Lyric Arts France 2025: opportunities and scholarship funds still available!

Lyric Arts France is a professional training and performance-centered Young Artists Program for emerging professional singers of opera and musical theater, and a limited number of stage directors, stage managers, pianist-coaches and administrators. It offers a wide variety of solo and ensemble performance opportunities for all participants alongside a comprehensive training program. The Program takes place in the lovely mediaeval town of Villefranche-de-Rouergue in the Aveyron region of southwestern France, not too far from Rodez, Albi and Toulouse. Lyric Arts France partners with the Festival Opéra Bastide; together, we mount full-scale productions of opera, and, starting this year, musical theater, with chamber orchestras, concerts of a variety of vocal music including French Art Song, and public masterclasses.

The 2025 season will feature full-scale opera productions (a flamenco-inspired Carmen and an English/French version of The Fantasticks) with chamber orchestra, vocal music concerts including French Art Song, and public masterclasses

Training
Young Artists work in collaboration with world-class singers, directors, conductors, coaches, and choreographers, both in production rehearsals and in training sessions. These include individual and group vocal and repertoire coaching, masterclasses, auditioning classes, seminar sessions for directors and stage managers, and career seminars addressing opportunities in Europe and the United States. There is also a focus on singing in French, French arias, and Art Song, with daily French language classes available for non-French participants.

Daily Schedule (on standard work days)

9:00–9:50 am non-French speakers can participate in different levels of French language classes geared exclusively to our program
10:00 am–1:00 pm production and musical rehearsals
1:00–2:30 pm enjoy an extended French lunch!
2:30–3:50 pm reserved for classes and masterclasses; each singer will receive at least one individual coaching/voice session per week, as well as attending group sessions
4:00–7:00 pm production and musical rehearsals and/or
8:00–10:00 pm occasional ensemble rehearsals

Solo Roles

We work hard to cast all Young Artists in as many appropriate solo roles as possible, as well as in all cover roles. Most roles are double-cast. Most operas are given four performances, so that each cast sings two nights. Most Artists also sing and dance in the ensemble for Carmen, and all participate in the concerts and optional late-night cabaret programs as well.

Tuition and Accommodation Fees

Tuition for the Young Artist Program including individual coachings and voice lessons as well as group sessions is $3,500 (USD). Housing through the festival can be added if desired for $1,000 (USD) Prices are quoted in US dollars but can be paid in a variety of currencies. This tuition rate is significantly less than many other European Young Artist Programs of this length and caliber, a number of which do not offer inexpensive housing options.

Transportation to and from the program and food are not covered.

Scholarships

A generous number of full and partial scholarships will be available – around 75% of participants in 2024 received a scholarship of some kind.

Auditions

Auditions are submitted as online video recordings via the website yaptracker.com.

Repertoire for auditions: you need to offer at least three numbers, all videoed, and if you have videos of you performing something on stage that is good too though not essential. At least one of the numbers needs to be in French. If you are interested in The Fantasticks you should include some lighter material. While it is not required, performing something from the piece you are interested in always helps, particularly if you are interested in a lead role… and if you are interested in Carmen or The Fantasticks, please don’t forget to add a video of you speaking some French text also (any text will do).

Final application deadline is Saturday 31 May.

A modest Application Fee of $25 is payable on submission of audition materials, also via the website yaptracker.com.

Age limits

While we have no particular age limits for admission to the Young Artists Program, we anticipate that most singers’ ages will range from early twenties to mid-thirties.

Work and play

The program will organize side-trips and visits in the neighboring countryside as appropriate and time allows, and a large group of local French volunteers help to provide these. However please be aware that this is a program where, in order to achieve the highest artistic standards, you will work hard six days a week and, on rare occasions, for three sessions a day…and this is good!