JuLY 13 - AUGUST 11 2025
in TULSA, OKLAHOMA

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• $25 fee (applied to tuition)

• Online application and resume/headshot submission

• 3-5 opera or oratorio arias, art songs, or musical theatre songs submitted by video (YouTube link)

• Live auditions will be heard at select NATS Summer Program Auditions

Cost

• TUITION: $2500

• HOUSING: Special rate at single- or double-occupancy long-term stay hotel with onsite cooking and laundry facilities. You have the option to find your own off-campus housing.

• APPLICATION FEE: $25 (applied to tuition if accepted; refunded if not accepted).

  FOOD: The TCC campus has three onsite-restaurants. Meal plans are available.

We offer more.

• Tosca in Concert: We start the season as a team, opening with the Mai Frances Doles, Jr. Memorial Opera in Concert. The whole company participates in this special fundraiser. Faculty sings principal roles; students sing comprimario roles and cover leads; and everyone joins together to sing chorus.

• The Hiding Tree: Touring Children’s Opera: two dedicated casts, minimum 3 performances per cast. In English with piano.

• La traviata, Act I: Single cast with covers, two performances. Sung in Italian with piano.

• The Aria Extravaganza Concert Series: three nights of concerts, each with a dedicated cast. Two of these concerts will pair with La traviata. Single cast with piano, one performance each.

• The Ballad of Baby Doe: our season finale. Single cast with covers, two performances. In English with piano.

For Your Craft:

• 1:1 weekly voice lessons + dramatic and musical coachings

• Diction, vocal health, regional careers, collaboration, audition techniques, and much more. See our Curriculum page for a full listing of proposed classes.

• Acting, production

• Masterclasses

For Your Career:

• 1:1 career consultations and career classes with Cindy Sadler

• Fundraising and Board Relations with Elizabeth Herlitz Cortes

• Audition Makeover Masterclass

• Professional headshot photography and/or audition videos

• Classes in a wide variety of topics including side hustles, academia, and arts administration careers.

• The opportunity to explore the inner workings of a real, professional opera company and learn firsthand what artistic directors look for when they cast, where to find the answers you need, what each staff member does, and much more.

Check the Stats!

Spotlight 2020 (online)

• 22 students

• 2 casts for children’s opera

• Don Giovanni in Quarantine, a unique, contempoarary version of the Mozart opera

• 6 scenes

• 5 live online concerts

20 undergraduates.

7 graduate students.

3 post-grads.

15 faculty.

20 performances.

10 different shows!

• Undergrads: 6 leading roles + 3 major comprimario roles

• Grads: 8 leading roles + 1 major comprimario role

• Post-grads: 3 leading roles

8 undergraduates.

3 graduate students.

5 post-grads.

9 faculty.

16 performances.

7 different shows!

• Undergrads: 5 leading roles + 5 comprimario roles.

• Grads: 3 leading roles + 1 comprimario roles.

• Post-grads: 6 leading roles + 4 comprimario roles.

Questions? Answers!

• We welcome everyone to the opera experience, no matter what your end goals may be. You do not need to be pursuing a professional singing career to have a great and valuable experience at Spotlight.

• We welcome students from all backgrounds.

• We welcome students aged 15 and up - no upper age limit.

• We are a company of first where students, faculty, and guest artists feel comfortable and supported making many kinds of debuts.

• We genuinely welcome people of all body shapes, skin colors, religions (creeds), genders, gender expressions, ages, national origins, abilities, neurodiversities, marital statuses, and sexual orientations. Please accept our invitation to apply whether or not you feel or have been told that your background is “traditional” for opera.

• Spotlight is an intensive, fast-paced program. Participants must be able to read music, learn it quickly, and come prepared with assigned roles memorized on arrival. Our wonderful faculty will offer plenty of help and support.

Alumni Success

 Auditions

• Applications for 2025 are currently open.

• We accept video auditions and continue casting until all roles are filled.

• We hold live auditions at Music OnSite, select NATS Summer Program Auditions, and at Tulsa Opera. Stay tuned for announcements about where we’ll be live this season.

It’s like college or camp!

• You’ll book your own housing, but we’ve negotiated a special deal with a longterm-stay hotel featuring onsite cooking and laundry facilities.

• You can choose single or double occupancy.

• Most of our classes and rehearsals will take place on the TCC Southeast Campus in the School of Visual and Performing Arts. There are several lounge areas available for hanging out between classes and rehearsals, including a green room with a fridge and microwave.

• TCC has a coffee shop, burger joint, and TexMex restaurant on campus and you can purchase a meal plan.

• There are also many restaurants at all price points in the area.

• Campus parking is free. Many people bring cars and are happy to share.

• TCC has a shuttle bus system.

• Tulsa has a bus system, microlink transportation, rental scooters, and rideshare services like Uber and Lyft.

• Favorite day-off activities include picnicking, hiking, swimming, local brew pubs and terrific restaurants, movies, architecture tours, a visit to the Philbrook or Gilcrest Art Museums, or Tulsa’s many live music concerts and shows.

Weekly: Classes, rehearsals, and performances 6 days of the week; 1 floating Company Day Off each week.

Daily:

10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Rehearsals and 1:1s.

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-4:00 p.m. Rehearsals, 1:1s, classes for students not otherwise called.

4:00-6:00 Dinner

6:00-9:00 p.m. Classes

Performances

Performances usually happen on weekends with the exception of the touring children’s opera and occasional concerts.

Work-Study Scholarships:

• A limited number of tuition-only scholarships are available.

Scholarships for Indigenous Students

• Two full tuition scholarships are available to indigenous students, with priority given to students from or residing in one of the nations found within Oklahoma’s borders.

• To apply, include a letter of interest including proof of tribal citizenship or affiliation (if your nation is not officially “recognized," please indicate —- this will not affect your eligibility) , and two letters of recommendation along with your other application materials/

Internships

Full or partial tuition scholarships are available for select Production Team Lead Internships, including:

• Assistant Director/Stage Manager

• Wardrobe

• Hair/Makeup

• Set Building/Deck Run

• Props

• Administrative Assistant

We actively support making room at the table for more BIPOC artists, faculty, and administrators and encourage BIPOC to apply for internships.

To apply, send a letter of interest detailing your experience and interests, resume, and two letters of recommendation to info@spotlightonopera.com.

Get in touch with us! Use the messenger widget or email info@spotlightonopera.com.