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Applicants should have completed their academic training. The Foundation focuses its support on singers who are working professionally.

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Applicants should have sung at least one paid engagement with a professional opera company, orchestra, or performing arts organization using full orchestral accompaniment.

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Applicants must submit a copy of a contract or official offer for a professional, paid, solo engagement with full orchestra (not a cover contract) either after the audition date or in the six months prior to the auditions. Engagements that require payment or tuition from the singer do not fulfill this requirement. Opera roles with full orchestra as well as soloist engagements with symphonies are acceptable.

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Singers coming to the end of full-year Young Artist Programs may be chosen to audition for Sullivan awards; if they are winners, their eligibility for role preparation grants can be deferred until they have graduated from those programs.

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There is no age limit for applicants, but the Foundation is not seeking singers who already have well-established solo careers. Applicants may not have more than one past or upcoming contract for a leading or featured role (AGMA classifications) as an independent artist, excluding covers, with an OPERA America Budget Level I Company* or its international equivalent. If there are questions about what engagements fit these criteria, the Foundation’s application panel will make the final determination. If the Foundation discovers that singers have omitted relevant past or upcoming engagements, they will be disqualified from the auditions.

*OPERA America Budget Level 1 Companies: Washington National Opera; Seattle Opera; Santa Fe Opera; San Francisco Opera; Detroit Opera; Metropolitan Opera; Lyric Opera of Chicago; Los Angeles Opera; Houston Grand Opera; Dallas Opera; Atlanta Opera; Canadian Opera Company

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The Foundation welcomes applications from singers of all nationalities but focuses its support on singers affiliated with North American companies, programs, and educational institutions. Singers must be available to audition in New York, and the Foundation cannot provide visa assistance; singers without US tax status may be subject to withholding on awards and grants.

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Application Form - completed online through Submittable; other materials will be attached or requested via the online application

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One-page chronological resume

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Photo

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Professional Solo Contract or Official Offer – For a paid, professional solo engagement with full orchestra with an opening performance after April 16, 2024. Contracts or offers must be from the producing organization; cover contracts and engagements that require tuition or payment from the singer do not fulfill this requirement. Opera roles with full orchestra and solo engagements with symphonies are acceptable.

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Endorsement Letter – Written specifically for the Sullivan application by a music professional who is well-acquainted with the singer’s qualifications and – ideally – has engaged them as a performer. Current or former personal voice teachers, coaches, managers, and Sullivan trustees are not eligible to write endorsement letters. (Please contact the Foundation with any questions about who qualifies. Teachers and coaches who have worked with applicants in a professional setting such as a Young Artist Program are acceptable.) Endorsers will receive a link to upload a confidential letter to the online application program.  

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Videos – Two arias in contrasting styles and two different languages performed with piano accompaniment, with a combined length of no more than 10 minutes. Videos must be recorded within six months of the application due date. Videos cannot be recorded with acoustical enhancement or amplification and must be recorded in a single take. Videos should represent the singer's audition performance level.  Please note that highly produced videos usually do not give the panel the best sense of a singer's live performance. Videos should show the singer in full view from the audience’s perspective, and the singer’s face should be completely visible. The name of the singer and the title and composer of each aria must be included in the video (title, caption, or announcement).