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Audition for OOTA
MainStage and Young Artist Auditions
Opera on the Avalon's 2022 Festival will run from 9 May – 5 June 2022, in St. John's, NL
Please Note: All auditionees must have proof of COVID-19 vaccination to participate in live auditions and the 2022 Festival Season
The Audition Fee is currently $75/USD and will guarantee that you receive a live audition. Any artists who is represented by professional Management, has CAEA or UDA Membership, or is currently in a Young Artist Program is not subject to the application fee.
If you have concerns regarding the YAP application fee, please contact Amanda Klein at admin@operaontheavalon.com. We will make every effort to ensure that every singer wishing to apply for our YAP will be heard regardless of their financial circumstance.
Laura Ciekiewicz and Adam Fisher in Ours, 2016
OOTA will be holding auditions for MainStage and the Young Artist Programs for our 2022 Season, as well as digital projects and the new World Premiere of February in 2023. Auditions will be held in-person in Toronto, Canada and New York, USA.
10 November, 10am – 6pm | The Stone Church, Toronto, Canada
12 November, 10am – 6pm | Opera America, New York, USA
Artists unable to attend live auditions in Toronto or New York are invited to submit digital auditions upon approval of your application. Live auditions are dependent on COVID-19; should there be a change in Canadian or American public health and safety directives, we will hear all auditions digitally.
The application deadline for live auditions is 14 November 2021 at 12:00 pm NDT. Digital auditions will be accepted until 5:00 pm NDT on 15 December 2021.
Brittany Robinson as Sister Rose (Dead Man Walking, 2017)
Opera on the Avalon will be auditioning for our upcoming 2022 Season, which will include a MainStage production, our 2022 Summer Festival, The Rock Performs digital series, as well as workshops for the World Premiere of February – a new commission by Laura Kaminsky and Lisa Moore.
Applications are accepted from both represented and non-represented artists.
Non-represented artists: Please apply through the Apply Now link on this page. There will be an application fee of $75 USD. All non-represented artists are guaranteed an audition.
Represented artists or Artists with CAEA or UDA Membership: To request an audition, please email Amanda Klein at admin@operaontheavalon.com
Please be advised that offers will be contingent on public health approval, and artists must have proof of COVID vaccination to participate in live auditions and our 2022 Season.
Johnathan McCullough as Papagano (The Magic Flute, 2013)
Opera on the Avalon's Young Artist Program was established in 2009. Each year, OOTA selects up to twelve Young Artists, providing them with performance tools essential to establishing a professional career in opera.
Young Artists are performers at an interim point between academic training and full-time professional careers. They are currently in or have recently finished graduate or professional degree programs, or paid young artist residency programs.
The focus of OOTA's Young Artist program is on education through performance. Young Artists receive opportunities to perform and cover appropriate roles in MainStage productions, and to work with world-class performers, directors, designers, and conductors. All Young Artists participate in masterclasses, concerts, symposia series, panel discussions, and community outreach initiatives, and receive coachings from festival music staff and artists in residence.
OOTA's Young Artist Program is a paid position. Young Artists are expected to remain in St. John's for the duration of the Festival Season and will receive housing for the duration of their contract. Please be advised that offers are contingent on public health approval, and artists must have proof of COVID vaccination to participate in live auditions and the 2022 Festival Season.
To apply for the Young Artist Program, please apply through the Apply Now link on this page. If you are currently enrolled in a paid Young Artist program or have CAEA or UDA Membership, please contact Amanda Klein at admin@operaontheavalon.com in advance of submitting your application.
Maestro Judith Yan during rehearsals for Dead Man Walking, 2017
Each year, OOTA selects fellows in the areas of directing, conducting/coaching, production, and arts administration.
Directing Fellows serve as Assistant Directors for OOTA MainStage productions and School Tour.
Conducting/Coaching Fellows serve as rehearsal pianists for OOTA MainStage productions and School Tour, providing artist coaching as needed, and playing for concerts and outreach initiatives.
Fellowship candidates are currently in or have recently finished graduate or professional degree programs, or paid young artist residency programs. OOTA's Fellowship Programs are paid positions. Young Artists are expected to remain in St. John's for the duration of the Festival Season and will receive housing for the duration of their contract.
Directors: please apply via email to Amanda Kleain at admin@operaontheavalon.com.
Pianists and Coaches: please apply through the Apply Now link on this page. If you have CAEA or UDA Membership, please contact Amanda Klein at admin@operaontheavalon.com in advance of submitting your application.
Season Repertoire
Each season's repertoire is selected based on the artists heard in the annual tour.
Season Dates
9 May – 5 June 2022
Opera on the Avalon is committed to gender equity and inclusive hiring practices and welcomes applications from all artists.
Applicants for the Young Artist Program must be between the ages of 18 – 30 years old. Fellowship applicants must be between 18 and 35 years of age.
Citizens of all nationalities are encouraged to apply; work visas are not required for non-Canadian citizens.
The application deadline for live auditions is 14 November 2021 at 12:00 pm NDT. Digital auditions will be accepted until 5:00 pm NDT on 15 December 2021. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted, and applications will not be processed until payment has been received. Please be aware that applicants are not guaranteed an audition.
Artists must provide two (2) copies of your headshot, two (2) copies of your résumé, and two (2) copies of your repertoire list at the time of the audition. You must also provide printed music for the accompanist.
Due to COVID-19 safety measures, we have hired a professional pianist to play for all live auditions. Using this pianist is not required and you are welcome to engage your own accompanist. Should you wish to use the pianist we have hired, there will be a $40 fee at the time of the audition. We cannot ask any pianist to work for free, and OOTA will subsidize the fee to allow a lower-than-normal rate for professional accompaniment. This fee may be paid at the time of your audition by cash or credit. We are not able to arrange pre-audition rehearsals with the pianist.
At the time of your audition, you must provide two (2) copies of your headshot, two (2) copies of your résumé, and two (2) copies of your repertoire list. You must also provide printed music for the accompanist.
Artists who are unable to be heard at live auditions in Toronto or New York are invited to apply for a digital audition. Upon approval of your application, digital auditions must be submitted via email to Amanda Klein at admin@operaontheavalon.com. Please include your headshot, résumé, and repertoire list as email attachments, clearly labelled and including your name.
Cancellations / Conflicts
If you need to cancel your audition due to illness, please notify us at admin@operaontheavalon.com
If you are unable to keep your assigned time, you may arrange a mutual swap with another singer. Both of you must email admin@operaontheavalon.com to confirm this swap. If this is not possible, please email admin@operaontheavalon.com and you will be placed on a waitlist for your preferred date and time; we will contact you in the event that there is an opening.
Opera on the Avalon charges an application fee of $75 USD for auditions. This fee defrays 50% of the travel and audition venue fees, allowing us to travel from the island of Newfoundland and provide more opportunities to singers across the country. If you have any further questions regarding the fee, please do not hesitate to contact Amanda Klein at admin@operaontheavalon.com
Application Fee: $75
The application fee will be waived for artists with CAEA or UDA Membership or representation by Management.
Repertoire:
Three arias of contrasting languages and styles, one of which must be in English
One musical theatre selection
We encourage artists to present a 21st-century operatic work.
Please click Apply Now and complete the attached application form.
Young Artist Program
The application fee is non-refundable but will be waived if you are currently participating in a paid young artist residency program, or are a member of the CAEA or UDA.
Young Artists perform under the auspices of the Canadian Actors Equity Association; payment is provided.
We encourage artists to present a 21st-century operatic work. You will begin your audition with an aria of your choice. And additional selection may be requested.
Coaching Fellowship
Coaching Fellows should be prepared to play and sing a selection from each of the categories below:
An Aria or ensemble from a Mozart opera
An ensemble or scene from a 20th-century opera
A brief excerpt of any type from an opera written since 1960
One other opera or musical excerpt of your choice
Please click Apply Now and complete the attached application form. You are also welcome to submit a digital portfolio via email to Amanada Klein at admin@operaontheavalon.com
Directing Fellowship
Application Fee: none
To apply for a Directing Fellowship, do not apply through the link on this page. Please apply directly via email to Amanda Klein at admin@operaontheavalon.com
Please include a cover letter and résumé as email attachments, clearly labelled and including your name. You are also welcome to submit a digital portfolio with your application.
Interviews will be scheduled during January 2022 by Zoom.
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As an organization, we must now look at how we have operated in the past, how our values have evolved with our growing understanding of racial injustice, and how we can do our part in making the future – both within and outside of the arts – a better and safer place.
We must use our platform to tell new and relevant stories about and by those who have been historically underrepresented and excluded from the opera community.
We encourage artists and community members to please reach out and share ideas about how we can effectively create change in our organization and the performing arts sector. All voices are welcome on this journey to create a fully inclusive environment and demolish oppression in the arts.
We respectfully acknowledge the land on which we gather as the ancestral homelands of the Beothuk [bee-oth-uck], whose culture has now been erased forever. We also acknowledge the island of Ktaqmkuk [dah-gmm-gook] (Newfoundland) as the unceded, traditional territory of the Beothuk and the Mi'kmaq [mig-maw]. And we acknowledge Labrador as the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Innu [in-ew] of Nitassinan [ne-tass-eh-nen], the Inuit [in-yoo-eet] of Nunatsiavut [nu-nat-see-ah-vut], and the Inuit of NunatuKavut [nu-nah-tuhk-ah-vut]. We recognize all First Peoples who were here before us, those who live with us now, and the seven generations to come. As First Peoples have done since time immemorial, we strive to be responsible stewards of the land and to respect the cultures, ceremonies, and traditions of all who call it home. As we open our hearts and minds to the past, we commit ourselves to working in a spirit of truth and reconciliation to make a better future for all.
Opera on the Avalon
78 O'Leary Avenue
St. John's, NL, A1B 2C7
Mon-Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm
admin@operaontheavalon.com
Opera on the Avalon is funded in part by The Government of Canada, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the City of St. John's, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council.