Harmony Fellowship for Underrepresented Musicians

The Harmony Fellowship for Underrepresented Musicians places violinists, violists, cellists and bassists inside a professional American orchestra for two seasons. Fellows rehearse and perform with the full New Haven Symphony Orchestra and are paid the orchestra’s section rate for every service.

The fellowship sits inside the NHSO’s Helen E. Hagan Project, which has run fellowships for musicians, conductors, arts administrators and board members since 2017. The project is named after the composer and pianist Helen Eugenia Hagan, the first Black woman to graduate from Yale, in 1912.

Playing is only half the program. Fellows also work with the orchestra’s Education Director in New Haven schools and receive mentoring and audition preparation aimed at winning a permanent orchestral job.

Benefits & funding

30 services rehearsing and playing with the full orchestra on its 8-concert Classics Series.
Rehearsals and performances on the 4-concert Young People’s Concerts series.
Payment at the NHSO section rate per service — US$146 per service — for every service played.
Travel costs reimbursed up to US$40 per day.
Career development throughout the two seasons, including mentoring and audition preparation.
Education and community engagement training: fellows work with the Education Director on a songwriting project that teaches local students to write for a chamber string ensemble.

Eligibility

String players on violin, viola, cello or bass. Each recruitment cycle names the instruments it is filling — the 2026–2028 cycle took viola, cello and bass only.
Currently pursuing, or already holding, a graduate degree in music performance.
Interested in an orchestral career and committed to education and community engagement work.
Available for daytime rehearsals, daytime school visits and evening performances that run from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
No nationality or residency requirement is published; the orchestra states that non-U.S. citizens must provide work authorization documentation before auditioning.
No age limit, gender requirement or minimum years of experience is published.

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Application process

1
Watch the NHSO fellowship page for the next opening, or ask Fellowship Program Manager Gregory Tompkins which instruments the coming cycle will fill.
2
Submit the application through the orchestra’s Acceptd portal before the deadline — in the 2026 cycle, 11:59 p.m. on 25 March 2026.
3
Wait for the result of the first round; the orchestra notifies applicants within one week of the deadline.
4
Play the second round in person: a live audition plus an interview in New Haven, Connecticut, held on 25–26 April in the 2026 cycle.
5
Selected fellows join the orchestra for two consecutive seasons.

Program timeline

Application deadline for the 2026–2028 fellowship, 11:59 p.m.
Mar 25, 2026
Within one week of the deadline
first-round results sent to applicants.
Live audition and interview in New Haven, Connecticut (held 25–26 April).
Apr 25, 2026
fellowship begins.
2026–27 season
final season of the two-year term.
2027–28 season