Music Academy of the West

2026 SUMMER SCHOOL & FESTIVAL

June 27 - August 9, 2026
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 10, 2025                 
• Collaborative Piano Program: January 15, 2026     
• Instrumental Program: February 5, 2026                 
• Solo Piano Program: February 5, 2026                   
• Emerging Artists String Quartet: February 5, 2026   

AUDITION PROCESS:

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

• Lehrer Vocal Institute:
  • Voice & Vocal Piano: Pre-screening Recording Round followed by Invitation-Only Live Final Round on the following dates:
    • Houston: Monday, November 10, 2025
    • San Francisco: Friday, November 14, 2025
    • New York City: Saturday - Monday, November 22-24, 2025
  • Directing Fellow: Pre-screening Round followed by Invitation-Only Virtual Interview Final Round
• Instrumental: Video Upload auditions
• Emerging Artist String Quartet: Video Upload auditions
• Solo Piano: Video Upload auditions
• Collaborative Piano: Live auditions
  • New York City: TBD
  • Los Angeles: TBD

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 the 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. Highlights include:

• Weekly private lessons
• Weekly public masterclasses and/or studio classes
• Orchestra including 4 full orchestra concerts, plus a chamber orchestra
• Chamber Music (instrumental and vocal)
• String Quartet Seminar led by the Takacs Quartet
• Solo Recitals
• String Leadership Program (for all string studios) 
• Emerging Artists String Quartet: 4-week residency 
• Fully-staged opera: Kevin Puts' Elizabeth Cree
• Opera Scenes

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

• Wellness Program: personal counseling, yoga, pilates, 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:

APPLICATION FEE:

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

• Arrivals: Saturday, June 27
• Departures: Sunday, August 9

WANT TO LEARN MORE OR HAVE QUESTIONS?

To receive email announcements regarding the 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 a 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 a 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.

For technical questions, please visit the Acceptd Help Desk.