Opera Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Opera Foundation supports young American opera singers by funding their study with select European opera companies.
IP TAKE: The foundation seeks notably talented young American opera singers who place value on international study with some of the best in the world. It funds a handful of scholarships each year for study with renowned European opera companies. This is a transparent foundation; however, given an already small area of funding, this opportunity is competitive. The foundation welcomes contact, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Since it is not fully accessible, it will be important to contact the foundation to learn how to get on their radar.
PROFILE: Originally known as the American Berlin Opera Foundation when it was established in 1986, this entity, which grants scholarships to young American opera singers is now known simply as the Opera Foundation. The foundation seeks “to support young American singers abroad and build cross-cultural bridges between the United States and other important opera supporting countries.”
Grants for Music
In the years since its founding, the group has expanded its international partners. What started with one placement with Deutsche Oper Berlin (hence the foundation’s original name) expanded in 2008 to include Teatro Regio Torino (Italy). In 2012 the foundation added a third placement with Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich, Germany). Today, it includes a fourth placement, the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam.
The Opera Foundation makes grants for music through a scholarship opportunity that provides the “opportunity for young artists to participate in programs provided by one of (the Opera Foundation’s) six partnering opera houses.”
Scholarship recipients will travel to “Berlin, Munich, Madrid, Turin, Amsterdam and/or Vienna. The term of scholarship is typically 10-11 months starting in September.”
Each winner of a scholarship signs a “Letter Agreement with the Opera Foundation, which explains the terms of the scholarship: a stipend in the amount of US $16,000 and travel expenses of $6,000 to cover transportation.”
Important Grant Details:
Applications, usually due mid-fall (along with an application fee), are available by invitiation. Those who make the cut will need to attend a live performance audition in New York City.
Getting one of these scholarships is very competitive. The good news is, for those who succeed in winning a scholarship, the Opera Foundation’s program places great value on “the spirit of cultural exchange between the United States and beyond,” which is reflected in its partnerships with its three European partner opera companies—and the foundation is also looking to expand with new partnerships too.
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