Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute

June 26th to July 16th • Registration Form

This application closed on Friday June 3, 2022.


No audition is necessary to participate in the Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute. Participants are accepted in the order received. However, we do request that performers submit two contrasting audio files, so that we may cast you in appropriate scenes with appropriate partners. You may email your MP3 files to balk@nautilusmusictheater.org. Please be sure to label your files with your last name, and identify your selections in your email.

The Balk Institute is held on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. We will be following all COVID protocols required by the University, as determined by the State of Minnesota. As of this writing, those protocols are still to be determined. We will keep participants informed as we know more.

Please contact Ben Krywosz at balk@nautilusmusictheater.org with any questions regarding this application. For technical help, please contact help@yaptracker.com.

Personal Information:

No spaces, dashes etc. phone number fields
Please describe your artistic goals in attending the Institute. Of all the training programs to choose from, why have you selected our particular program to attend this summer? What do you hope to gain from it? Use as much space as you need to properly describe your goals.

Submission Materials:

If you do not have a prepared resume at the time of submission, please email the resume to balk@nautilusmusictheater.org
You must be signed in to add your resume.
Please submit a LETTER OF INTRODUCTION (in PDF format) from a colleague with whom you have recently worked. This might be your voice teacher or a college professor or a stage director or a fellow performer, etc; someone who can describe your working process and what they perceive your artistic strengths and weaknesses to be. It should be a true LETTER OF INTRODUCTION, not a regular letter of recommendation. Since we accept everyone on a "first-come, first-served" basis, this letter will not affect whether or not you get in. But it should provide us with information about you so that we can anticipate how best to serve you. PLEASE BE SURE TO CONVEY THIS DISTINCTION TO WHOMEVER YOU ARE ASKING TO WRITE THIS LETTER.

Please note: the company is not using the online letter of recommendation process. Your colleague will not receive a link through the system. You must either attach the letter here or share the contact information with your letter of introduction writer as to how to submit their note via email or postal mail (see below). Maximum number of documents permitted: 1
You must be signed in to add your resume.
AUDIO FILES FOR SCENE ASSIGNMENTS:
No audition is necessary to participate in the Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute. Participants are accepted in the order received. However, we do request that performers submit two contrasting audio files, so that we may cast you in appropriate scenes with appropriate partners. You may email your MP3 files to balk@nautilusmusictheater.org. Please be sure to label your files with your last name, and identify your selections in your email. Please contact Ben Krywosz at balk@nautilusmusictheater.org if you have questions about your audio files.

Financial Arrangements:

• No audition is necessary. Participants are accepted in the order received.
• Minnesota residents: Tuition is $1,200.
• Out-of-state residents: Early-bird tuition is $1,200 if you register before April 15th. After that, it is $1,400.
• A $200 deposit due at the time of registration; the balance is due by June 26th.
• The deposit is non-refundable unless the Institute is cancelled, in which case all funds paid will be refunded.

• Your registration (if complete and accompanied by non-refundable deposit of $200) will be accepted once you submit this form. Incomplete registrations and those submitted without payment will be held in the order received, but will not be confirmed until missing items are submitted and your deposit is paid.

• Payment may be made in a number of ways: (1) You may mail a check or money order (payable to "Nautilus") to Nautilus Music-Theater, 308 Prince St #190, St Paul MN 55101; or (2) You may pay through PayPal, or by credit card (service charge applies) over the phone; call us at 651-298-9913 for more information on this option, or if you prefer, we can call you.
A limited number of partial scholarships are available to all, although priority will be given to performers who identify with under-represented communities. Based on past Institute participation, that would include performers who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People Of Color), performers who have disabilities, and transgender performers. If you are interested in requesting a partial scholarship, please complete the following questions. The Institute staff will be in touch with you to discuss possible arrangements. Maximum number of selections permitted: 3
Call us at 651-298-9913 with any questions, or send us an email at balk@nautilusmusictheater.org. Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to working with you this summer!