Houston Grand Opera

2025 Eleanor McCollum Competition and 2025-26 Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio: Singer Application

This application closed on Monday September 2, 2024.


HGO Studio Logo

To keep in touch with developments, please join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/hgostudio. Thank you for applying to the HGO Studio and the Eleanor McCollum Competition.

We will be holding our annual live audition tour in New York City, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Houston. In addition, we will again offer video auditions. While we encourage live auditions whenever possible, we welcome those who are not available or otherwise unable to sing in-person at one of our audition locations to apply for a video audition.

Video applicants will be required to record and submit a new video of two selections in a continuous recording (without stopping the camera). Further instructions for video auditions will be shared when an audition is granted.

Video applicants should apply using the form below in the same manner as live audition applicants, indicating “Virtual Audition” in the drop-down menus for location.

Please contact The Sarah and Ernest Butler HGO Studio at studio@houstongrandopera.org with any questions regarding this application. For technical help, please contact help@yaptracker.com.

Personal Information

Number of selections required: 1.
(ex. maiden name)
This information is for data purposes only and will not be used in the awarding of auditions or studio contracts. For more information on the categories below, please visit appendix 4 on the following page: https://www.eeocdata.org/EEO1/home/instructionbooklet

Contact Information

Please use a 2 letter state abbreviation where applicable (TX, UT, NY etc.)
No spaces, dashes etc. phone number fields

References

Three references are required: one from your current/most recent primary teacher and two others from established music professionals. They do not need to write a letter or fill out an online form. Your references may be contacted by HGO Butler Studio staff by phone or email.
ex: Professor of Voice at Opera University, private teacher 3 years
ex: Professor of Voice at Opera University, private teacher 3 years
ex: Professor of Voice at Opera University, private teacher 3 years

Education and Training

Please use the fields below to indicate the three most recent schools, colleges, universities, and/or conservatories you have attended, the dates of attendance, and the degree awarded, beginning with the most recent. Only the information of one institution is required to submit the application.

Your application will not be adversely affected if you have not formally studied at the post-secondary level; if that is the case, please answer 'no post-secondary studies' in the required fields.
Education 1
Fill these fields out if submitting more than the one institution required in the field above.
Education 1
Education 2
Please use the fields below to indicate your three most recent voice teachers, coaches, and acting/movement instructors. Only the name of your most recent teacher is required to submit the application, though you are encouraged to list as many as you like.
ex: 2012-Present, or 2011-2014, etc.
 Languages - indicate languages you have studied grammatically and the length of your study in years.
If you are only available for a specific date in your selected audition city, please indicate that here. You may also use this section to share more about your path to singing, as well as anything else you'd like to share about yourself that makes you unique.

Roles

Include musical theater or oratorio work, if any*:
All fields must be filled out. Use N/A where necessary. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application.

Role 1

Role 2

Role 3

Role 4

Role 5

Role 6

Role 7

Role 8

Video

Please upload 2 videos- 1 must be an opera aria and the other may be opera, art song, or musical theater. The videos must be no more than 12 months old.

Number of selections required: 2.

You must be signed in to add videos.

Repertoire

Audition RepertoirePreliminary audition repertoire must show a variety of styles and be offered in at least three different languages including English. Operetta and oratorio arias are acceptable substitutions.  

-  4 opera arias

-  5th selection can be another aria, musical theater or art song

Please note that failure to meet the above criteria may affect our decision to grant you an audition. 

Number of selections required: 5.
Selection 1
Selection 2
Selection 3
Selection 4
Selection 5

Headshot

HEADSHOT: Files must be less than 2MB and in the .jpg/.jpeg format. Your filename must contain your full name and may not contain any special characters (ampersands, apostrophes, etc.)
You must be signed in to add your headshot.