Banff Musicians in Residence (Winter)

"This amount of growth would likely have taken many months to achieve in the context of our everyday lives."
Joel Visentin, Music Residency alumnus

The Banff Musicians in Residence program provides emerging and established artists from all musical backgrounds with a period of focused time to concentrate on artistic development. This program is the ideal opportunity for individual musicians, ensembles, bands, composers, and music researchers to: work on a specific project; create new works; prepare for concerts, auditions or competitions; research innovative ideas; or explore new aspects of personal musical growth.

Residents are given the opportunity to expand their artistic insights through interaction with both distinguished visiting artists and other international musicians in the residency program. All residents have their own private studio space that they can access any time they wish. Participants in the residencies receive artistic and career advice from well-established guest artists and may perform with them on selected performances. There are weekly opportunities for performances on Banff Centre stages, as well as off campus.

Residency length can vary within the prescribed program dates. All residencies must begin on a Monday and last for a minimum of 12 days up to a maximum of 10 weeks. Acceptance to residencies is primarily based on artistic excellence and integrity, as well as the merit of the suggested artistic project, the probability the artist will realize the project, and the ability of The Banff Centre to provide appropriate support. 

Demo recordings are available to musicians already taking part in any of The Banff Centre’s Music residencies and are intended as a resource for artists needing CDs for auditions or personal promotion, and not for commercial purpose. Demos can be booked prior or during the artist’s residency and completed as studio schedules permit. Please clearly indicate demo needs in your application material on the Resource Request Form.

Professional CD Recording projects can be integrated within a Music residency or kept separate. Financial aid is not available for the production of a Professional CD Recording. It is strongly recommended to contact the Audio department prior to applying online. Find more information about Professional CD Recordings.

Indie Band Residency: The Banff Centre, in collaboration with Arts & Crafts, will be running a special initiative in early October. Indie bands, singer/songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, and all musicians are welcome to apply. Please subscribe to our contact list to get the latest program updates.

A welcome letter by Barry Shiffman, Interim Artistic Director for Classical Music. Fall-Winter, can be found here.