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This program looks like a steep price tag, but what you get out of it is well worth the money you pay. Being in every show each summer gave me so much experience performing with an orchestra and with different conductors. Being surrounded by colleagues and friends who all cared just as much about creating compelling and beautiful opera was very special. We had the opportunity for weekly lessons and coachings, not just for the current productions but for our own repertoire as well. Movement and stage skills classes every day helped to further develop all aspects of our performance, not just our musicality- knowing ballroom dance and how to cross the stage most efficiently, for example, has served me well in productions I've done since attending. This is a program I would highly recommend.

Even with how cheap the tuition is for this program, it still manages to be a scam, and is not worth attending. The housing was completely unacceptable - Dorm-style shared bedrooms and bathrooms with no fan or overhead lights, visible mold on the walls and ceilings, water turned off with no notice, and visibly dirty from the moment I moved in. Also, singers weren’t warned ahead of time that we wouldn’t have access to a kitchen, so people who didn’t pay an extra $875 for a meal plan were left out to dry. Parking is not included in the housing cost. The area of downtown Atlanta is unsafe and the program does nothing to accommodate for this. Often times small groups of 2-3 women were called until 10PM, and then had to walk back to the housing 15-20 minutes away. I was followed back to the dorms and into rehearsal spaced multiple times. GSU owns many golf carts and vans, but the people in charge of Harrower didn’t seem to think it was worth it to rent one or two of them for the singers’ safety. Communication from GSU staff was rude and untimely. We received schedules after 10PM, even past midnight on occasion, when rehearsal starts at 9AM the next day. The description for this program is also extremely misleading. The “resident artist” was actually a guest/visiting artist who spent 3 days there, and only about ~7 hours total with the singers between masterclasses and a gala performance. I did not receive a single voice lesson or coaching the whole time as advertised. These “fully staged productions” actually perform in a recital hall, and no videos were taken. One cast of each show was photographed, and even then, singers the year prior were denied access to the photos. In summary, this program is not worth your money or your time. Most of these issues can be chalked up to blatant disrespect and disregard for the singers paying to be there. I guess you get what you pay for.

The Harrower Program was, in my opinion, not worth the cost. I met new colleagues and made connections, but the rest of the program I found incredibly lacking. The information on the website and application were all incorrect, not only in terms of what the program entailed, but also in terms of what kind of amenities were available to us during our stay in the GSU dorms. Most importantly, not enough attention to safety was given in the rehearsal process. Harrower is in downtown Atlanta and rehearsals go until 10 p.m. After which, you have to walk 15 minutes to the dorms. Rehearsals were not scheduled in a way that was safe to this- often calling a few female presenting individuals or releasing one or two at late hours. Additionally, there is no run crew or set/prop directors, so young artists have to strike and do scene changes if relevant. The "resident artist" was at the program for three days. She gave 2 masterclasses and sung in the gala, but was ushered away from participants before and after these events. This is of course no fault of her own, I just think the term "visiting artist" would've been more apt. Masterclasses were fine, but each participant was given one masterclass performance and not all participants were allowed their full 20 minutes of coaching. There were very limited coachings during the program- only students who were "behind" were given any. I do not feel that this experience was worth the cost, as the dorms/meal plan was an additional 1.5k.

For what it was and what I got out of it, it was a pretty good summer for a PTS. I was an emerging artist. Yes I had to pay, yes they make you work in one of their departments (costumes, props, lights etc), and yes it’s basically “opera camp” but I got a huge leading role on its feet with orchestra and met some of my best friends there. The living quarters were probably the worst part but that was in 2019, I’m not sure how much has changed since then. Also being 20 min away from the nearest McDonalds (our only form of entertainment and our post-rehearsal “treat”) was slightly annoying 😂

Beginner/Intermediate friendly, skip if you’re looking for role experience - continued

Continuing the second review of this program, for some reason it only submitted my first paragraph. If you are not one of their favorites or you are new to the program, expect 2-3 concerts and ensemble. They have masterclasses and other things, but those experiences are not guaranteed. They also have some classes/lectures, but they are very much beginner-oriented. A big downside to their program is this: they have their favorite singers who they ask to come back every year, and they are often emailed very early in the casting process with offers for the leads in their MainStage and Studio productions. However, SVF usually still says they are casting leads on their website and YAP Tracker listings, even though they have likely had their leads casted for months. They are also generally pretty disorganized, although this seems to be the case with almost every pay-to-sing there is. SVF used to pay their Milnes Studio Artists in past years and set them up with quality home-stays so they did not have to pay for housing. Now young artists pay for the program and for housing. Scholarships and work study are available, but they typically only take off a couple hundred dollars. Most of my memories of this program are good ones. I have learned a lot, met some great people, and gotten a decent amount of stage experience through their concerts. I have also never had any problems with most of the staff; they are generally delightful and very knowledgeable. Again, best for beginners/intermediate singers.

Beginner/Intermediate friendly, skip if you’re looking for role experience

SVF is a great program for beginner and intermediate singers. The biggest takeaway is the wonderful quality of coachings and lessons you receive. Their new General Director is a very kind man and their Artistic Director is a very talented conductor who is a joy to work with.

Good pay to sing if you don’t expect too much

Overall, it’s a good beginner-intermediate pay to sing. Specifically, it’s a great intensive program for coachings/lessons. It’s also a great way to meet some people in the industry and other young artists. However, the company itself can be very logistically disorganized and sometimes over-markets what it actually offers. Logistically, it feels like they’re flying by the seat of their pants sometimes. Among other things, communication with artists can definitely be lacking, the schedule is sent out daily but there are frequent last minute changes, and there isn’t a good system in place to get from place to place- the only plan is artists with cars giving other people rides around the city. So if your schedule doesn’t line up with someone with a car, you might be out of luck or need to uber (which to my knowledge isn’t reimbursed). Also, role opportunities are often advertised, when in reality roles are not guaranteed- especially larger roles or leads. Realistically, you’ll usually perform in 2-3 concerts and the ensemble of any productions that have an ensemble. Outside of that, you MIGHT get selected for a masterclass, MIGHT get a very small role in a mainstage production, and MIGHT get a larger role if they happen to be doing a studio only production that year. They do offer scholarships or work study if you send a note requesting it with your application, but it usually only knocks a few hundred dollars off the tuition price. I’m going to be honest: people who attend usually fall into two camps, those who absolutely loved the experience and consider it to be a “family” and return year after year, and those who leave a little sad/bitter because their goals for the program were higher than what they received (as in they wanted a larger role, more stage time, inclusion in a masterclass, etc.). As long as you’re realistic about what the program actually offers, it’s a great program for beginner-intermediate singers.

Why did I pay to sing and also to work lol

Fabulous staff, world class orchestra, and amazing opportunities for YAs!

I wish I could rate this program a 0.

Attended in both 2021 and 2023, and had a fantastic experience! I learned so much about how to present a role, work with an orchestra, and tons of stagecraft- plus, I made lasting friendships and connections. Dean Anthony is a wonderful mentor!

I had an overall good Experience with MTB. I had this program recommended to me by the head of the music department at my school. The program lasts about a month and depending on which program you’re in (voice, MT, or Collaborative piano) you’ll be learning two or more scenes from an opera or operetta in German, or American musical theater repertoire in English. They offer acting, vocal coaching, and dance for all students. Singers do take dance classes with Musical theater students depending on apptitude, so it mostly just ended up being the MT students in one class and the vocal students in the other. Again, one could switch to the higher level dance class if that’s their skill level. All students take German class 3 times a week and there are also two levels of German classes, on the 3rd day I switched to the more advanced class. The musical theater students do take German as well but mostly in the lower level. I found them to be just as engaged and willing to learn as the opera students. The biggest draws of the program are the language immersion, the masterclasses, the faculty, and the proximity to major German speaking Opera hubs of Munich and Salzburg. In terms of the location and dormitory situation, They use a main townhouse in the center of the village for most students, with a hotel a few streets over to serve as overflow. Breakfast and lunch are served every day which were very nice, traditional german foods and a choice of soup or dessert. Everyone eats breakfast and lunch together every day which I appreciated and the town had very nice amenities. There was even a local beer festival at the end of our stay in the town. The town itself is situated in the southern German alps 2 hours outside of Munich and very close to the Austrian border with lots of excursions such as hiking or castle tours available on weekends. Weekends are otherwise free to spend how you like and the town is very well connected to the bigger cities via train. I’d recommend this program to anyone finishing up thier undergraduate, or are midway through thier graduate degree. Bonus: for colaborative pianists this program offers a unique oppertunity to live, work, and train with singers and MT performers as a full member of the artist community there.