Steven Philcox and Lawrence Wiliford, the Co-artistic Directors of CASP, announce a series of grants to support new and emerging composers during this difficult time of COVID-19 isolation.
Two grants of $2000 will be awarded in each of the next three years. The successful applicants will be expected to create three Art Songs (free-standing poems set to music), roughly 10 to 12 minutes in total, within 8 months of the agreed start date. As part of the programme the applicant will be paired with a recognized Canadian Art Song composer who will act as Mentor throughout the process. The Mentors will provide guidance and support. This program is open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.
The Canadian Art Song Project is a registered charity organization with a 10-year history of engaging composers, poets, and performers in the shared goal of preserving, promoting, and building Canada’s rich body of Art Song literature. Our recently released recording Healey Willan: Summer Night and Other Songs for Voice and Piano was nominated for a 2020 JUNO Award. Past CASP-commissioned composers have included Afarin Mansouri, Ana Sokolović, Jeffrey Ryan, and Marjan Mozetich, among many others.
In addition to seeking applications from graduates of composition programmes, those in post-graduate composition programmes and/or other emerging freelance composers who wish to advance their skills in the writing of Art Song, we welcome applications from composers from non-traditional or non-classical backgrounds.
Over the past 18 months CASP has been engaging in public conversations that have explored the voices of our diverse cultures and their relationship to Art Song in Canada. It is hoped that this Mentorship Programme will enrich and re-imagine the writing of Art Song in Canada by engaging racialized artists to bring their lived experiences into this evolving art form in a collaborative and open environment. To this end, we strongly encourage applications from racialized communities.
The application package is available on the CASP website. Please follow the instructions outlined on the website to submit an application. Deadline for submission is February 28, 2021. Results will be announced in April 2021.
