Opportunities
Please only apply for either the Filene Artist, Fellowship OR the Studio Artists tier of the Company. If we feel you are more competitive for a different tier, we will notify you.
If you are unsure which tier is best for you, please refer to https://www.wolftrap.org/opera/audition/
2026-2027 SEASON INFORMATION
Program Dates
May 18, 2027 – August 20, 2027*
The residency program is typically conducted during this period.
*We do not set exact program dates until we hear auditions, decide on repertoire and embark on casting. Rehearsals will begin in mid/late May, and performances may last through the final week of August. Studio Artists, Fellows and Apprentices are required to be in residence for the entire season.
Repertoire
Each season’s repertoire is selected in late autumn, based on the artists heard in the annual tour.
Program Information
Coaching Fellows’ summers are structured according to individual strengths and needs. This typically includes serving as rehearsal pianist for one or more productions, providing artist coaching as needed, running supertitle translations during performances, and coaching and playing scenes programs.
Directing Fellows serve as Assistant Directors for WTO productions at The Barns and the Filene Center. Other assignments may include private dramatic coaching, directing scenes programs, and developing other projects.
Fellow candidates are currently involved in or have recently finished graduate degree programs or young artist training programs.
Candidates who are already regularly working professionally are typically beyond the scope of this program.
Eligibility & Restrictions:
There is no age limit to apply.
You must either be a US citizen or be authorized to work in the United States through the end of August 2027. Wolf Trap Opera cannot sponsor visas.
Compensation
Payment is provided
Last season, the weekly stipend all Fellows was $775
All Fellows receive a travel stipend of $425
Housing
Housing is provided at no expense to all artists. The average housing situation is located 5-10 miles away from our rehearsal and performance facilities. Wolf Trap is unable to assume responsibility for housing spouses, partners, or pets.
Transportation
All Artists MUST provide their own local transportation. Wolf Trap does not provide a local transportation stipend.
Wolf Trap is located in the nation's only National Park for the Performing Arts in the Northern Virginia suburbs, where both public transportation and sidewalks are inconsistent, and housing assignments are often several miles away from our rehearsal and performance facility. You will need to have a car or make other arrangements to navigate the area.
Contact Information
Reach WTO at:
703.255.1935
opera@wolftrap.org
1645 Trap Road, Vienna, VA 22182
APPLICATION INFORMATION
There is no fee to apply to Wolf Trap Opera.
Required Materials:
Completed Stagetime Profile
- Name
- Voice Type
- Citizenship / Work Authorization (in "Main Info")
- Headshot
- Biography
- Education & Training
- Upcoming & Recent Credits (listed in "Schedule")
- Resume
Prescreening Repertoire Requirements:
There are no prescreening requirements for Fellows.
AUDITION INFORMATION
Fellow Audition Repertoire Requirements:
DIRECTORS: If you are selected for an interview, you will be asked to submit a personal statement and a production proposal.
You will be scheduled for an interview via zoom in November. Please prepare a proposal for a new production of the opera of your choice for one of our two theaters, The Barns (400 seats) or The Filene Center (7,000 seats) for discussion during your interview. Please include: your overarching concept, including inspiration and historical context: your design team and what they bring to the project; and why you chose this particular project for Wolf Trap Opera.
COACHES: Be prepared to play and sing a selection from each of the categories below.
I. SECCO RECIT — Mozart
A recitative in Italian with at least two characters and at least two pages in length.
II. MOZART
Prepare (sing and play) one of the following:
2. Così fan tutte — Act I Finale from the entrance of Despina and Don Alfonso (Scene XVI, Allegro) until the end of the act
3. Don Giovanni — Act I Finale from Allegro 6/8, "Riposate, vezzose ragazze" until the end of the act
4. Don Giovanni — Act II Sextet, "Sola, sola in buio loco"
III. ROMANTIC / CONDUCTING
Prepare (sing and play):
1. Puccini: La bohème — "Che gelida manina" and "Mi chiamano Mimi"IV. FRENCH
Prepare (sing and play) one of the following:
1. Bizet: Carmen — Act I, #15 Quintet, "Nous avons en tête une affaire"OR
2. Bizet: Carmen — Act II, #20 Trio, "Mêlons! - Coupons!"
V. Choose from one of the following categories
20th/21st CENTURY
Prepare (sing and play) one of the following:
2. Britten: A Midsummer Night's Dream — Quartet, Rehearsal 70 to Rehearsal 87
3. Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress — "No Word from Tom... I go, I go to him!"
OR
4. An operatic excerpt in English, no longer than 5 minutes in length, taken from a work written in or after 1970.
VI. Sightreading
Coaches may be asked to sightread both solo and accompanying a singer.
Please bring to these printed materials your audition:
5 copies of your résumé
Do not bring a headshot or any additional promotional materials (bios, recordings, press clippings).
Timeline:
Initial Notification
COACHES: Approximately 3 weeks before the requested audition date you will be notified by email as to whether or not you have been scheduled for an audition. If you do not hear from us, and it is 3 weeks before your requested date, contact us at opera@wolftrap.org or (571) 348-3564.
DIRECTORS: Directing Fellows who are invited to interview should be contacted by the appropriate date (October 1 or October 15) to prepare materials and schedule a Zoom interview.