STRING FELLOWS

Three string quartets and one bass player are eligible to join the Eastern Festival of Music (EFM) as part of our esteemed String Fellows program.


In this program, you’ll collaborate with exceptional musicians and will be guided by our renowned faculty. Fellows receive housing, meals, and a $1,000 stipend.



Outstanding musicians aged 22 and older are eligible to apply to this exclusive program. In addition to chamber music, fellows will perform with the Festival Orchestra and participate in the Repertory Orchestra, where conducting fellows lead the ensemble through festival repertoire. Performances include outreach concerts, a chamber recital, and full orchestral programs.

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS

Violin:

  • Recent recording of a major concerto or sonata (5 minutes). Piano accompaniment is optional.
  • Orchestral Excerpts
  1. Mozart: Symphony No. 39
  2. Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night’s Dream
  3. Brahms: Symphony No. 2

Viola:

  • Three minutes of the first movement from one of the following. Piano accompaniment is optional.
  1. Bartok – Concerto for Viola
  2. Hindemith – Der Schwanendreher
  3. Walton – Concerto for Viola
  • Orchestral Excerpts:
  1. Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
  2. Mozart: Symphony No. 35, Haffner
  3. Mendelssohn: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  4. R. Strauss: Don Juan

Cello:

  • Five minutes from a concerto of your choice. Piano accompaniment is optional.
  • One movement from a Bach Suite
  • Orchestral Excerpts:
  1. Mozart: Symphony No. 41
  2. Brahms: Symphony No. 2
  3. Beethoven: Symphony No. 5
  4. R. Strauss: Don Juan
  5. Mendelssohn: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  6. Letter N to Letter O (bars 296-323)

Double Bass:

  • First movement from a concerto of your choice. Piano accompaniment is optional.
  • One movement from a Bach Suite
  • Three standard orchestral excerpts of your choice.

COMPENSATION

$1,000 USD stipend
Room & Board (Guilford College housing & meal plan)

HOW TO APPLY

The deadline for receipt of completed applications and the audition recording is January 24, 2026.

  • STEP 1

    Review the following steps before starting your online application.


    All applicants must submit a completed Application for Admission and pay the non-refundable application fee through Acceptd (link is under Step 4). The fee for submitting your application and audition via Acceptd will be $40 prior to January 1, 2025, and $80 thereafter. Requests for financial assistance will be considered after you have fully completed the application process. EFM Alumni receive an application fee waiver.

  • STEP 2

    Know your video audition requirements.


    Applicants interested in attending Eastern Festival of Music must apply and submit a video audition, following the instructions, before a decision on acceptance and requests for financial assistance can be made. Audio recordings without video are not accepted.

  • STEP 3

    Prepare and submit your files. 

    Please read these instructions carefully before submitting your audition recording.


    Select your music according to the repertoire requirements.

    Record your video audition, using quality equipment. Recordings that have been edited or enhanced will not be accepted. Upload your application materials and videos through Acceptd.


    Acceptable Media File Types Include:

    • Video – MP4, MPEG, MPG, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V, FLV, WEBM, M2V
    • Documents – PDF, PS, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPS, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, OPT, SXW, ODP, SXI, ODS, SXC, RTF, TXT
    • Images – JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF

  • STEP 4

    Prepare to pay the Application Fee.


    The fee for submitting your application and audition via Acceptd will be:

    • $40 prior to January 1, 2025
    • $80 thereafter

  • STEP 5

    Begin your online application on Acceptd.

Apply Now

Applications for Summer 2026 are now open.

Apply Now