Website: https://gsfta.com/
The Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts (GSFTA) is a summer arts education program for gifted and talented high school students in the state of Tennessee. According to its website, the program’s mission is to provide high quality arts education to selected students. It is a residential summer intensive hosted at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and is open to rising 11th and 12th grade Tennessee residents attending public, private, or homeschools.
Programs
GSFTA offers instruction across six arts disciplines: Dance, Filmmaking, Visual Art, Instrumental Music, Vocal Music, and Theatre. Students apply to a single discipline and pursue core studies in that area while also being exposed to other art forms through guest lectures, exhibits, concerts, and films presented during required evening programs held seven days a week.
The Dance program describes itself as an intensive, multifaceted experience within an interdisciplinary arts community, with goals that include engaging imagination, encouraging intellectual curiosity and creative thinking, improving self-discipline, and supporting decision-making about career choices. Dance auditions consist of a two-hour class covering ballet and modern dance, and applicants are expected to demonstrate intermediate or advanced proficiency. The Dance Chair is Laurie Merriman, who holds a B.F.A. in Ballet and Modern Dance from Texas Christian University and an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois, and who has been with the program since 2010.
About
The program was founded in 1984 by Governor Lamar Alexander, with its first session held in the summer of 1985 at Middle Tennessee State University, beginning with 90 orchestral students. It expanded in 1986 to include wind ensemble, vocal music, theatre, and visual arts. Dance was added in 1987 and filmmaking was added in 2009. According to the website, more than 7,000 students have attended since 1985.
Students are selected through a competitive process of auditions or portfolio submissions with interviews, typically held in January and February. The website states that approximately 1,400 or more students compete annually for around 230 available scholarship positions. College credit is awarded to participants. Faculty members hold terminal degrees from institutions including Yale, Juilliard, Eastman, and the Moscow Conservatory, and many reside on campus during the program. The program is supported by a staff that includes full-time and guest faculty, accompanists, costume designers, production coordinators, and student counselors.
Location & Contact
The program is hosted at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
- GPS address: 624 Old Main Cir, Murfreesboro, TN 37132
- Mailing address: 1301 E. Main St., Box 38, Murfreesboro, TN 37132
- Main office contact: Gregory Snodgrass, (615) 898-2223
- Email: [email protected]
Additional Information
The program runs as a three to four week residential summer intensive; the website lists program dates of June 6 to June 28, 2026. Resources available on the GSFTA website include sections for program administration, faculty and staff, an alumni center, frequently asked questions, and downloadable forms and handbooks. Prospective students can find information on directions, the application and audition process, and discipline-specific requirements. The program maintains a presence on Facebook and YouTube.
Profile compiled from the company’s official website (gsfta.com).