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The William F. Holmes / Frank D’Accone Dissertation Fellowship in Opera Studies provides funding for the final year of PhD dissertation work focused on the study of opera. Fellows receive a twelve-month stipend, currently set at $25,000. They may also elect to accept the award on a non-stipendiary basis (thus freeing scarce resources for others). The fellowship is intended for full-time study. There are no provisions for the payment of tuition. The fellowship is not intended for support of the early stages of research; it is expected that a fellow’s dissertation will be completed within the fellowship year. Fellows are selected in the spring and announced in the summer.
Application
Please see the application form for additional details regarding submission materials and guidelines. Applications to the Holmes/D’Accone Fellowship must include:
- A brief dissertation project description (maximum 200 words).
- A current dissertation proposal (2,000–4,000 words), including a detailed rationale of the project and an overview of each chapter.
- A timeline (1–2 pages) for completion of the dissertation.
- A sample chapter or excerpt (preferably not an introductory chapter reviewing the literature) not exceeding 60 double-spaced pages in length.
- A verification from the registrar or departmental Director of Graduate Studies attesting to ABD (all-but-dissertation) status and approval of a dissertation proposal in opera studies.
Note: All documents should include the name of your project, but omit personally identifying information, such as your name and institution. (ABD attestation letters do not need to exclude this information.) Letters of recommendation and a curriculum vitae are not required.
The application form opens in October. All applications are due by 1 February. If this date falls on a weekend or holiday, applications are due on the following business day.
Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must be full-time doctoral students in good standing at a North American university (defined as all 23 countries in North America), pursuing doctoral research in opera studies. At the time of application, applicants must have completed all formal degree requirements except the dissertation, including having a dissertation proposal approved in the field of opera studies.
Fellowships are for one year and are not deferrable or renewable. An AMS fellowship may not be held concurrently with a comparable or year-long fellowship from another source unless accepted on a non-stipendiary basis. An individual can only receive an AMS dissertation fellowship once. Fellows are expected to focus on completing their dissertations and not to undertake more than twenty (20) hours each week of paid or unpaid employment during the fellowship term.
Frequently Asked Questions
The proposal should include a detailed rationale of the project (supported by, but not limited to, an assessment of relevant secondary literature) and an overview of each chapter. It should be a sourced document with footnotes, endnotes, and/or bibliography. Word count does not include footnotes, endnotes, or bibliography. This document should include the name of your project, but omit personally identifying information, such as your name and institution.
The timeline should indicate all milestones (completion of exams, proposal approval, etc.) that are relevant for your program/institution. This document should include the name of your project, but omit personally identifying information, such as your name and institution.
Your verification must be requested from your registrar or departmental Director of Graduate Studies using the reference request feature included in the application form. Have your attestor’s name and email handy when filling in the form. You may send this letter request at any time, even before you are ready to submit the application.
The Holmes/D’Accone Fellowship is a dissertation completion fellowship. To be eligible, you must have achieved ABD or equivalent status—and had your dissertation proposal in opera studies approved—at the time that you submit your application. The expectation is that you will use fellowship funds to finalize your dissertation research and complete your degree.
Graduate students enrolled at universities in all 23 countries in North America are eligible for the Holmes/D’Accone Fellowship. Eligibility is determined according to the location of the university where you are currently enrolled, not by your citizenship or the location of your current residence.
In order to accept the Holmes/D’Accone Fellowship while holding a similar fellowship, you must accept the fellowship on a non-stipendiary basis. Recipients who receive the Holmes/D’Accone Fellowship with the accompanying stipend may not concurrently hold an equivalent award.
Yes! You may submit applications for any (or all) of the three AMS fellowships in the same cycle. The AMS 50 and Holmes/D’Accone Fellowships share a common application that allows you to easily apply for both at once. The Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship has a separate application form.
It depends. If you have previously received an AMS dissertation completion fellowship (either an AMS 50 Fellowship or Holmes/D’Accone Fellowship), you are not eligible to receive another AMS dissertation completion fellowship. However, individuals who previously received the Howard Mayer Brown Fellowship are eligible to later apply for the AMS 50 and Holmes/D’Accone Fellowships, provided that they meet the eligibility criteria.
Funding News
Stay abreast of recent AMS grant and fellowship awards on our News & Updates page. The AMS funds a wide variety of individuals and projects, and keeping up with them can give you insight into future disciplinary trends and conversations.
Past Recipients
The AMS has been a major provider of dissertation fellowships in music studies for decades. Peruse our searchable table of Past Recipients to see the extraordinary individuals the Society has supported over the years.
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