Affordable orchestra festivals

Hi all,

As the school year is coming to a start, I'm looking to figure out what festivals to apply to ASAP so I can get started on organizing the rep sooner than later. This past summer, I was accepted into a few festivals but was not able to attend because I had just purchased a new instrument and my finances were tight, so I couldn't afford to go. This instrument purchase was necessary, but has been a big hit to my finances and I don't want to have to ask my parents to drop thousands of dollars on festivals- living with them at age 21 is already enough of a burden, I'm sure lol.

I was curious if anyone had suggestions of more affordable/free orchestra focused festivals for a bass player, or any ideas. I'm still relatively speaking new to classical music (started as a jazz player) and still figuring out how to navigate this stuff. I've asked my teacher, and I'm going to apply for Music Academy, Aspen, and Roundtop, but I'm unsure about what other festivals could be good options. I know Aspen is quite expensive, but I plan on sending my tape while the app. fee is only $30, so not much to lose there. FWIW I am on the west coast. The reality is I'm just not in a position to spend thousands of dollars to attend these programs, not to mention the cost of flying there and back with my bass...

Thanks so much in advance for any suggestions. I've learned a lot from browsing this forum!