William F. Holmes / Frank D’Accone Dissertation Fellowship in
Opera Studies

 

 

 

The Holmes / D’Accone Fellowship for dissertation research recognizes academic achievement and future promise in the study of opera. Any full-time graduate student registered in good standing for a doctorate at a North American* university who has had a dissertation proposal in the subfield of opera studies approved at the time of the application is eligible to apply, regardless of the stage of dissertation work.

*Includes all 23 countries in the North American continent

Competition and Application Procedures

Application deadline: 11:59pm EST, 3 February 2025

Please note: AMS Fellowships now use a common application. If you are eligible for and wish to apply for more than one AMS fellowship, you may do so by completing a single common application. You must indicate on the form for which fellowship(s) you are applying.

To apply for the Holmes / D'Accone Dissertation Fellowship in Opera Studies, you will be required to provide the following materials:

1. A brief (1,000 character) dissertation project description.
2. A current dissertation proposal of 2,000-4,000 words, double-spaced, in 12-point font. 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. This document should include the name of your project, but omit personally identifying information, such as your name and institution.
3. A timeline (1-2 pages) for completion of the dissertation, including information about progress to date. 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.
4. A sample chapter or excerpt (preferably not an introductory chapter reviewing the literature). This chapter or excerpt should be one that clearly represents or bolsters your overall thesis, and should not exceed 60 double-spaced pages in length. This document should include the name of your project, but omit personally identifying information, such as your name and institution.
5. You must also arrange for a letter from the registrar or departmental Director of Graduate Studies, attesting that your dissertation proposal in opera studies has been approved. This must be requested using the reference request feature included in the application form, so have your attestor's name and email handy when filling in the form. You may send the request for this letter at any time, even before you are ready to submit the application.

Note: letters of recommendation and a curriculum vitae are not required.

Important notes:

1. Applicants must submit items 1-4, above, in an anonymous form, i.e., without name or evidence of institutional affiliation in any document (including text, headers, footers, footnotes, and document properties). Please be particularly careful not to name university-based sources of funding or other institutional information in the prospectus and timeline.
   
2. Start your application process early. You may save an incomplete form and continue later.
3. You MUST click the 'Submit' button at the end of the form in order to submit your application. Applications not submitted by the deadline cannot be considered.
4. Upon submission of your application form you will receive an email confirmation. You may also check the status of your application by signing into your Submittable account and clicking "My Submissions". If you have any questions, please contact ams@amsmusicology.org.

 

Award

The Holmes/D’Accone Opera Studies Fellowship is awarded solely on the basis of academic merit. 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). Fellowships are not deferrable or renewable. The fellowship is intended for full-time study. It cannot be held concurrently with a comparable or year-long fellowship unless accepted on an non-stipendiary basis. Fellows are expected to focus on completing their dissertation and not to undertake more than twenty (20) hours each week of paid or unpaid employment during the fellowship term. There are no provisions for the payment of tuition: it is hoped that graduate schools will provide tuition fellowships or waivers.

Fellows are selected in the spring and announced in the summer.