Coaching and Directing Fellowships - 2026
Restrictions
You must either be a U.S. citizen or be authorized to work in the United States through the end of August 2026.
Age Limit
No limit
How To Apply
Materials Required
Complete the online application. Please only apply for one tier of the program.
Fees: The application process is free.
Materials: Required materials include a headshot & resume.
Directing Fellows: If you are selected for an interview, you will be asked to submit a personal statement and a production proposal.
Audition Requirements
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:
1. Le nozze di Figaro - Act Il Finale from the entrance of Antonio (Scene X, Allegro molto) until the end of the act
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 Il Sextet "Sola, sola in buio loco"
III. ROMANTIC/CONDUCTING Prepare (sing and play):
1. Puccini: La bohème - Act I up until the entrance of Schaunard. You may be asked to follow a conductor for this excerpt.
IV. FRENCH
IV. Bizet: Carmen - Act I, #15 quintet "Nous avons en tête une affaire"
or Act II, #20 trio "Mêlons! - Coupons!'
V. Choose from one of the following categories
20th CENTURY
Prepare (sing and play) one of the following:
1. Poulenc: Les mamelles de Tirésias "Non, Monsieur mon mari" (Act I Scene I from figure 20 - figure 34)
2. Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos - Komponist's aria from from rehearsal 108 (Sehr lebhaft) until the end of the Prologue.
3. Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress - "No Word from Tom...I go, I go to him!"
OR
Wagner or Strauss: Please select 1, sung in German
a.Wagner: Die Walküre: "Siegmund heiss ich," Rehearsal 72A until the end of the Act
b Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier: "Wie du warst." Rehearsal 12 to 4 measures after Rehearsal 25
c. Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos: "Sein wir wider gut," Rehearsal 108 until the end of the Prologue
OR:
An operatic excerpt in English, no longer than 5 minutes in length, taken from a work written in or after 1970.
DIRECTORS: 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.
AUDITION MATERIALS Please bring to your audition:
5 copies of your résumé
Do not bring a headshot or any additional promotional materials (bios, CD’s, press clippings).
Opportunity Information
Location
Vienna, VA USA
Season Information
2025-2026
Each season’s repertoire is selected in late autumn, based on the artists heard in the annual tour.
Program Dates
May 18, 2026 - August 16, 2026
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.
Program Information
Singers are the most visible part of any opera company, but much important work happens behind the scenes. Wolf Trap Opera’s Fellowship track provides entry-level professional experience for future leaders in directing, coaching, and conducting.
Each Coaching Fellow’s summer is 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 the Studio Artist scenes program.
Directing Fellows serve as Assistant Directors for WTO productions at The Barns and the Filene Center. Other assignments may include private dramatic coachings, direction of the Studio Artist scenes program, and development of other projects.
Fellowship candidates are typically 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.
Compensation
Payment is provided
All Fellows receive a travel stipend of $400.
Last season, the weekly salary for all Filene Artists and Fellows was $750.
Housing
Fellows and Filene Artists are placed in executive housing or with volunteer housing hosts within reasonable commuting distance. 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 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