Fellowships
To edit or add fellowships, please email Andre@SphinxMusic.org
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The Conductor Diversity Fellow will participate in a two-year paid fellowship providing a challenging and professional work experience with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. They will participate in structured training and professional development while learning to integrate with the artistic team. The Fellow will gain invaluable work experience through a scaffolded program that supports their learning and development. The successful candidate must have a thorough knowledge of orchestral repertoire along with a passion for classical music and the ability to develop imaginative programming that cultivates music appreciation for all ages.
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The Orchestral Fellowship employs up to five string musicians from a national audition for up to two full seasons, as members of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra via participation in all applicable services and performances. Participating fellows perform in the CSO’s Masterworks Series, Pops Series, Education & Community Engagement Programs, in addition to engagement with members of the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra.
All fellows are compensated according to the standard CSO per-service scale, in addition to travel compensation and per diem. Charleston-area residence is not required. Housing is provided to fellows residing outside of Charleston during service and concert weeks. There will be additional dates added for enrichment workshops and mock auditions and more service opportunities throughout the season. Fellows must be present for 7 of the 8 Masterworks series performances to be in good standing of the fellowship program.
Participation in other fellowships or membership within other orchestras will not preclude anyone from candidacy or participation.
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The Freeman Fellowship program (formerly Project Inclusion) is Chicago Sinfonietta’s groundbreaking program where talent and mentorship converge to develop diverse conductors and administrators on and off-stage. What was created by Sinfonietta’s founder Paul Freeman to help eliminate institutional bias due to factors such as ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status has since broadened to tackle matters of diversity and inclusion from every angle. Today, we offer three multifaceted, professional development fellowships to conductors, arts administrators, and composers.
Chicago Sinfonietta is dedicated to changing the face of classical music; Freeman Fellowships help make this change possible. -
The CSO Fellowship Program is open to outstanding early-career string players (violin and cello) who are attending or have graduated from college, university or conservatory and have overcome adversity (e.g. financial hardship, professional setback, cultural barriers, and discrimination) in their path to the performing arts. CSO Fellows will rehearse and perform in a major symphony orchestra setting, work with top conductors and receive training and mentorship from CSO musicians. The program’s objective is to help early career musicians become better equipped to win auditions with top U.S. orchestras, including the CSO.
The CSO Fellowship Program launched in the 2022/23 Season and is the latest initiative that assists early-career musicians from all backgrounds that have overcome adversity (e.g. financial hardship, professional setback, cultural barriers and discrimination) as they seek a career in classical-music performance.
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The CSO Resident Fellowship is an excellence-based training program for superb early-career/post-graduate symphonic musicians who have demonstrated commitment to access and inclusion of underserved populations in the arts, learning, and civic leadership. The goal of the Resident Fellowship Program is to increase representation on the stage by preparing these musicians for success in national auditions for major professional symphonic orchestras.
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Since 1990, the DSO’s African American Orchestra Fellowship offers instrumentalists professional experience designed to enhance the career development of African American musicians. Fellows perform in the orchestra, work closely with coaches and mentors, participate in mock auditions, and represent the DSO in the community. The AAOF is offered for one season, with possible renewal for a second.
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The FSO Fellowship Program encourages greater racial and cultural diversity in the orchestra field by helping to provide meaningful opportunities for talented minority musicians to achieve their full potential. Open to higher education level string students or those who have graduated in the last academic year (violin, viola, cello, and double bass), the FSO Fellowship supports musical development and helps advance careers.
Up to five Fellows are selected for this one-year program focusing on artistic excellence, career development, immersive mentorship, and performance opportunities. At the conclusion of the season, Fellows will have a wide variety of experiences on which to draw to help guide their music careers. -
The Festival String and Vocal Fellowship is a unique training opportunity for emerging artists as they pursue successful careers in the field. It is designed for early-career professional musicians from populations historically underrepresented in American symphony orchestras and symphonic choruses, including but not limited to underrepresented racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic groups, who are attending or have graduated from a college, university or conservatory level music program.
Each year, outstanding young musicians are hand-selected by the Festival to rehearse and perform within the ranks of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, and receive one-on-one mentoring from seasoned professionals. Performing in parks and community centers around the city, the Festival Fellows serve as an integral part of the Festival's summer lineup. They provide musical demonstrations within the Classical Campers program, participate as members of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, perform throughout the city via the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks program, and gain valuable experience in public speaking, ensemble work, and the management of a busy music career.
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The Iris Artist Fellowship is a ten-month, full-time residency with Iris Collective in Memphis, TN, designed for emerging Black, African American, and Latinx violinists, violists, and cellists who want to build meaningful, community-centered careers in classical music. Fellows receive hands-on training in teaching artistry, chamber music, youth development, arts in health, and community engagement while performing with Iris Collective, collaborating with guest artists and local organizations, and working directly in schools and community programs across Greater Memphis. Through coaching, professional development, and in-the-field experience, fellows grow as adaptable artists who use music to support confidence, wellness, empowerment, and positive change in communities.
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Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Fellowship is a multi-year program sponsored by Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) that engages members of historically underrepresented groups in western classical music ensembles with work for hire and professional development opportunities.
The LACO Fellowship began in 2017 and is comprised of several mutually agreeable weeks of work with LACO consisting of orchestral services, chamber music coaching and concerts, mentorship sessions, a recital, mock auditions, and teaching artist opportunities through LACO’s Meet the Music initiatives and with ICYOLA. There is a $5500.00 annual minimum guarantee, and the program does not require the musicians to live in Los Angeles. Should a candidate choose to reside outside of LA County, LACO will provide travel and housing for the weeks in which the fellow is a resident artist. The LACO Fellowship also provides financial support for participating musicians to take auditions and accept work with other orchestras. Fellows are compensated under the LACO CBA and are required to join the AFM as part of the program with any associated costs covered by LACO. -
Designed to support up to five early-career symphonic musicians representing or serving historically underrepresented populations, this paid LA Phil fellowship focuses on artistic excellence, career development, and immersive orchestra mentorship through a 1-3 year appointment as a musician playing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
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The Minnesota Orchestra Fellowship is an ongoing program of two-year residencies for emerging professional orchestral musicians from diverse backgrounds early in their careers. The Fellowship is generously supported by Rosemary and David Good, and Margee and Will Bracken.
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The NAC Orchestra Mentorship Program is a three-week one-on-one professional development opportunity for emerging and early-career international orchestral musicians, conductors, and administrators in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. Each instrumental participant will be paired with an NAC Orchestra musician for the duration of the program, with whom they will share a desk during rehearsals and performances of two main-series public concert programs under the baton of the NAC’s Music Director. Career-enhancing and networking events fill in the schedule and participants make lasting bonds with each other and the members of the NAC Orchestra.
International orchestral instrumentalists, conductors, librarians, and orchestra personnel managers are invited to apply.
Most expenses are covered and each participant receives an honorarium. -
The National Orchestral Institute + Festival (NOI+F) in partnership with the National Philharmonic and The Sphinx Organization offer a fellowship and residency program that combines arts administration, orchestral performance, music curation and community engagement. Building on NOI+F’s existing Orchestral Futurist Fellowship, the National Philharmonic offers each fellow the opportunity to expand their work into a second year through a professional residency with the National Philharmonic.
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The New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s Harmony Fellowship for Underrepresented Musicians is a two-year Fellowship program for promising, diverse violinists, violists, cellists, and double bassists pursuing an orchestral career. The NHSO strongly encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds including but not limited to diverse racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and geographic backgrounds that are traditionally under-represented in orchestras. Fellows will rehearse and perform with the orchestra and receive other career development benefits including mentoring and audition preparation, as well as Education/Community Engagement training with supervised experiences.
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The New Jersey Symphony Colton Fellowships are excellence-based programs designed to support early-career musicians and conductors representing populations that bring perspectives not typically represented in professional orchestras. These initiatives continue the New Jersey Symphony’s commitment to promoting equitable creative excellence that is accessible across the unique communities of New Jersey.
New Jersey Symphony Colton Orchestral Fellowship
The Colton Orchestral Fellowship supports up to two fellows per year to participate in New Jersey Symphony performances, receive mentorship and engage with the community. For the 2025–26 season, the Colton Orchestral Fellowship is held by cellist Angelique Montes and violinist Thierry de Lucas Neves.
The application window for the 2026–27 Colton Orchestral Fellowship has passed. The new Colton Orchestral Fellows for the upcoming season will be announced later this year.
New Jersey Symphony Colton Conducting Fellowship
The Colton Conducting Fellowship is an excellence-based program designed to support early-career orchestral conductors whose personal backgrounds and lived experiences bring perspectives not typically represented in professional orchestras. The selected fellow will work under the Music Director, serving as cover conductor on Classical programs and conducting select programs as assigned. For the 2025–26 season, the Colton Conducting Fellowship is held by Gregory D. McDaniel.
The application window for the 2026–27 Colton Conducting Fellowship has passed. The new Colton Conducting Fellow for the upcoming season will be announced later this year.
To be considered for these Fellowships, eligible candidates must submit an application. Invited candidates will display artistic excellence through an audition and discuss their commitment to promoting equitable creative excellence that is accessible across the unique communities of New Jersey during a short interview.
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The Paul J. Ross Fellowship Program is a two-year program named in honor of the late Paul J. Ross, the violinist who, in 1965, was the first African American musician to receive a full-time contract from the Pittsburgh Symphony. The legacy of Paul J. Ross is notable for nurturing, mentoring, and supporting young musicians, and his devotion to sharing his joy of music. The fellowship program was begun in the 2007-2008 season to promote professional training for musicians enabling the field to better reflect the communities and audiences that orchestras serve. Fellows work closely alongside members of the Pittsburgh Symphony to train and prepare for professional auditions and opportunities, with substantial financial and professional development support, and robust mentorship in a universally welcoming environment.
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The Stockton Symphony Fellowship Training program is a one-year program for promising violinist coming from diverse backgrounds who are pursuing an orchestral career. This program will offer those accepted 36 paid services, coaching sessions with section players, and access to Stockton Symphony players for mock auditions.
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SOZO Fellowship is a groundbreaking coaching program designed to equip full-time working, mid-career independent artists with sustainability and entrepreneurship training to reach new heights in their livelihood and creative endeavors. Using a holistic framework, Artists and Producers as Entrepreneurs and Changemakers (APEC), the program is facilitated in collaboration with a group of experts from the Wellness, Finance, and Startup business world. By addressing systemic gaps in support for creative practitioners, we aim to unleash their fullest potential, enabling them to lead with their expansive vision.
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The Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s Fellowship Program for up to four early-career, underrepresented orchestral musicians is intended to advance the goal of increased diversity of orchestral musicians nationwide. This initiative is a continuation of the VSO’s commitment to creating extraordinary musical experiences with and for our entire community.
Fellows will perform as part of the VSO in over 100 services throughout eastern Virginia and engage in public school residencies and educational performances. Professional development opportunities, including private lessons and mentorship, will better equip Fellows to achieve in their careers as performers and educators. Through these activities, Fellows will receive 12 university-level course credits from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, according to each Fellow’s degree level: undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate course credit. For those Fellows at a post-graduate level, these 12 credits culminate in a Graduate Certificate in Music Performance.
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At WCM, we recognize that careers in music are often uniquely shaped by the artists- and while teaching often plays a part in that career, a focus on performing at a high level can sometimes leave little room for early-career musicians to gain practical opportunities in teaching.
The aims of this Fellowship in Teaching Artistry are to provide high-impact opportunities to teach and perform, particularly throughout underserved areas of Milwaukee and its historically excluded/marginalized communities, to provide career mentorship and guidance from teaching artists building a career for themselves that includes both teaching and performing, to provide a steady salary to ensure fellows can continue to grow as artists, and to encourage and facilitate connections in the greater Milwaukee arts community and beyond.