Schmidt Vocal Arts has announced its full schedule of programs for the 2026-27 season, including 17 regional competitions for high school classical singers, its seventh annual Undergraduate Competition, and a series of webinars and master classes.

Fall 2026 competitions will take place at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, on Oct. 4; Baylor University in Waco, Texas, on Oct. 10; Chapman University in Orange, California, on Oct. 24; the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music on Nov. 1; Vanderbilt University in Nashville on Nov. 7; Temple University in Philadelphia on Nov. 8; Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Nov. 14; Loyola University in New Orleans on Dec. 5; and the University of Missouri Kansas City on Dec. 12.

Spring 2027 competitions follow at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Feb. 20; Montclair State University in New Jersey on Feb. 28; Georgia State University in Atlanta on March 6; the San Francisco Conservatory on March 14; Butler University in Indianapolis on April 10; Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, on May 1; and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee on May 9.

Each regional competition is adjudicated by a panel from the opera and higher education fields, with the top three winners at each site receiving cash awards and an invitation to the sixth annual National Competition in Sarasota, Florida, in June 2027.

The seventh annual Undergraduate Competition will feature an in-person final round for the first time, following two virtual preliminary rounds open to undergraduate voice performance majors at accredited U.S. universities. The live final, taking place Feb. 13, 2027, at Manhattan School of Music in New York, will be adjudicated by a panel of singers and industry professionals from the opera field, with up to 20 finalists competing for prizes.

Schmidt Vocal Arts will also offer a series of webinars and master classes open to the public, including sessions with countertenor John Holiday, pianist and vocal coach Lydia Brown of The Juilliard School, composer John Musto, mezzo soprano Kirstin Chávez, and soprano Cristina Castaldi, among others.

Founded in 1997 and funded by the William E. Schmidt Foundation, Schmidt Vocal Arts has supported more than 7,000 developing singers and awarded more than $5 million in cash prizes and scholarships since its founding.