Since the Fall of 2017, Early Music Vancouver (EMV) has offered a scholarship programme awarding up to 10 scholarships to BC residents. Qualified candidates are professional-track music students or active professional musicians seeking to develop skills in early music performance. This initiative is aimed at increasing the long-term sustainability of the period performance scene in British Columbia.
For instrumentalists, involvement in the Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme at UBC (BOMP) is encouraged but not required.
All applications to study period instruments and/or voice with professional instructors are considered for scholarships. Applicants must reside in BC.
The Application Process
APPLICATIONS OPEN DECEMBER 3, 2024.
Applicants will be required to submit the following by email to julia@earlymusic.bc.ca by JANUARY 15, 2025:
1. Contact Information: (Full name, mailing address, email address, phone number)
2. Educational Background/Resume
3. A brief essay in which you describe your musical background, your specific experience with early music, the name and background of the teacher you would like to study with, and how further exploration of early music performance will enhance your development as a musician. Word Limit: 500 Max
4. Two letters of recommendation (testimonials via email are acceptable), one sent directly from a teacher who can comment on your experience in early music, and one sent directly from a principal music teacher who can comment on your work more broadly.
5. A 5-minute unedited audio/video recording of Baroque or Classical music performed on your historical or your modern instrument.
Award
The maximum number of awards to be given in a year is set at 10 students, each of whom can be awarded as many as 15 private one-hour lessons over the course of the year. The total number of scholarships awarded in a year will be based on the number of applications. A progress review will be submitted by instructors for each student once seven of the lessons have been completed.
Your scholarship funds must be used by March 4, 2026 (within one year of receiving your scholarship).
Note: previous scholarship winners are welcome to re-apply.
Judging
The applications will be reviewed by an anonymous panel of early music specialists. Results will be announced on MARCH 4, 2025, at the latest.
Application & Deadline
THE APPLICATION PROCESS OPENS DECEMBER 3, 2024 AND CLOSES ON JANUARY 15, 2025.
Meet YOUR Teachers!
The list below includes the BC Scholarship program’s core BC teachers. You may suggest other regional teachers and, if there is no regional teacher for your instrument, you may suggest an out of province teacher. These would be for online lessons unless the teacher is traveling to Vancouver and agrees to teach you while in B.C.
Suzie LeBlanc, C.M., voice
Krisztina Szabo, voice
Alexander Weimann, harpsichord & fortepiano, organ
Chloe Meyers, violin, viola
Natalie Mackie, viola da gamba, cello, violone
Soile Stratkauskas, flute
Matthew Jennejohn, baroque oboe, recorder, cornetto
Katrina Russell, bassoon
Andrew Clark, horn
2023-2024 Scholarship Winners
Partial Scholarship:
Kerry Graham, bassoon
This initiative is supported by Bryan & Gail Atkins
