Giving voice to opera’s future

Stay tuned for announcements about our upcoming 2025-26 Opera Season!

The mission of the Academy of Vocal Arts is to be the world’s premier institution for training young artists to become international opera soloists.
Upcoming Events · See the Full Calendar

No events are currently scheduled. Please check back soon!

AVA's Significance to the Opera World

The Academy of Vocal Arts aims to stand as the world’s foremost institution for training young artists as global opera soloists. Through rigorous instruction, coaching, and showcasing Resident Artists in various performances, AVA cultivates artists with high career potential, while enhancing lives in Philadelphia and beyond.

learn more
Resident Artist Profile

Dawson Franzino

mezzo-soprano · First year


all resident artists
Alumni Profile

Anne Marie Stanley

mezzo-soprano ’22 · Princeton, New Jersey

The voice is glorious: rich, deep, and powerful, and with superlative diction...The role can sometimes sound matronly, but Stanley's youthful instrument teems with a life-affirming passion. She's also a consummate actor, conveying [the character's] strict moral principles, her impatience, her vulnerability, and ultimately her decision to die as a final act of defiance... It's a performance of compelling power and passion.

Clive Paget, Musical America

Opera Outreach Program: Preparing the Audiences of Tomorrow!

Opera Outreach, AVA’s educational program, gives middle and high school students the opportunity to learn about all aspects of opera through comprehensive study guides, followed by live performances of the opera they studied. After each opera performance, students are able to interact with the performers in lively question-and-answer sessions.

learn more

Members

Season Sponsors