Music Academy of the West

2025 SUMMER SCHOOL & FESTIVAL

JUNE 14 - AUGUST 10
Santa Barbara, CA
Full scholarship: FREE tuition, single-room accommodations, and 3 daily meals

APPLICATION DEADLINES: all deadlines at 11:59 PM Pacific

• Lehrer Vocal Institute: October 15, 2024                 APPLICATIONS CLOSED
• Collaborative Piano Program: January 10, 2025     APPLICATIONS CLOSED
• Instrumental Program: February 5, 2025                 APPLICATIONS CLOSED
• Solo Piano Program: February 5, 2025                   APPLICATIONS CLOSED
• Emerging Artists String Quartet: February 5, 2025   APPLICATIONS CLOSED

AUDITION PROCESS:

Select your program/studio in the application menu to the left to view audition repertoire and begin your application. See audition process by program below:

• Instrumental: Video Upload auditions
• Emerging Artist String Quartet: Video Upload auditions
• Solo Piano: Video Upload auditions
• Collaborative Piano: Live auditions
  • New York City: January 25 & 26
  • Los Angeles: February 1 
• Lehrer Vocal Institute:
  • Voice & Vocal Piano: Pre-screening Recording Round followed by Invitation-Only Live Final Round on the following dates:
    • New York City: November 17, 18, 19, 2024
    • San Francisco: November 21, 2024
    • Houston: November 23, 2024
  • Directing Fellow: Pre-screening Round followed by Invitation-Only Virtual Interview Final Round

PROGRAMS OF STUDY & ENROLLMENT POSITIONS:

• Instrumental Program (95 fellows)
• Emerging Artists String Quartet (4 fellows) *4-week residency
• Solo Piano (6 fellows)  
• Collaborative Piano (9 fellows)  
• Lehrer Vocal Institute
  
  • Voice (up to 20 fellows + 8 studio artists) 
  • Vocal Piano (up to 6 fellows + 1 studio artist)
  • Directing Fellow (1 fellow) 

AGE REQUIREMENTS: 

• Minimum age for enrollment: 18
• Maximum age for enrollment: 34 (28 for string players, with the exception of Emerging Artist String Quartet age max of 34)

THE MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST EXPERIENCE:
Do what you love in a beautiful place surrounded by people who truly care about you!

The Music Academy is among the world's top summer programs for extraordinary classically-trained musicians. At its ocean-side campus in beautiful Santa Barbara, musicians enjoy numerous training and performance opportunities and mentorship both on and off stage, furthering their goals to be not just great musicians, but great leaders and artists of impact. All just steps from the beach.

The Summer Festival presents over 120 public events over eight weeks, attended by nearly 40,000 audience members.

TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES:

World-class training, individualized instruction, and frequent performances under the guidance of more than 50 internationally renowned teaching artists and guest conductors

• Weekly private lessons
• Weekly public masterclasses and/or studio classes
• Orchestra including 4 full orchestra concerts, plus a chamber orchestra
• Chamber Music
• String Quartet Seminar led by the Takacs Quartet
• Solo Recitals
• String Leadership Program (for all string studios) led by Glenn Dicterow
• New! Emerging Artists String Quartet: 4-week residency 
• Fully-staged opera: Mozart's Don Giovanni (2025 production, performed in Italian)
• Lehrer Vocal Institute opera scenes, chamber music, contemporary music, a creative project, and song competition
• Lehrer Vocal Institute Studio Artists: three-week intensive residency Weeks 4-6 including opera chorus,curated public performance, lessons, coachings and studio classes (up to 9 studio artists selected in addition to the 27 LVI fellows who participate in the full eight-week program).

• Marilyn Horne Song Competition for Voice and Vocal Piano Fellows
• Duo Competition for Instrumental and Collaborative Piano Fellows 
• Solo Piano Competition

• Wellness Program: Alexander Technique, personal counseling, and performance medicine
• Community Engagement: fellows and audiences socialize throughout the summer via the "Compeer Program" so every fellow has a fun and meaningful connection to the Santa Barbara community
• Santa Barbara life and culture: enjoy Santa Barbara's beautiful beaches, vibrant shops & restaurants, cultural festivities, and more
• Career Development:
  • Weekly seminars with industry leaders
  • Alumni Enterprise & Performance Awards including cash grants 

APPLICATION FEE:

Application Fee: $50 (non-refundable)
Application fee assistance available for those with financial hardship. Contact admissions@musicacademy.org

• Arrivals: Saturday, June 14
• Departures: Sunday, August 10

• String Quartet Seminar and Emerging Artist String Quartet fellows arrive Monday, June 9
• Vocal Piano fellows arrive Wednesday, June 11

WANT TO LEARN MORE OR HAVE QUESTIONS?

To receive email announcements regarding the 2025 Summer Festival SIGN UP HERE!

Questions: email admissions@musicacademy.org or visit musicacademy.org/admissions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: When are admission results released?
A: Lehrer Vocal Institute admissions results will be released in early December. Instrumental, collaborative piano, and solo piano admissions results are released in early March

Q: Are there any enrollment fees?
A: Music Academy is a full scholarship program including FREE tuition, housing, and meals.
Refundable $200 Security Deposit due at the time of enrollment. Participants must also cover their own travel expenses to/from Santa Barbara.

Q: Are recommendation letters required?
A: No

Q: Can alumni reapply?
A: Yes! Enrollment is limited to a maximum of three summers for all studios. Participation in the 2020 online Festival (MARLI) does not count as one of the summers.

Q: Can I apply to more than one program of study?
A: Yes! An application and application fee is required for each individual program. Should you be accepted into two programs, you would need to select one in which to enroll.

Q: Can international students apply?
A: Yes! All instruction and communication at the Music Academy is offered in English. A basic understanding of written and spoken English is expected of program participants. International students do not need any special documentation to accompany the application. If enrolled, international students must have an United States F-1 student visa and Form I-20 (certificate of non-immigrant student status) or OPT (optional practical training) status covering the summer festival dates. Canadians are visa exempt but still must have Form I-20. US permanent residents must simply provide a copy of the permanent resident card if enrolled. Music Academy staff will help guide international students through the visa process and can issue Form I-20 to those not already enrolled in a US program, but all visa documents and fees are the student’s responsibility. If an international student is graduating from a US school prior to the Music Academy program, the student’s I-20 may be transferred to the Music Academy.

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