Call for Applications: 2026 Classical Music Residencies

In partnership with Philharmonie de Paris, Villa Albertine is launching, for the second consecutive year, a call for applications for research and exploratory residencies in the United States specifically dedicated to classical music. The 2026 season will mark the fifth anniversary of Villa Albertine’s residency program. 

The call is open to composers, singers, instrumentalists, conductors, researchers, or cultural professionals (institution directors, programming managers, etc.) working in the field of classical music, both instrumental and vocal, from the medieval period to the contemporary period. 

 
Between January and December 2026, three laureates will benefit from a research stay lasting between one and three months in a location of their choice in the United States. The purpose of their residency is to foster original reflections that could not happen otherwise while helping esidents renew their practice and create connections with local stakeholders. 

The residencies will be followed by the Philharmonie de Paris, along with support provided by Villa Albertine. 

This program is made possible thanks to the support of Société Générale Foundation, a major patron of Villa Albertine’s residencies. 

Application deadline: January 30, 2025, 11:59 PM (Paris time). 

This call is intended for candidates wishing to undertake a residency in the field of classical music. All other candidates, including musicians who do not practice within the classical music field, are invited to submit their applications for Villa Albertine’s general multidisciplinary call, launched simultaneously, here.  

Applicant Profiles & Projects 

The call is open to all classical music composers, singers, and players, as well as to classical music professionals (excluding composers, singers, and players) and conductors with an original research project requiring an immersive stay in the United States. 

Villa Albertine offers residents the opportunity to undertake a research and exploratory stay lasting from one to three months in the United States. This residency model is conceived as a field investigation aimed at drawing inspiration from the territory and forming professional connections. 

The proposed project can be based on a new initiative specifically designed for Villa Albertine, or it can continue an existing research project that would find a unique development in the U.S. In both cases, it is the relationship of the project to the territory that is most important.  

The applicant must choose a territory that makes sense in relation to the themes they wish to explore. The residency project can focus on a specific city or region of their choice. The laureate will be supported by one of the 10 Villa Albertine offices that covers the relevant territory.  

The cities where Villa Albertine has a permanent office include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. For example, a residency taking place in Seattle would fall under the Villa Albertine office in San Francisco. 

This call is not limited to French or Francophone applicants but is open to any composer, singer, instrumentalist, conductor, researcher, or professional in the field of classical music who meets the eligibility criteria outlined below, including the requirement to be supported by a French partner. 

Support from Villa Albertine 

Villa Albertine provides individual support for each resident, as well as a variety of possible residency locations.   

The program is implemented through Villa Albertine’s 80 person staff spread across ten cities, as well as networks of partnerships with multiple American institutions, to introduce residents to an environment which facilitates encounters, discoveries, self-examination, and reflections.   

Each Villa Albertine team will offer the resident its expert awareness of the cultural and artistic scene and the chosen area’s network and partners. Depending on each resident’s plans and axes of exploration, preparatory work will be done well in advance to identify the most relevant interlocutors in the region and surrounding communities.  

 A series of meetings and visits will be prepared for each resident, relevant to their project and needs. Villa Albertine will assist the resident in an analysis of their material and logistical needs for the successful execution of their project.   

Villa Albertine will cover the following transportation and living costs related to the residency:  

• A residency allowance, which will cover daily costs (e.g. meals and local transportation). Example: in Washington DC, this allowance is currently $100/ day.  
• International and possibly domestic travel costs  
• Housing 
• Car rental (in spread-out cities which require a car and/or if the project itself requires it) 
• Health insurance coverage, civil liability insurance, and repatriation to France, as needed.  

Please be advised that Villa Albertine cannot cover any other costs except for the transportation and local costs mentioned above. If the applicant identifies other specific needs (technical equipment, work or studio space, etc.), they should present solutions which demonstrate their essential nature and contribution to the viability of their project (e.g. partnerships, sponsorships, or complementary financial support).  

This offer is only made to individuals, joint or group applications are not accepted for this call. 

Villa Albertine’s framework is organized to support individual residencies (not including family members or other close relatives who would not be part of the project). In the case where this accompaniment would be necessary (a parent with dependent child(ren)), such a situation could be considered in the organization of the residency by searching for adapted housing. 

French Partners

Each applicant is asked to have their residency project supported by a French partner. Depending on the case, this support can take one of three forms:   

• Conception of the residency project: assistance in writing the residency presentation, finding resources and contacts that could help the applicant, etc.    
• Promotion of the residency: communication on social media or support with content creation about the residency (articles, podcasts, videos, etc.).  
• Post-residency follow-up: presenting the work carried out by the resident in the United States in France (e.g. conferences, professional meetings, etc. or help in developing an artistic or intellectual project).   

Partners are not asked to contribute financially to the residency. 

For candidates who are not eligible for French social security benefits and for non-French applicants who live in countries that are not part of the US Visa Waiver Program, the French partner must sign an agreement with Villa Albertine to ensure that administration regarding the residency  is  properly managed and that the procedures required for the candidate to enter the US have been followed. 

Any public or private entity under French law, based in France, may be a partner. This organization cannot be one that the applicant directs or has founded, but it can be the organization where the applicant is employed, or another distinct partner. 

In addition to the main French partner, applicants may also use other French partners and US entities that could help develop the project (e.g. networking, provision of a workspace, etc.) as support for their application.   

Selection Criteria 

Eligible applicants must possess the following:   

• Professional experience in their field of artistic or intellectual creation, demonstrated through a CV or file (less than ten pages long) that presents their career and work.  
• Be fluent in English, proven by sending a short, three-minute (max) introductory video of their career and project. The video is not expected to be edited but rather should be a simple video shot in front of the camera in which the candidate does not read from a prepared text.  
• Have the support of a French partner associated with the residency project, which can be any public or private French entity (a cultural institution, an organization, a publishing house, a firm in the creative and cultural industry, etc.). The chosen organization should inform Villa Albertine of their interest in supporting the applicant with a letter addressed to Mr. Mohamed Bouabdallah, Cultural Counselor of France and Director of Villa Albertine. 

The selection criteria are as follows:   

• Quality of the applicant’s career: the manner in which the applicant carries out their artistic or intellectual practice professionally; recognition by their peers; their residency project is a logical continuation of their work.  
• Quality of the project: the project is clearly articulated and the artistic, cultural, and intellectual axes it develops are relevant and have a strong link with the local community or environment.   
• Relevance of the project in relation to the residency’s location: the project is strongly tied to local dynamics and challenges and requires the applicant to travel to the United States.  
• Feasibility of the project: Villa Albertine reserves the right to not host projects it cannot properly support.  

The candidate should be able to adapt to any regional restrictions where they plan on spending their residency. For example, it is strongly recommended that they have a driver’s license if they plan to work in sprawling cities, such as Los Angeles.   

Applications 

Applications should be submitted by January 30, 2025, at 11:59pm French time (UTC+1), by completing the following form.  

It is strongly recommended not to wait until this date, to avoid possible traffic on the platform.   

 An applicant may only submit one application per season.   Applications can be revised at any time before the closing date of the call for applications. Once submitted, the application cannot be further edited.  

This offer is only made to individuals, joint or group applications are not accepted for this call.  

Since the applications are also examined by English-speaking experts, the candidate must answer any questions in English that require a written response.    

The candidate should mention the territory and the desired duration of residency (one, two or three months). Villa Albertine reserves the right to propose a shorter residency period than that initially indicated by the candidate, or even to adapt the itinerary to make the project more feasible.    

Any incomplete or noncompliant application will be deemed inadmissible. Any intentionally false declaration will automatically render the application void. 

The panel of judges is sovereign; it does not have to justify its decisions to applicants.  Successful applicants will be announced at the end of June 2025.