Palm Beach Opera Benenson Young Artist and Bailey Apprentice Artist Auditions
The Benenson Young Artist Program of Palm Beach Opera is an opportunity for 8 emerging professional singers to gain valuable mainstage experience while benefiting from a rigorous training schedule under the guidance of an outstanding resident music staff and guest faculty. Participants are typically in their late 20s or early 30s, and are on the verge of launching their career as a principal artist.
The Cornelia T. Bailey Apprentice Artist Program of Palm Beach Opera is an opportunity for 10 recent graduates of universities and conservatories to continue building their experience in a professional setting through cover assignments and concert performances, while also benefiting from the same rigorous training schedule under the guidance of an outstanding resident music staff and guest faculty. Participants are typically in their mid-20s.
Each Young Artist will:
- Gain mainstage experience in supporting and comprimario roles
- Cover appropriate leading roles in mainstage productions
- Perform leading roles in a Resident Artist production
Each Apprentice Artist will:
- Perform in weekly Community Engagement concerts
- Cover appropriate supporting roles in mainstage productions
- Cover and sing leading and supporting roles in a Resident Artist production
- Sing in all mainstage production choruses
All Artists will:
- Perform arias/duets at promotional events and donor functions
- Perform concerts and recitals throughout the community
- Receive regular coaching with resident music staff
- Participate in residencies with visiting coaches, voice teachers, conductors, and directors
- Work with acclaimed guest artists in masterclasses
- Audition for managers and administrators who travel to Palm Beach for mainstage performances
- Receive career counseling from PBO’s experienced artistic staff
During recent seasons, the training curriculum has regularly included extended residencies with the following guest faculty:
- Stephen King, voice teacher
- Michael Paul, voice teacher
- Nova Thomas, voice teacher
- Craig Rutenberg, vocal coach
- Danielle Orlando, vocal coach
- David Stern, Chief Conductor
- Corradina Caporello, Italian diction coach
- Bénédicte Jourdois, French diction coach
- Marianne Barrett, German diction coach
- Kathryn LaBouff, English diction coach
- Ksenia Leletkina, Russian diction coach
- Paul Curran, acting coach
Participants also work daily with our resident music staff, including:
- Gregory Ritchey, Associate Conductor
- Ksenia Leletkina, Principal Coach
- Ben Malensek, Master Vocal Coach
- Katherine Kozak, Vocal Coach
PBO provides each Young Artist and Apprentice Artist with:
- Monthly stipend
- Shared fully-furnished apartment
- Round-trip travel
How to Apply
Palm Beach Opera will offer live auditions in New York on October 9-11, 2022. For singers who are unable to travel to NYC on those dates, we will offer a virtual audition option by video, which similar to previous seasons will be coordinated with other young artist programs. Steps are outlined below to guide your understanding of the audition process:
LIVE AUDITIONS
Step 1: Applications are due by Sunday, September 11.
Step 2: Notifications of live auditions will be sent by Friday, September 23.
Step 3: Live auditions will be held in New York from Sunday, October 9 through Tuesday, October 11.
VIDEO AUDITIONS
Step 1: Apply to each program as you normally would. Applications are due by Sunday, September 11.
Step 2: Notifications of video auditions will be sent by each company by Friday, October 7. This notification will contain a link to submit a new aria list.
Step 3: Submit your aria list (one list for all programs), indicating your chosen “starter” aria, by Tuesday, October 11.
Step 4: Notification of requested arias from your list (one request for all programs) will be uploaded to your YAP Tracker application on Wednesday, October 19.
Step 5: Record a new video audition and submit the video to each company via YAP Tracker by Friday, November 4.
For more information on the audition process, please contact James Barbato, Director of Artistic Administration, at jbarbato@pbopera.org.
Foreign Nationals
The PBO YAP is open to all young professionals regardless of nationality. Foreign nationals wishing to apply must either have a valid work visa to the United States for the entire period covering the program or must have already established themselves as a respected young professional artist in their native countries.