Auditions for Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain to be held at Shawnee High School
OKLAHOMA CITY – For more than 45 years, auditioning for the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain (OSAI) has been a rite of passage for the state’s most talented high school actors, singers, writers, dancers, visual artists, filmmakers, musicians and photographers.
This year's audition process will vary by discipline, each with specific requirements. While literary and visual arts students can apply online, performing arts students must audition in person in January and early February at one of 20 locations throughout the state.
The program will be held June 11-26, 2022, at Quartz Mountain State Park in southwestern Oklahoma. As Oklahoma’s Official School of the Arts, every student accepted to OSAI receives a full scholarship to attend. Those interested in auditioning should visit apply.oaiquartz.org.
Widely known as Oklahoma's premier opportunity for aspiring artists, the Institute provides an experience far beyond that of an ordinary summer arts program. Renowned teaching artists from across the country travel to Quartz Mountain, where they provide advanced, college-level training and mentorship to the students in one of eight artistic disciplines: acting, chorus, creative writing, dance, drawing & painting, film & video, orchestra or photography. Its multidisciplinary structure sets the Institute apart, allowing students both intense study in their chosen discipline and new exposure to unfamiliar art forms.
Although the cost of a program of this magnitude is steep, every student accepted to the Institute receives a full scholarship to attend. The Oklahoma State Department of Education, the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous private foundations and individuals underwrite the program costs to ensure that OSAI is within reach of every talented student, regardless of their financial means.
This year, local auditions for acting, chorus, and orchestra will be held at Shawnee High School on Thursday, January 27. Interested students must first submit a general online application and may schedule an audition, if applicable. Partial audition information for each discipline is listed below, and detailed application instructions and additional information is listed at oaiquartz.org/OSAI.
ACTING: Applicants must schedule an in-person audition to perform two contrasting monologues from published plays by Thursday, February 10. See the full guidelines and locations at oaiquartz.org/disciplines/acting.
CHORUS: Applicants must schedule an in-person audition to sing two pieces listed on the OAI website and complete four tonal memory exercises by Thursday, February 10. See the full guidelines and locations at oaiquartz.org/disciplines/chorus.
CREATIVE WRITING: Applicants must submit creative writing samples online per the guidelines by February 14 at noon CST. See the full guidelines at oaiquartz.org/disciplines/creative-writing.
DANCE: Applicants must schedule an in-person audition to participate in group ballet, modern dance, and improvisation exercises by February 13. See the full guidelines and locations at oaiquartz.org/disciplines/dance.
DRAWING & PAINTING: Applicants must submit three portfolio pieces and one original still-life drawing per the guidelines by February 14 at noon CST. See the full guidelines at oaiquartz.org/disciplines/drawing-painting.
FILM & VIDEO: Applicants must submit an original film (maximum five minutes) and participate in a Zoom interview. Students must sign up for a Zoom interview on an available date, January 29 through February 13, and submit their film 24 hours before their interview. See the full guidelines at oaiquartz.org/disciplines/film-video.
ORCHESTRA: Applicants must schedule an in-person audition per the instrument-specific instructions by February 14. See the full guidelines and locations at oaiquartz.org/disciplines/orchestra.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Applicants must submit six to eight original images and take part in a Zoom interview. Students must sign up for an interview January 20 through February 12, and submit their images 24 hours before their interview. See the full guidelines at oaiquartz.org/disciplines/photography.
The Oklahoma Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain (OAI) is Oklahoma's Official School of the Arts. A private, nonprofit organization, OAI has partnered with the State of Oklahoma for over 45 years to provide exceptional multidisciplinary arts education experiences that develop individual talent and inspire a lifelong passion for the arts. In addition to the Summer Arts Institute—the state's flagship program for talented high school artists—OAI administers a series of continuing education workshops for educators and other adult artists during the annual Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute. For more information, visit oaiquartz.org.
This article originally appeared on The Shawnee News-Star: Auditions for Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute at Quartz Mountain to be held at Shawnee High School
