About the Foundation
The William Matheus Sullivan Foundation supports exceptionally talented early career professional opera singers who show significant promise. Nearly 1,100 singers have earned funding from the Foundation since 1957. Prizes are awarded through live auditions; singers are selected for auditions through a competitive online application process. Sullivan Award winners receive $10,000 and are eligible for continuing role preparation grants, a unique aspect of the Foundation's commitment to early career singers. Judges may also choose to award Career Development Grants at auditions ($2,500 each in 2024).
2025 Auditions and Requirements
2025 auditions will be held on Sunday, October 26 and Monday, October 27 in New York. Singers must be available in person on at least one of these dates; there are no callbacks, finals, or virtual live auditions. Limited travel reimbursement assistance is available for singers coming from outside the New York metro area.
Applicants should have completed their academic training and must have already sung at least one professional engagement with an opera company, orchestra, or other organization with full orchestra. Singers coming to the end of full-year young artist programs may be chosen to audition; if they are Sullivan Award winners, their eligibility for additional grants may be deferred upon request.
The Foundation welcomes applications from singers of all nationalities but focuses its support on singers affiliated with North American companies, programs, and educational institutions. The Foundation cannot provide visa assistance, and singers without US tax status may be subject to withholding on awards and grants.
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 (not part of a young artist program), 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
2025 Application Materials
1. Submittable Form
2. One-Page Resume - only one page will be shared with the audition panel
3. Photo
4. Recommendation Form – Recommendation written specifically for the Sullivan application by a music professional (not a current or former manager, or a Sullivan trustee) who is well acquainted with your qualifications as a singer. We strongly encourage you to ask someone who has engaged you as a performer in a professional setting; e.g. a general director, artistic director, music director, conductor, stage director, artistic administrator, or young artist program director. Recommenders will receive a link to complete their confidential form during the application process. Please contact us with any questions about who qualifies as a recommender.
5. Professional Solo Contract or Official Offer – For a paid, professional solo engagement (excluding cover contracts) with full orchestral accompaniment with a performance after April 25, 2025. Contracts and 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.
6. Video Selections – 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. Recordings must be made without acoustical enhancement or amplification. Each selection should be filmed in a single take. Videos should show the singer in full view from the audience’s perspective, with a completely visible face. Videos should represent your audition performance level. Please note that highly produced videos usually do not give the panel the best sense of a singer's live performance. Your name, the pianist's name, and the title/composer of each aria must be clearly included (e.g. title, caption, or announcement).
Thank you for your interest in the Sullivan Foundation. Please complete the application form and submit the required materials to be considered for an audition.
You must request a recommendation from a music professional as a required part of your application. We cannot accept recommendations written by artist managers or Sullivan trustees, and strongly encourage you to ask someone who has engaged you as a performer in a professional setting; e.g. a general director, artistic director, music director, conductor, stage director, artistic administrator, or young artist program director.
It is your responsibility to ensure the application is complete, including attached files, videos, and recommendation. We recommend beginning your application as early as possible and notifying your recommender of the deadline well in advance. Recommendation requests may be sent through Submittable before your application is finalized. Your recommender will receive a link to a form via Submittable.
Please read the video guidelines carefully and note that we require two arias in contrasting styles in two different languages with piano accompaniment recorded in the last 6 months. We will not accept recordings with orchestral accompaniment.
Applications will close on Monday, August 11, 2025 at 11:00 p.m. EDT, and all materials you provide must be received by this deadline. (Note: ending time/date at the top of the page may display in your local time zone.) Recommendations will be accepted until Thursday, August 14.
You may save an incomplete application as a draft and finish it later, but your application will not be reviewed until you hit the submit button. If you wish to make changes or additions to your application after you have submitted it, you may request that the application be opened for editing through Submittable. The revised application must be received before the deadline. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.
If you have any difficulties submitting the form, save it as a draft, look for it under "My Submissions", and reopen and submit the form. It may also be helpful to try a different browser. You will see a confirmation screen and receive an email once you have successfully submitted the application. If you have questions about whether your application went through, please contact us as soon as possible.
If your application is accepted, you will be invited to a live audition in New York on October 26 or 27. You must be available at least one of these days; there are no callbacks, finals, or virtual auditions. We plan to send audition invitations no later than September 22. Travel reimbursement assistance up to $550 is available for singers coming from outside the New York metro area.
We are here to help — if you have any questions, please contact us at info@sullivanfoundation.org or (646) 883-2742.