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Washington National Opera

Cafritz Young Artist Program: Pianists (2026-27)

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Deadline(s):
Received By Tue Sep 02, 2025

Please note: this application is for PIANISTS ONLY. If you are interested in applying as a SINGER, please fill out the SINGER application.

We will be holding our annual live audition tour in Washington D.C., New York City, Cincinnati, and Houston.

LIVE AUDITIONS 

October 6, 2025 in Houston, TX (Houston Grand Opera)
October 8, 2025 in Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music)
October 13, 2025 in Washington, DC (WNO Studios)
October 28-November 1, 2025 in New York, NY (Opera America)

Step 1: Apply to the Cafritz Young Artists as you normally would via YAP Tracker. Applications are due Tuesday, September 2.
Step 2: Notifications of live auditions will be sent by Monday, September 22.
Step 3: Attend your live audition. 
Step 4: Notifications of live finalist auditions will be sent in November after the completion of our audition tour. A select number of candidates will be invited to audition live in DC during the week of December 1, 2025.

AUDITION REPERTOIRE: 

• Candidates should prepare selections from the following list.
• Candidates should be prepared to sing and play all operatic excerpts, to follow a conductor, to translate each extract without reference to notes, and to respond to musical direction.
• Auditions may also involve sight-reading and verbal interviews.

1)     A short solo piano piece of your choice no more than 5 minutes in length
2)     Excerpt 1: Mozart: A recitative in Italian with at least two characters and at least two pages in length.
3)     Excerpt 2: Mozart: Please select 1, sung in Italian
          a.     Le nozze di Figaro: Act II Finale from the entrance of Antonio (Scene X, Allegro molto) until the end of the Act
          b.     Cosi fan tutte: Act I Finale from the entrance of Despina/Don Alfonso (Scene XVI, Allegro) until the end of the Act
          c.      Don Giovanni: Act II Sextet, “Sola, sola in buio loco”
4)     Excerpt 3: Puccini: Please select 1, sung in Italian
          a.     La bohème: Act I until the entrance of Benoit
          b.     Tosca: Act I until rehearsal 40
5)     Excerpt 4: Bizet: Please select 1, sung in French
          a.     Carmen: Quintet, “Nous avons en tete une affaire”
          b.     Carmen: Trio, “Melons! – Coupons!”
6)     Excerpt 5: Wagner or Strauss: Please select 1, sung in German
         a.     Wagner: Die Walküre: “Siegmund heiss ich,” Rehearsal 72A until the end of the Act
         b.     Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier: “Wie du warst,” Rehearsal 12 to 4 measures after Rehearsal 25
         c.      Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos: “Sein wir wieder gut,” Rehearsal 108 until the end of the Prologue
7)     Excerpt 6: Contemporary English
         a.     An operatic excerpt in English, no longer than 5 minutes in length, taken from a work written in or after 1970

Please contact The Cafritz Young Artist Program at CYA@kennedy-center.org with any questions regarding this application. For technical help, please contact help@yaptracker.com.

Please use the standard 2 letter state abbreviation if applicable.
No spaces, dashes etc. phone number fields
No spaces, dashes etc. phone number fields
Please list the teachers and coaches with whom you have worked.
Award 1
Award 2
Award 3
Award 4
Award 5
Role 1
Role 2
Role 3
Role 4
Role 5
Role 6
Role 7
Role 8
Maximum number of selections permitted: 5

References

Please give details of three musical authorities (directors, conductors, coaches, teachers) with whom you have worked and who may act as references. Only one of your references may be a piano teacher. References will not be contacted unless you are moved on as a finalist.
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Please upload at least three contrasting recordings (audio and/or video) for consideration. Video recordings can be the same as audio recordings as long as there are at least three contrasting audio/video recordings altogether. Some of the recordings should include collaboration with a singer. Please do not upload more than six files in total or your form will not submit. Minimum number of audio and/or video (combined total) permitted: 3. Maximum number of audio and/or video (combined total) permitted: 5.
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Minimum number of video and/or audio (combined total) permitted: 3. Maximum number of video and/or audio (combined total) permitted: 5

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