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Music Festival Travel Grants

UNDER REVIEW

Deadlines

  • 15 September 2010, for festivals taking place between 1 December 2010 and 31 May 2011
  • 15 February 2011, for festivals taking place between 1 June and 30 November 2011
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Program Description

Music Festival Travel Grants help professional Canadian musicians perform at Canadian festivals at which they have not performed before and which are at least 800 kilometers from their place of residence. This help is designed to introduce artists at an early stage of their career to a wider public and experienced artists to new audiences.

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Eligibility

You may apply if you are a professional Canadian artist or a professional Canadian group (for example, an ensemble, band, collective or organization). You must be a Canadian citizen or have permanent resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. If you are a permanent resident, you must provide evidence of your legal status.

The Music Section supports music made for artistic and cultural purposes. It values distinctive artistic voices and supports excellence, innovation, experimentation and creativity in all established and emerging traditions of music. Competitions for funds are national in scope.

The Canada Council defines a professional musician as someone who:

  • has specialized training in the field
    This training will be consistent with the standards of their practice. Training may include post-secondary academic study, mentorship, private instruction, workshops, periods of self-directed study, community-acquired knowledge or any combination of the above.
  • is recognized as a professional artist by his or her peers
    Other music artists working in the same tradition identify the applicant as an artist of superior achievement and (or) potential. Peer acknowledgement may include a history of support or recognition at a local, regional, or provincial or territorial level.
  • is committed to devoting more time to artistic activity, if he or she can afford to
    The applicant pursues their own artistic vision, retains creative control, and is committed to the creation and (or) promotion of original work. The applicant exhibits high professional standards and is dedicated to the ongoing development of their artistic practice.
  • has a history of public presentation.
    The applicant receives compensation for the public presentation of their work, and actively seeks to maximize the audience for their work, regardless of market appeal.

Orchestras, Choirs and Opera/Music Theatre Companies

To apply to this program, you must represent an orchestra, choir or opera/ music theatre company that has already been assessed by a peer assessment committee of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Professional Orchestra Program, Professional Choir Program or Professional Opera/Music Theatre Program (known as the “core operating programs”). For more details about the core operating programs, contact the appropriate Music Section Officer, as follows:

Orchestras and Opera/Music Theatre Companies
Daniel Swift, ext. 5248
Email: daniel.swift@canadacouncil.ca

Choirs
André Jutras, ext. 5071
Email : andre.jutras@canadacouncil.ca

If you are planning to apply to this program on behalf of an orchestra, choir or opera/music theatre company, you must inform the appropriate Music Festival Travel Grant Program Officer as soon as possible (preferably 18 months in advance of the festival performance).

Other Eligibility Criteria

  • Festivals are defined as curated, non-profit, professional arts festivals where music is the main or a major component. In addition, they feature a number of artists, last more than one day but take place within a concentrated time period, and typically use more than one performance venue.
  • You may submit only one request per deadline.
  • This program will accept a maximum of five applications for travel to any given festival. Eligible application forms must include the signatures of both the artist (original signature) and the presenting festival (facsimile signature acceptable). Please note that the applicant must be the artist.
  • You must provide a contract that both you and the festival have signed. If you do not send this contract with your application, your application will not be eligible and it will not be submitted to the peer assessment committee. Note: If the contract clearly states that the festival will cover the costs of your travel from your place of residence to the festival, the application will not be eligible.
  • Travel to festivals that take place within an 800-kilometre radius of your place of residence is not eligible.
  • You must be performing at the festival for the first time.
  • You must receive a professional fee for your appearance.
  • You must perform in ticketed venues or, if attendance at the festival is free, on the main stage.

This Canada Council for the Arts program is accessible to Aboriginal artists or arts organizations, and to artists or arts organizations of diverse cultural and regional communities of Canada.

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Grant Amount

There are no minimum or maximum grants under this program. Grants will vary according to individual requests and the peer assessment committee’s evaluations.

You may not get the full amount you request. You cannot get funding for trips you have already made.

Eligible Expenses

The grant covers the estimated cost (using the most economical means) of round-trip travel between your place of residence and the festival location.

Only your travel costs are eligible. You are, or the festival is, responsible for the travel costs of tour managers and technicians, extra baggage charges, instrument transportation costs, instrument rentals and so on.

Travel costs for foreign artists collaborating on a project are not eligible.

You are free to travel any way you choose or to combine the festival appearance with other performances. When you choose or need to travel by other means, you will usually receive the equivalent of the excursion airfare.

Applicants who begin their project before they know the results of their grant application do so at their own risk.

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Application Form

Music Festival Travel Grants (pdf, 174 KB)

OR

To apply for a grant online go to GO! Grants Online

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Further Information

Pierre-Louis Pinel, Program Officer for Non-Classical Music, Classical and New Music
Music Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P. O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON  K1P 5V8

Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or 613-566-4414, ext. 4294

TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired callers: (613) 565-5194

July 2008