The deadline for applications for the 2025 season has passed.
Applications to the Spoleto Festival USA Chorus Fellowship are open August-September of each year.
The Spoleto Festival USA Chorus, led by Director of Choral Activities Joe Miller, is one of the leading ensembles of early career professional choristers in the United States. Performing as part of an internationally renowned, interdisciplinary performing arts festival, Fellows of the Chorus are engaged for myriad events across Spoleto’s 17 days in Charleston, SC.
Vocal Fellows perform major works in 1-3 choral performances across the Festival; perform as the chorus for Spoleto’s mainstage opera(s); and take part in special performance projects. Chorus Fellows may additionally be considered for cover roles for the operas depending on programming.
To succeed at and enjoy the broad scope and needs of the Festival, Vocal Fellows draw on versatile skill sets including choral performance, opera and other stage experience, and knowledge of diverse genres. In 2023, the Festival Chorus performed in a production of Vanessa by Samuel Barber, Handel’s Dixit Dominus, Purcell’s Te Deum Laudamus, and a mixed repertoire program featuring Tallis’s Spem in Allium. In 2024, Chorus members performed in the world premiere opera Ruinous Gods by Layale Chaker and Lisa Schlesinger, in Haydn’s The Creation, and in the long-standing Chorus Concert Series in local churches.
Weekly Salary:
- $600 for new fellows.
- $650 for returning fellows from the 2024 season.
Travel Stipend (for those residing outside Charleston, SC):
- $150 for 50–499 miles traveled.
- $250 for 500–999 miles traveled.
- $350 for 1,000+ miles traveled.
Housing Options (for those residing outside Charleston, SC):
- Free dormitory housing at the College of Charleston with shared living spaces, shared bathrooms, and a communal kitchen and social space.
- OR a one-time housing stipend of $40 per workday (must reside outside Charleston, SC and not use Festival-provided housing).
Fellows must:
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- Be able to pass and maintain a clear background check.
- Be available to reside in Charleston and attend rehearsals on a dynamic schedule for the entire period of residency (contract lengths vary, but could start as early as mid-May and end as late as June 8, 2025).
- Rehearse for and perform in chorus concerts, staged and costumed operas, and/or other special projects as assigned.
- Be authorized to work in the U.S. either independently (through citizenship status, green card, etc.) or through Student Visa CPT approval from a current school by April 15, 2025.
- Note that OPT approval timelines are often difficult for those graduating in the spring, so consult your school’s international student services officer for feasibility of OPT.
- Note that Spoleto Festival USA is unable to sponsor work visas and is unable to support those without work authorization.
*Please note that ALL past fellows must re-apply as there are no re-invitations without application.
For questions, contact Philip Snyder, Associate Producer at [email protected]
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Application Details
Application Fee: FREE
Prescreening Notifications: early October
Pre-screening requirements:
Applicants will submit the following through the application:
- Links to videos of 2 contrasting works.
- One work in English
- One work in a language other than English
- At least one selection must be an aria from an opera or oratorio
- OPTIONAL: you may additionally provide a third selection that represents a musical style or genre outside of your previous selections that is a part of your performance practice
- A resume showing both chorus and stage experience.
- A headshot used for casting assignments only.
Each work should be uploaded as a separate video. You may record each work as a separate video. Each video should be one unedited, continuous take (note that both works do not need to be from the same take, but each video should be unedited). For each video, do not combine multiple recording sessions or use audio enhancement such as reverb. Editing for video length and to combine audio and video (if, for example, you use an audio recorder for audio and your phone for video) is permitted as long as the resulting video is from a single take.
Links may be to YouTube videos (public or unlisted), Dropbox, Google Drive, or a similar filesharing service. Please label all videos with your full name and voice type before uploading and ensure that sharing permissions are set to allow anyone with the link to view them. For information about enabling sharing in various platforms, CLICK HERE.
Audition Locations
Locations may vary each year but usually include the following:
- Dallas, TX
- New York, NY
- Charleston, SC
- Cincinnati, OH
- Recorded auditions
Audition Requirements and Notes:
Invitations to audition and assigned time slots will be issued in early October based on review of each applicant’s pre-screening materials. While in-person auditions are strongly preferred, applicants may request to submit a video audition if attending an in-person audition would cause undue burden.
In-Person Audition Requirements:
For the in-person audition, each applicant will prepare 3-5 selections and should expect to sing 2-3 of them at the audition.
- At least one selection in English
- At least one selection in a language other than English
- At least one aria from an opera or an oratorio
- Sight singing
In-person auditions will be accompanied: a pianist will be provided at no cost to the applicant, but applicants may engage and coordinate for an outside pianist at their own cost if preferred. Rehearsal in advance of the audition with the Spoleto-provided pianist is not possible.
Video Audition Requirements:
Applicants will be asked to submit video recordings of 3 works plus a “sing and play” excerpt that will be sent with the video audition invitation. Video auditions will be due November 1, 2025 at 11:59PM Eastern Time.
- At least one selection in English
- At least one selection in a language other than English
- At least one aria from an opera or an oratorio
- A “sing and play” excerpt which will ask the applicant to play one line of a choral piece on piano while singing another part–details will be sent with the audition invitation
Applicants submitting a video audition must provide their own accompanist at their own cost. Videos from pre-screening may be submitted again as part of the video audition. Applicants must play piano for themselves on the “sing and play” excerpt.
Each work should be uploaded as a separate video. You may record each selection as a separate video. Each video should be one unedited, continuous take (note that both videos do not need to be from the same take). For each video, do not combine multiple recording sessions or use audio enhancement such as reverb. Editing for video length and to combine audio and video (if, for example, you use an audio recorder for audio and your phone for video) is permitted as long as the resulting video is from a single take.
All auditions are heard by Director of Chorus Activities Dr. Joe Miller, and a member of the Spoleto Festival USA staff.
For questions, contact Philip Snyder, Associate Producer at [email protected]
Spoleto Festival USA is an equal opportunity employer and committed to diversity in hiring. Equity is central to our culture, mission, and who we are as an arts organization. Spoleto Festival USA does not discriminate in employment on the basis of an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, hairstyles or hair texture, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, individuals with disabilities, pregnancy, parental status, marital status, military status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law. Our greatest strength comes from our ability to come together as unique individuals — come as you are and bring the best version of yourself.