch | Concerto no. 1 in G minor, op. 26 | Peters |
| Bruch | Romance, op. 42 | Simrock |
| Bruch | Scottish Fantasy, op. 46, all 4 movts | any reliable edition |
| Chausson | Poeme, op. 25 | Schott |
| Dvorak | Concerto in A minor, op. 53 | Barenreiter |
| Elgar | Concerto in B minor, op. 61, 1st movt or last movt | Novello |
| Glazunov | Concerto in A minor, op. 82 | Belaieff |
| Hindemith | Solo Sonatas, op. 31, no. 1 or no. 2 | Schott |
| Kreisler | Tambourin Chinois, op. 3 | Fischer |
| Lutoslawski | Partita | Chester |
| Lutoslawski | Subito | Chester |
| Mendelssohn | Concerto in E minor, op. 64 | Peters |
| Mompou | Jeunes filles au jardin | Salabert |
| Paganini | Any of the 24 Capricci, op. 1, maximum of 2 | Henle |
| Penderecki | Cadenza for Solo Violin | Schott |
| Prokofiev | Concerto no. 1 in D, op. 19 | Boosey |
| Prokofiev | Concerto no. 2 in G minor, op. 63 | Boosey |
| Prokofiev | Sonata for Violin Solo, op. 115 | Sikorski |
| Ravel | Sonata | Durand |
| Ravel | Tzigane, Rhapsodie de concert | Durand |
| Reger | Solo Sonata, op. 42, book 1 no. 1 | any reliable edition |
| Sarasate | Carmen Fantasy | IMC |
| Schoenberg | Phantasy, op. 47 | Peters |
| Shostakovich | Four Preludes, op. 34 no. 10 | Sikorski |
| Sibelius | Concerto in D minor, op. 47 | Peters |
| Szymanowski | Any two of the 3 Myths, op. 30 | Universal |
| Szymanowski | La fontaine d’Arethuse, op. 30 no. 1 | Universal |
| Tartini | Sonata in G minor “Devil’s Trill”, B.g5 | any reliable edition |
| Tchaikovsky | Concerto in D, op. 35 | Peters |
| Vaughan Williams | The Lark Ascending | OUP |
| Walton | Sonata | OUP |
| Wieniawski | Concerto no. 2 in D minor, op. 22 | Peters |
| Wieniawski | Polonaise brillante in A, op. 21 | IMC |
| Wieniawski | Polonaise de concert in D, op. 4 | IMC |
| Wieniawski | Scherzo-tarantelle in G minor, op. 16 | Peters |
| Ysaye | Unaccompanied Sonata no. 3 or no. 5 | Henle |
Programme notes
FTCL programme notes should be accessible but substantial. They should not read like encyclopedia entries. For violinists, useful angles include:
| Topic area | Possible focus |
|---|---|
| Instrumental idiom | Bowing, register, double-stopping and solo writing |
| Form and rhetoric | How a concerto or sonata movement creates long-range tension |
| Historical style | Vibrato, articulation, tempo and cadenza decisions |
| Programme construction | Why these works belong in this order |
| Performance tradition | How familiar repertoire can still be personally argued |
The notes should help the examiner understand the programme as a recital. They should also help the candidate perform with clearer priorities.
Before entering
Record full runs before entry. A fellowship-level recital should survive a single continuous take. Listen for tonal fatigue, pacing problems, intonation drift and whether the programme still feels compelling after forty minutes.
If the performance is technically possible but artistically vague, wait. FTCL rewards maturity, not urgency.
Candidates still building toward this level should compare LTCL violin.
