Frequently Asked Questions
Answers for students, families and fellows about applying, the programs, cost and life at the festival. If your question is not here, ↳ email us
At a Glance
Applying as a fellow?
Your eligibility, stipend and housing are on each fellowship page.
↳ fellowships
Applying and Auditions
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Online, through Acceptd. You submit the application form and your video audition together, and pay the application fee there. The five steps are on our Apply page.
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No. Each applicant applies to one program per summer. If you are not sure which fits you best, email us before you apply.
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It depends on your instrument, not your program. Each instrument has its own solo and orchestral excerpt list: find yours under audition requirements by instrument. Fellowship applicants follow the requirements on their fellowship page, and conductors the Conducting Institute page.
↳ audition requirements by instrument
Fellows, please see:
Fellowship AuditionsConducting Applicants, please see:
Conducting Institute Application Requirements -
No. Video is required, and audio-only recordings are not accepted. Recordings that have been edited or enhanced are not accepted either, so record on good equipment and leave the take as it is.
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Acceptd takes the common video formats, including MP4, MOV, M4V, WEBM, AVI and WMV, along with PDF and Word documents and JPG or PNG images. The full list is on Apply.
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Yes, for every program. It is paid through Acceptd when you submit and is non-refundable. The current amount is on Apply.
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This season's deadline is on Apply. An application counts as complete only when both the form and the video are in, so leave time to upload.
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Decisions are made on a rolling basis, within four weeks of a complete application. Any scholarship award comes with your acceptance.
The Programs
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Who can apply? Students ages 14–24 apply to the Orchestral Program or the Piano Academy.
The Conducting Institute is for conductors 18 and older, and the fellowships are for musicians 22 and older.
↳ Orchestral Program
↳ Piano Academy
↳ Conducting Institute
↳ Fellowships -
Students train in the two Young Artists orchestras and pay tuition. Fellows are pre-professional musicians who play in the Eastern Festival Orchestra alongside the faculty, and they receive a stipend, housing and meals.
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Five weeks each summer, in residence on the Guilford College campus in Greensboro, North Carolina. This season's dates are on Apply.
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In the Orchestral Program, rehearsals run six days a week, and each Young Artists orchestra gives a full concert every week. Around them are private lessons, chamber music, master classes, seminars and workshops, and faculty concerts twice a week. Piano Academy students have private lessons, master classes, chamber music and regular solo and ensemble performances.
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Yes. Every student works privately with a member of the faculty.
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Seats rotate every week, so each player works through a range of orchestral roles over the summer. Some students also perform with the Eastern Festival Orchestra.
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Yes. Soloists are chosen from among the students through the Concerto Competition. Dates, rounds and other details are shared with participants during the festival.
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Principal players and section members of orchestras including The Florida Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony and the Naples Philharmonic, and conductors including Gerard Schwarz, José-Luis Novo and Grant Cooper. Meet them all on Faculty.
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Yes. Students may enroll in Alexander Technique lessons with Dr. Shawn Copeland, a certified teacher and Body Mapping educator. Enrollment is separate and places are limited.
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The Tindall Tuba Seminar is a separate week of intensive study with Aaron Tindall, Principal Tuba of the Naples Philharmonic, for ten performers plus auditors. It is open to professionals, college and graduate students, and exceptional high school players.
↳ Tindall Tuba Seminar