Charleston, WV - The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra invites all high school instrumental music students to apply for the Andrew and Amy Vaughan Student Symphonic Fellowship, a monitored and time-intensive training program for serious music students.

Sponsored by Dr. Andrew and Amy Vaughan of Charleston, this fellowship program began in 2002 to develop and encourage West Virginia high-school students to pursue careers as future professional musicians, educators, composers or conductors. Deadline to apply is Wednesday, December 17, 2025.

Selected fellows will sit alongside WVSO musicians during the second half of the Elliot Foundation Symphonic concert series and conduct personal research about the music performed. Fellows will also meet and interact with renowned guest artists, guest conductors, and WVSO music director, Maurice Cohn. Additional fellowship activities will be tailored to the winning candidates’ interests and abilities. Fellowship activities take place primarily outside of school hours. Fellows who live outside of Charleston are eligible for a stipend for travel to symphony activities.

Candidates should be serious instrumental students in grades 9-12. Applications will be accepted for students playing the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, bass, harp, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, pitched and unpitched percussion, and piano. 

From the initial applicants, a small number of finalists will be invited to a two-part interview/audition on Friday, January 16, 2026, in Charleston. For the audition, students are encouraged to perform one or more movements from the standard concerto repertoire for solo instrument with orchestra. An accompanist will be provided, but students are also free to bring their own. Pianists should prepare a major solo movement from the standard sonata repertoire.

The 2025 fellows were Julian Finn Smith, violin, Princeton, WV, Simeon Jett, piano, Elkview, WV and Kayleigh Basham, flute, Beckley, WV. 

Previous fellows include DJ Austin, Huntington, WV, Kaleigh Murphy, Barboursville, WV, Roslyn Skinner, Lewis County, WV, Audrey Sundstrom from Parkersburg, WV, Brooke Miller from Hurricane, WV, Christian Garnes from Huntington, WV, Luke Frazier, Parkersburg native and founder and conductor of the American Pops Orchestra, and Charles Morey from Fayetteville, WV, member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Applications are available at wvsymphony.org/fellowship.

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra is West Virginia’s premier performing arts organization, presenting classical,and pops, annually throughout the Mountain State. Currently in its 87th season, the WVSO is a proud member of the community and enriches the region by providing affordable, high-quality concerts, collaborations with West Virginia arts organizations and a nationally award-winning education program.