Iris Artist Fellowship — Fellowship

The Iris Artist Fellowship places a small cohort of early-career string players inside Iris Collective, a Memphis music organisation, for a ten-month season. Fellows perform with the collective and spend their working weeks teaching in partner schools and running community projects across Greater Memphis.

Iris Collective began as Iris Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee in 2000 and restructured under its current name in 2022. Its work runs on three lines — mentorship in schools, music in health settings, and community building — and fellows train across all three.

The program exists to widen representation in classical music, and it is directed to Black, African American and Latinx violinists, violists and cellists. Iris frames the post as career training: teaching artistry, chamber music, youth development and arts in health, all inside one paid season.

Benefits & funding

US$25,000 salary for the ten-month season, inside a package Iris values at over US$50,000.
Health insurance.
A furnished one-bedroom apartment at Trezevant Manor from August through May, with one meal a day and laundry included.
A US$1,500 professional development fund.
Instruction and coaching in teaching artistry, chamber music, youth development, arts in health and community engagement.
Performance work with the collective and its guest artists, plus placements in Iris’s partner schools, which run instruction five days a week and reach about 2,500 students a season.
No application fee is published.

Eligibility

Violinists, violists and cellists at the start of a professional career.
The program is directed to Black, African American and Latinx musicians; Iris names widening their representation in classical music as the reason it exists.
A bachelor’s degree, or comparable professional experience in place of one — Iris accepts either.
Prior teaching or community work in under-resourced settings.
Authorisation to work in the United States for the whole season without visa sponsorship; any nationality holding that status qualifies.
No age limit, gender requirement or minimum number of years of experience is published.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.

We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

1
Wait for the season’s call to open; the 2026/27 call closed on 17 April 2026.
2
Download the audition repertoire list from the application page and record the required audition videos.
3
Write two essays, each capped at 450 words: one on the role an artist should play in their community, one on how you adapt audience engagement to different community groups.
4
Line up two references and prepare a resume or CV.
5
Submit the online application form, then send the supplementary materials as instructed on that page.
6
Selected fellows relocate to Memphis for a season that runs August to May.

Program timeline

Application deadline for the 2026/27 season.
Apr 17, 2026
Season begins; provided housing starts at Trezevant Manor.
2026-08
Season ends and the housing arrangement ends with it.
2027-05
Next cycle
Iris has not published dates for the 2027/28 season.