CMC PRAIRIE COMPOSER OPPORTUNITIES:
Applications Now Open for the
2027 Emerging Composer Competition
Calgary: The Canadian Music Centre: Prairie Region is pleased to announce that applications for the 2027 Emerging Composer Competition are now OPEN!
Emerging Composers with a connection to Canada’s Prairie Region, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut are invited to submit their orchestral works to the CMC Prairie Region Emerging Composer Competition for Orchestra with a cash prize and performance by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) during the 2027 edition of the Winnipeg New Music Festival (WNMF).
Applications will close on May 31, 2026.
Guidelines:
- Applicants must either be current residents of, have been born in, or have completed a substantial portion of their musical education in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, The Northwest Territories, or Nunavut.
- There are no age restrictions; however, applicants should be composers at the early stages of their professional careers.
- Only works that have not been officially premiered prior to the WSO world premiere date are eligible. Works that have been read in an academic or workshop context are eligible, provided they have had no more than one reading by a professional orchestra.
- Only works completed after January 1, 2024, will be considered.
- MAXIMUM duration for the work is 6 minutes.
For additional guidelines and the application form, please visit: pr.cmccanada.org/ecc.
The ECC is a joint project of the Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), and the Winnipeg New Music Festival (WNMF).
See past winners of the competition HERE.
Music Engraving Summer Camp, July 18 & 19
Are you a composer, arranger, musician, educator, or student? Do you want to learn how to prepare professional quality sheet music and develop your engraving skills? Want to relive the whimsy of summer camp?
The Canadian Music Centre: Prairie Region is excited to announce our first ever Music Engraving Summer Camp, a two-day intensive designed to introduce you to the world of music typesetting and score preparation, led by industry professionals, from July 18-19, 2026.
With sessions led by our very own in-house engraver, Anton Lindenblatt, you’ll learn the basics of engraving, including notation conventions, score and part preparation, and the many options of music notation software available.
As a bonus, Michaela Kleer, head librarian of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, will also present a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most crucial roles in orchestral operations, and the work in preparing scores and parts for the musicians!
What You’ll Learn
Day 1:
You’ll start with all the basics: first with standard notation conventions (beaming, note spacing, text markings), followed by instrument specific guidelines (bowings, mutes, extended techniques, lyrics), in addition to non-traditional notation, including aleatoric/indeterminate music.
You’ll learn how to properly format scores and parts, delving into the art of stave layout, pagination, printing, and binding. This will be presented in conjunction with our guest speaker, Michaela Kleer, and her role as orchestral librarian!
Day 2:
Expanding on the previous day’s session, you’ll do a deep dive into the world of music notation technology, including Dorico, Sibelius, Finale, and MuseScore and picking the right software for your needs. You’ll also explore how templates, keyboard shortcuts, and external scripting integrations can be used to speed up your workflow.
An engraver needs a keen eye; Anton will walk you through the process of proofreading and error-spotting. Registrants for this session will have the opportunity to bring in personal projects for coaching and individual feedback.
How To Attend
The full intensive will take place in-person at the University of Calgary in Craigie Hall F202, from 9:30am – 3:30pm, with an hour break for lunch.
Participants will have the option to join virtually through the one day pass to attend the first session on July 18th, which includes access to the orchestral librarian seminar. The librarian seminar is also available as a standalone purchase.
Discounts are available to CMC Associate Composers as well as music educators for the one-day and two-day packages. Limited bursaries are available to assist with tuition, please inquire HERE if interested.
For more information, see our Camp Landing Page HERE. For questions or concerns, please get in touch with Anton HERE.
COMPOSER OPPORTUNITIES:
The MusiCounts Fellowship for Emerging Songwriters & Composers
The MusiCounts Fellowship for Emerging Songwriters & Composers is a national application-based program designed to elevate Canada’s next generation of music creators while generating new Canadian repertoire for use in classrooms across the country.
Each year, the 10 selected Fellows will:
- Receive a $7,500 funding package
- Participate in a structured creative collaboration
- Gain national exposure through MusiCounts initiatives
- Receive creative and career guidance from the Fellowship’s mentors: Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee and JUNO Award-winning artist Nemahsis, and acclaimed composer of educational repertoire Cait Nishimura
At the core of the program is the creation of new, contemporary Canadian music for classrooms to be made freely available to educators nationwide. These works will be performed by students across the country through the CBC Canadian Music Class Challenge, powered by MusiCounts in early 2027.
For more details on the Fellowship components, please see the Program Guidelines.
Applications are open, and accepted until May 22, 2026. If you are interested in applying to this program, please begin by completing this Intake Form.
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.
ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES:
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.
FUNDING AND SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
Long Term Project Funding is part of the Creating, Knowing, and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples Program. It funds First Nations, Inuit, and Métis professional artists, cultural careers, arts and cultural professionals, groups, collectives, and organizations. Grants provide support for eligible applicants for projects that last more than 1 year and less than 3 years. The maximum funding amount for applicants is $300,000
Deadline : May 20, 2026
Reverie : The Indigenous Music Residency (Empowered by CBC and SOCAN Foundation)
Reverie: The Indigenous Music Residency is an immersive program designated to support and elevate the creativity of Indigenous music creators from across Canada. Selected participants will travel to Toronto from October 1 – 31st, 2026, and will engage with the local community and have access to resources at CBC as well as receive invaluable mentorship
Deadline : May 31, 2026
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The Music Creator Day Grant program supports Canadian organizations that celebrate, showcase, and/or invest in the work of music creators. This program provides three organizations grants up to $10,000 to support projects that meaningfully engage Canadian music creators through presentation, education, and/or community focused initiatives
Deadline : June 1, 2026
Music Organization Operating Grant
Eligible organizations may receive funding to invest in the operations and administration of their organization to further its mission and strengthen the organization’s and industry’s capacity
Deadline : June 1, 2026
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.