The Grant Park Music Festival, based in Chicago, Illinois, announces auditions for their Project Inclusion Fellowship program for the 2015 season. The following positions are available: violin (2 positions). Interested candidates must submit an application by Monday, May 11, 2015. The Grant Park Music Festival Project Inclusion Summer String Fellowship will be held June 8, 2015 – August 3, 2015. Qualified applicants will receive information regarding audition requirements.

GRANT PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL PROJECT INCLUSION SUMMER STRING FELLOWSHIP
THE ORGANIZATION
Entering its 81st year in 2015, the Grant Park Music Festival is the nation’s only remaining free outdoor summer classical music series, making live, high-caliber symphonic performance accessible to audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and means. The Festival offers a 10-week season of concerts, artistic development initiatives, radio broadcasts, and community engagement programs, sharing the enrichment of symphonic music with over one million people each year. The Festival is committed to reflecting Chicago’s rich ethnic diversity, and regularly presents music from outside the European and North American canon. The Festival additionally supports the City of Chicago’s Cultural Plan, which calls for promoting lifelong learning in the arts; mentoring emerging artists, especially artists of color; and enhancing the life of Chicago’s neighborhoods by bringing arts programming into community centers citywide. The Grant Park Orchestral Association is governed by a 30-member Board of Directors and has a 2015 operating budget of $5.8 million.
 
PROGRAM DETAILS

• Accepted fellows must commit to the entire 8-week duration of the program (June 8, 2015 – August 3, 2015).
• Rehearse and perform 6 concerts with the Grant Park Orchestra.
• Weekly private lessons and chamber coaching sessions with members of the Grant Park Orchestra.
• Daily chamber rehearsals.
• Community outreach performances and masterclasses as a string quartet in neighborhoods throughout the city.
• Work with the Festival Connect programs: Classical Campers, Club 615, and Young Artist Showcase.

FELLOWSHIP STIPEND

• $850 per week
• Position Start Date: June 8, 2015 – August 3, 2015

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

• Be currently enrolled, or a recent graduate of a college-level orchestral music program. Applicants must be 18 – 29 years of age as of June 1, 2015.
• Be from a diverse background, including, but not limited to, diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds, that is traditionally underrepresented in orchestras.
• Have significant experience in orchestral performance at the high school, college, post-secondary, or conservatory level and must possess the ability to function in a professional atmosphere.
• Express a sincere interest in pursuing music as a career.

PROGRAM MISSION
Project Inclusion is the Chicago Sinfonietta's groundbreaking professional development program for musicians of diverse backgrounds who are pursuing careers as professional classical musicians. The program is designed to help eliminate the institutional bias that is a barrier to participation for many musicians due to factors such as ethnicity, race, and socio-economic status.
 
The Chicago Sinfonietta believes that America’s orchestras should reflect the communities in which they operate and perform. The goal for Project Inclusion is to increase the number of qualified, experienced early career diverse musicians competing for and winning seats in orchestras.

The Chicago Sinfonietta is very grateful to the generous sponsors of Project Inclusion and to its partners, including the Grant Park Music Festival, the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, the DePaul University School of Music, and the Northwestern University School of Music who help to identify the candidates for this program.