Festival String and Vocal Fellowship Auditions
Applications for the 2026 String & Vocal Fellowship are now closed. 2027 audition dates will be announced in Fall 2026.
The Grant Park Music Festival welcomes violinists, violists, cellists, and singers of all voice types to apply to the String and Vocal Fellowship programs, designed for emerging 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.
June 9 - August 1, 2026
Open to violinists, violists, & cellists
- Perform with the Grant Park Orchestra, featuring musicians from some the nation’s finest orchestras
- Perform as a string quartet at beautiful locations around Chicago
- Receive coachings from Festival artistic leadership and Grant Park musicians
- Participate in masterclasses and professional development opportunities
- Includes a minimum stipend of $8,000
Applications accepted: November 15, 2025 - February 14, 2026
Live audition date: March 23, 2026
Live audition location: Choral Hall at Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago, IL
Travel assistance of up to $250 for candidates traveling long-distance.
July 21 - August 15, 2026
Open to singers of all voice types
- Perform with the Grant Park Orchestra & Chorus
- Perform as a vocal quartet at beautiful locations around Chicago
- Receive coachings from Festival artistic leadership and Grant Park musicians
- Participate in masterclasses and professional development opportunities
- Includes a minimum stipend of $4,000
Applications accepted: November 15, 2025 - January 15, 2026
Live audition date: February 23, 2026
Live audition location: Choral Hall at Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago, IL
Travel assistance of up to $250 for candidates traveling long-distance.
If you have any questions, please email Amelia Sie at [email protected].
The Grant Park Music Festival's String and Vocal Fellowships provide opportunities for emerging professional musicians to perform with the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra and Chorus at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, perform chamber music concerts in neighborhoods throughout Chicago, take weekly lessons from musicians of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, participate in master classes with world renowned artists, and participate in numerous professional and career development sessions. Fellows will have access to the Festival's artistic leadership, including artistic director Giancarlo Guerrero and chorus director Christopher Bell. Fellows will also have invaluable networking opportunities with Festival guest artists and musicians of the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, who perform with such orchestras as the Detroit, North Carolina, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Utah Symphonies, the Lyric Opera Orchestra, and the choruses of the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera.
