What are You Doing Next Summer?

You need to start thinking about this now. Fill out online applications, scribble the paperwork, burn the CDs and bug people for letters of recommendation.

To get you started, consider these collaborative piano opportunities:

Chamber/Instrumental:
Aspen - Collaborative Artist Program

Aspen - Contemporary Ensemble Fellowship

Banff Centre - Collaborative Piano Internship

Castleton Festival Orchestra

Chamber Music Northwest Young Artist Fellowship

Eastern Music Festival hires collaborative pianists for instrumental accompaniment, must be 21 to apply
Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Instrumental accompanists

Hot Springs Collaborative Piano Apprenticeships

Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School and Festival

Meadowmount hires string accompanists - send resume & repertoire list (violin-viola-cello only) to gagnona@uncsa.com

Music Academy of the West - Instrumental Fellowship

Norfolk Chamber Music Session Fellowships

Summer Chamber Music Festival is a four-week chamber music program for string players and pianists aged 18-26

Tanglewood - Instrumental Pianist Fellowships

Texas Music Festival Fellowships

University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Chamber Music Institute Fellowships

Opera:
Arbor Opera Theater hires three accompanists 
Ash-lawn Opera Festival hires one or two accompanists every summer

Aspen - Opera Coaching Fellowship Program

Atlantic Music Festival Fellowship Program (I think this is an opera gig . . . )

Banff Centre - Assistant Coach/Repetiteur
Bavarian Summer Voice and Piano Collaborative Workshop

The College Light Opera Company hires two rehearsal accompanists every summer

Crested Butte Music Festival - Assistant coaches
d'ell'Arte Opera Ensemble hires 2-3 piano interns/apprentices

Glimmerglass
Green Mountain Opera Festival - Apprentice pianist
Intermezzo has a 'Festival Orchestra Program'
IPAI Collaborative Fellows/Apprentices in Musical Theatre and Opera 

Merola Opera Program

Music Academy of the West - Vocal Fellowship
New York Opera Studio Intensive - six pianists accepted, $500 for expenses (room, board)

Oberlin in Italy - Accompanist Apprenticeships

Opera in the Ozarks hires one or two rehearsal accompanists every summer
Opera New Jersey - coach/accompanist apprentice

Opera North - hires pianists

Opera on the Avalon - art song and opera

OperaWorks Summer Intensive Program for coaches
Palm Beach Opera YAP - pianist/coach

San Francisco Merola Program

Tanglewood - Vocal Pianist Fellowships

Wolftrap Coaching Fellowships

Vocal - Art Song:

Asolo Song Festival & Institute for Song Interpretation (Italy)

Baldwin-Wallace Art Song Festival

Franz-Schubert-Institute - summer course for singers and pianists

Songfest - for singers and pianists
Vancouver International Song Institute

Musical Theatre:

Bowling Green State U Huron Playhouse

Intermezzo has a 'Festival Orchestra Program'

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Musical Theatre pianists
Kalamazoo Civic Theatre hires pianists
Music Theatre Bavaria has Collaborative Piano Internships
Rocky Mountain Repertoire Theatre hires pianists

Surflight Theatre - Musical and Music Directing Internships
SRJC Summer Repertory Theatre - This may be more pay-to-play, but they do use rehearsal/performance pianists
Summer Stars Asst. MD Internships

West Virginia Public Theatre occasionally hires summer rehearsal pianists

Choral:

Berkshire Choral Festival has an a Apprentice program for pianists

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Choral pianists

Dance:
Ballet Nouveau Colorado has Internships for their summer intensive

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 dance pianists each summer

Etc:

Valleyfair Amusement Park hires pianists for summer shows - the rep is R&B, rock and kid stuff (in other words, easy $$)

http://www.atlanticmusicfestival.org/amf-institute/fellowship

Paid to play - Summer Gigs and Opportunities, Updated

(Hey, I've updated this in 2015, check it out)

Here are some places for collaborative pianists to spend their summers getting experience and/or paid. Summer stuff only, in this list:

Chamber/Instrumental:
Aspen - Collaborative Artist Program

Aspen - Contemporary Ensemble Fellowship*

Banff Centre - Collaborative Piano Internship

Castleton Festival Orchestra

Chamber Music Northwest Young Artist Fellowship

Eastern Music Festival hires collaborative pianists for instrumental accompaniment, must be 21 to applyInterlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Instrumental accompanists

Hot Springs Collaborative Piano Apprenticeships

Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School and Festival

Meadowmount hires string accompanists - send resume & repertoire list (violin-viola-cello only) to gagnona@uncsa.com

Music Academy of the West - Instrumental Fellowship

Norfolk Chamber Music Session Fellowships

Summer Chamber Music Festival is a four-week chamber music program for string players and pianists aged 18-26

Tanglewood - Instrumental Pianist Fellowships

Texas Music Festival Fellowships

University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Chamber Music Institute Fellowships

Opera:
Ash-lawn Opera Festival hires one or two accompanists every summer

Aspen - Opera Coaching Fellowship Program

Atlantic Music Festival Fellowship Program (I think this is an opera gig . . . )

Banff Centre - Assistant Coach/Repetiteur

The College Light Opera Company hires two rehearsal accompanists every summer
CoOPERAtive program at Rider University has a training program for singers and collaborative pianists

Crested Butte Music Festival - Assistant coaches

Glimmerglass
Intermezzo has a 'Festival Orchestra Program'

Merola Opera Program

Music Academy of the West - Vocal Fellowship

Oberlin in Italy - Accompanist Apprenticeships

Opera in the Ozarks hires one or two rehearsal accompanists every summerOpera New Jersey - coach/accompanist apprentice

Opera North - hires pianists

Opera on the Avalon - art song and opera

OperaWorks Summer Intensive Program for coaches

San Francisco Merola Program

Tanglewood - Vocal Pianist Fellowships

Wolftrap Fellowships

Vocal - Art Song:

Asolo Song Festival & Institute for Song Interpretation (Italy)

Baldwin-Wallace Art Song Festival

Franz-Schubert-Institute - summer course for singers and pianists

Songfest - for singers and pianists
Vancouver International Song Institute

Musical Theatre:

Bowling Green State U Huron Playhouse

Intermezzo has a 'Festival Orchestra Program'

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Musical Theatre accompanistsKalamazoo Civic Theatre hires accompanists

Surflight Theatre - Musical and Music Directing Internships

West Virginia Public Theatre occasionally hires summer rehearsal accompanists

Choral:

Berkshire Choral Festival has a paid Apprentice program for accompanists

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Choral accompanists

Dance:

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 dance pianists each summer

Etc:

Valleyfair Amusement Park hires keyboardists for summer shows - the rep is R&B, rock and kid stuff (in other words, easy $$)

!!!*Fellowships are [mostly] free

Paid to play - Summer Gigs and Opportunities

**Updated List from 2015 click here

When I was in undergrad and grad school, I used my summers to practice and knock out extra class credits in summer school. Which was useful - but I wish I had considered other options:

Gain professional experience and/or study with professionals: 


Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 23 collaborative pianists each summer to fill the position of Choral, Dance, Musical Theatre, Vocal and Instrumental accompanying. You do NOT have to be a counselor, you just play. There are tons of masterclasses, opportunities to work on German language and diction, concerts, chances to network with heads of Collaborative Piano college programs, etc. It looks great on a resume (which they can help you edit in their career seminars). Pay is not great, but room and board is included. All in all, a good gig. Just bring a fan if it looks like the summer will be warm, you'll need it. I think you apply around Jan or so, so keep an eye out. 
Eastern Music Festival hires collaborative pianists for instrumental accompaniment. I've never done this gig, but I've considered it. You have to be 21 to apply. 
The College Light Opera Company hires two rehearsal accompanists every summer.
Opera in the Ozarks hires one or two rehearsal accompanists every summer.

Aspen has a Collaborative Artist Program, Opera Coaching Fellowship Program, and a Contemporary Ensemble Fellowship

Ash-lawn Opera Festival hires one or two accompanists every summer.

Berkshire Choral Festival has a paid Apprentice program for accompanists

Crested Butte Music Festival

Franz-Schubert-Institute - summer course for singers and pianists

Intermezzo has a 'Festival Orchestra Program', using accompanists for both Musical Theatre playing and Operatic playing. No pay, but great experience.

Opera North - hires pianists

San Francisco Merola Program - hire 5 apprentice coach/accompanists each summer

Songfest - for singers and pianists

Summer Chamber Music Festival - a four-week chamber music program for string players and pianists aged 18-26

Tanglewood - Vocal and Instrumental Fellowships

West Virginia Public Theatre occasionally hires summer rehearsal accompanists (musical theatre).

Go Outside the US:

Collaborative Piano Internship at the Banff Centre - study for free (Tuition, room and board are covered)

Vancouver International Song Institute

Asolo Song Festival & Institute for Song Interpretation (Italy)

A mind-blowing list of festivals:Summer Music Festival Websites

I'll keep updating this post as I find opportunities . . .