CURRENT CMC PRAIRIE COMPOSER OPPORTUNITIES:
CURRENT COMPOSER OPPORTUNITIES:
HPO Call for Composer Fellowship Applications
Deadline / Feb. 27, 2026
Click here for info
The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, in collaboration with the Ontario Region of the Canadian Music Centre, is seeking applicants for the Composer Fellowship Program for the 26-27 Season. The HPO’s Composer Fellowship program is a tuition-free training opportunity aimed at connecting early-career composers with professionals in the orchestral world to nurture and develop new skills through mentorship and the creation of a new work.
The program includes valuable mentorship led by HPO Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson-Schulte in conjunction with Music Director James Kahane, musicians and administrative staff.
We are currently seeking two fellows for the 26-27 Season:
- One Fellow aged 25 or younger who will write a 5-6 minute piece for small chamber orchestra to be premiered at the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra Intimate & Immersive concert
- One Fellow aged 26 or older who will write a 5-6 minute piece for full orchestra that will be premiered at an Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra mainstage concert
Composer Fellows will receive an archival recording of their piece following its premiere. The HPO will offer an honorarium in support of the new work and travel expenses. Composer Fellows will experience a typical professional situation with standard rehearsal time (not to be confused with a reading session or workshop). This year-long mentorship program with a significant commitment beyond the commission with Composer Fellows gaining exposure to how a professional orchestra functions including administration and production. In addition to attending rehearsals and concerts, composers engage in public speaking, audience engagement, education and other activities. The positions also include instruction on orchestral protocols, library expectations and editing of scores/parts. There is flexibility in the program to accommodate skills and interests.
It is highly encouraged that applicants are able to travel to Hamilton multiple times throughout the season to take full advantage of the opportunities offered in the program. Travel bursaries may be available for successful applicants from outside of Ontario for whom the financial cost of travelling to Hamilton is a barrier to participation in the fellowship. Travel bursary requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and cannot be guaranteed.
Focus: Chamber Music (Up to 15 musicians)
The Azrieli Music Prizes comprise three thematic commissioning prizes. The three Prizes are: the Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, the Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music, and the Azrieli Commission for International Music.
The Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music is the Prize awarded to a composer who engages critically and creatively with the question “What is Jewish Music?”.
The Prizes are awarded on a competitive basis to an individual composer whose application proposes a response to the selected Prize theme that displays the utmost creativity, artistry, technical mastery and professional expertise. Applications, as described below, include samples of the composer’s past work, a written essay (the Proposal) and other supporting documents. Each prize winner (laureate) is then commissioned to write a new work for chamber ensemble (3-15 players), to be delivered in summer 2028.
The musical works resulting from each of the three Prizes will be:
- awarded a cash prize of $50,000 CAD;
- given a premiere at the AMP Gala Concert in Montreal in Fall 2028;
- given two subsequent international performances;
- and professionally recorded for a future commercial release.
AMP laureates attend the rehearsals, performances and recordings of their Prize-winning works.
Altogether, the prize package for each Azrieli Music Prize is valued at over $250,000 CAD.
Guidelines HERE.
Focus: Chamber Music (Up to 15 musicians)
The Azrieli Music Prizes comprise three thematic commissioning prizes. The three Prizes are: the Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, the Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music, and the Azrieli Commission for International Music.
The Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music is the Prize awarded to a composer who engages critically and creatively with the complexities of composing music in Canada today.
The Prizes are awarded on a competitive basis to an individual composer whose application proposes a response to the selected Prize theme that displays the utmost creativity, artistry, technical mastery and professional expertise. Applications, as described below, include samples of the composer’s past work, a written essay (the Proposal) and other supporting documents. Each prize winner (laureate) is then commissioned to write a new work for chamber ensemble (3-15 players), to be delivered in summer 2028.
The musical works resulting from each of the three Prizes will be:
- awarded a cash prize of $50,000 CAD;
- given a premiere at the AMP Gala Concert in Montreal in Fall 2028;
- given two subsequent international performances;
- and professionally recorded for a future commercial release.
AMP laureates attend the rehearsals, performances and recordings of their Prize-winning works.
Altogether, the prize package for each Azrieli Music Prize is valued at over $250,000 CAD.
Guidelines HERE.
Focus: Chamber Music (Up to 15 musicians)
The Azrieli Music Prizes comprise three thematic commissioning prizes. The three Prizes are: the Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, the Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music, and the Azrieli Commission for International Music.
The Azrieli Commission for International Music is the Prize awarded to a composer who engages deeply in exploring cultural expression that has a meaningful connection to their lived experience.
The Prizes are awarded on a competitive basis to an individual composer whose application proposes a response to the selected Prize theme that displays the utmost creativity, artistry, technical mastery and professional expertise. Applications, as described below, include samples of the composer’s past work, a written essay (the Proposal) and other supporting documents. Each prize winner (laureate) is then commissioned to write a new work for chamber ensemble (3-15 players), to be delivered in summer 2028.
The musical works resulting from each of the three Prizes will be:
- awarded a cash prize of $50,000 CAD;
- given a premiere at the AMP Gala Concert in Montreal in Fall 2028;
- given two subsequent international performances;
- and professionally recorded for a future commercial release.
AMP laureates attend the rehearsals, performances and recordings of their Prize-winning works.
Altogether, the prize package for each Azrieli Music Prize is valued at over $250,000 CAD.
Guidelines HERE.
CMC Ontario – Concert Series
Deadline / rolling
Click here for info
Starting in 2023, The Ontario Region of the Canadian Music Centre is offering up to six $1,000 sponsorships each year, available to Associate Composers and new music performers, ensembles, and presenters, to produce a concert featuring at least 50% of music by Ontario Associate composers, allocated regionally in the following areas:
- Eastern Ontario (Ottawa, Kingston)
- Southern Ontario (Hamilton, Kitchener, Niagara)
- Western Ontario (London, Windsor)
- Central Ontario (Peterborough, Barrie, Owen Sound)
- Northern Ontario (North Bay, Sudbury, Manitoulin)
- Northwestern Ontario (Thunder Bay, Sault-Ste-Marie, Kenora)
CMC ON will promote the concerts via the CMC Ontario eBlast, our website, and social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). In return we ask that the concerts are billed as co-presentations providing equal billing to CMC ON on programs, website page about the concert, and any promotional materials using our logo. After the event, CMC ON will solicit a statement about the benefit of the support. Where possible, someone from CMC ON will attend.
While offering a source of new funds to areas historically deprived of new music performances and our help promoting concerts under this umbrella, this new paradigm of working has the potential to increase the number of concerts CMC ON presents each year, broaden our presence across the province, help us meet new people doing creative things, and help us better fulfill our provincial mandate and mission.
A specific number of sponsorships will be allocated to each area annually. Applications will be reviewed by staff as they are received until the funds for each area are committed.
CURRENT ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES:
The City of Burnaby is inviting artists to take part in a unique artist-in-resident program, lasting two to six weeks. Set in the natural beauty of Deer Lake Park, artists will be able to examine, create and refine their art, while engaging the community and accessing other resources such as studios and spaces.
Cultural amenities include the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby Art Gallery and Burnaby Village Museum. The live-in accommodations consist of two heritage homes: Baldwin House, designed in 1963 by renowned Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, and Eagles Estate, built in 1929 by Drs. Blythe and Violet Eagles. Art studios and community engagement spaces are available at the Arts Centre, Gallery and Museum, and may include Burnaby Public Library, parks and recreation/community centres.
The program provides time and space for professional artists with emerging and established practices to create new work. Visual artists, performers, musicians, land-based practitioners, poets, writers, ceramicists and more are encouraged to apply. Residencies include housing and/or studio use.
Located on the ancestral and unceded territories of thexʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) peoples, Deer Lake offers an inspiring environment for artistic exploration.
Application Deadline: March 31, 2026 (covering residency requests between March 1, 2027 to December 5, 2027)
Learn more and apply: Burnaby.ca/AIR
Media Contact:
Public Affairs Office
publicaffairs@burnaby.ca
BInspired
Burnaby is the place where arts, culture and music come to life. From free events running year-round to groundbreaking and thought-provoking exhibitions, there is no shortage of opportunities to be inspired. The future of the arts scene is bright, as we’re currently building a new performing arts centre that will include a 364-seat theatre, art studios and more. Deer Lake Artists in Residencies is another example of the vibrant arts community in Burnaby.
Chalmers Performance Space Artist is Residence Program
Deadline / rolling
Click here for info
The CMC Short-term creative residencies are a rolling residency program for composers, ensembles, and production companies involved in the production or researching of Canadian Music in CMC’s Chalmers Performance Space in downtown Toronto. These self-directed residencies provide you or your organization with space and time in which to experiment and cultivate new works or research new avenues for creativity. Residencies take place during work hours, 9am-5pm Monday to Friday. Residencies may range from a few days up to 4 weeks (excluding weekends) and may take place at any time of the year subject to availability of the performance space.
Resident artists and ensembles benefit from access to CMC’s production facilities and knowledgeable staff who are available to provide technical support and assistance. In addition, you will have the opportunity to build connections, create networks, and share your work with the broader CMC community through artist talks, publications and/or livestreaming.
Chalmers Performance Space Artist is Residence Program
Deadline / rolling
Click here for info
The Canadian Music Centre in BC (CMC BC) is pleased to launch a new Artist in Residence program for the upcoming 2022/2023 season. Select artists (composers, performers, small ensembles) will be chosen as ‘Artists in Residence’ in CMC BC’s Murray Adaskin Salon.
These residencies are offered to artists involved in the production or researching of Canadian Music. The Canadian Music Centre in BC has always tried to support and encourage artists in our community and continues to do so with this investment in a private, creative working space to focus on your goals.
The AiR program is a flexible model to encourage experimentation and creativity. Basically you decide what you need to work on and we give you the space and time within which to do it.
CURRENT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:
Alberta Grants Calendar
This calendar captures upcoming grant deadlines for funding available to arts organizations and artists in Alberta. We have provided public funders at the municipal, provincial, federal levels, among with private foundations that support the arts in Alberta.