HATCH 2024 Call for Applications!

Continuum is excited to announce a call for applications for the sixth edition of HATCH, our annual summer mentorship program for early-career performers and composers.

This program is designed for self-identified EARLY-CAREER PERFORMERS AND COMPOSERS. It is free to apply and the program does not have a tuition fee.

APPLICATION FORM BELOW

COMPOSER DEADLINE: March 1, 2024 at 5pm EST

PERFORMER DEADLINE: April 22, 2024 at 5pm EST

HATCH brings together early-career performers and composers for artistic and professional development with a focus on contemporary chamber music. This summer, performer participants will work with the Continuum core ensemble, and composers with mentors rebecca bruton and Fjóla Evans. Rehearsals at the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto will be followed by a tour of Toronto, Prince Edward County, and Ottawa.

rebecca bruton photo credit: Alexander Slobodian, courtesy of Dancers’ Studio West

The conductor position for the HATCH ensemble is filled by a participant of the Women In Musical Leadership program (WML).

Applicants should be based in the Toronto area or able to provide their own transportation to and accommodation in Toronto for the duration of the program.

Composers will be notified of acceptance by March 11, 2024.

Performers will be notified of acceptance by April 29, 2024.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

Participants must be available for all rehearsal and tour dates.

March 18: Composer mentorship begins

June 16: Deadline for completed works

June 16: Performer mentorship begins

July 17-23: Rehearsals and meetings at the Canadian Music Centre (Toronto, ON)

July 24: HATCH Tour, Toronto Summer Music performance

July 27: HATCH Tour, Biglake Arts performance (Prince Edward County, ON)

August 3-5: HATCH Tour, travel, rehearsal, and Ottawa Chamberfest performance (August 5)

NOTE the gap week between Biglake Arts and Ottawa Chamberfest dates (July 28-August 2). There are no HATCH activities during this week.

Transportation between Toronto and Prince Edward County on July 27th will be provided, plus per diem.

Transportation to and from Ottawa, ON will be provided along with overnight hotel accommodation on August 3-4 (shared, two per room), plus per diem.

Performers

The six selected performers will:

  1. Receive mentorship in their instrument from Continuum’s core ensemble throughout the process. Mentors: Leslie Newman (fl), Anthony Thompson (cl), Carol Fujino (vn), Paul Widner (vcl), Gregory Oh (pno), and Ryan Scott (perc);
  2. Prepare and rehearse (up to) 3 new ensemble works by the participating composers and a work by each composer mentor;
  3. Perform the works listed above on the HATCH Ontario tour;
  4. Receive a $750 honorarium.

Composers

Composers should plan to write their work between March 18-June 16 (composition and lessons), with interaction with performers from July 17-23.

The three selected composers will:

  1. Write a maximum 8-minute piece for Continuum’s HATCH ensemble of fl, cl, pno, perc, vn, vc, conductor (please note that electronics/amplification will not be available);
  2. Receive mentorship from rebecca bruton and Fjóla Evans
  3. Participate in rehearsals and the HATCH Ontario tour;
  4. Receive a $750 honorarium. 

Decisions will be arrived at by juries consisting of selected mentors and Continuum staff.


Continuum shares responsibility in fostering an equitable, diverse and inclusive contemporary music community. We encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity. Please be in touch if you wish to discuss possible program adaptations that would remove barriers to participation.

All participants must agree to a Code of Conduct that requires all participants and mentors to work respectfully and constructively.
Should you have questions related to the program, please email Operations Manager Christina Volpini at christina@continuummusic.ca


This project is funded with the support of The Azrieli Foundation.

PROGRAM PARTNERS

Project Partners: The Canadian Music Centre, Tapestry Opera (Women in Musical Leadership Program)

Festival Partners:

Toronto Summer Music

    Jonathan Crow, Artistic Director

    Vanessa J Goymour, Executive Director

Biglake Arts

    Johannes Debus, Artistic Director

    Elissa Lee, Executive Director

Ottawa Chamberfest

    Carissa Klopoushak, Artistic Director

    Mhiran Faraday, Executive Director

    Jenna Richards, Director, Artistic Planning & Community Engagement


Announcing PIVOT 2024 Participating Composers!

In partnership with the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre, we’re excited to announce the composer participants of PIVOT 2024: Alexander Bridger (NL), Ricardo Ferro (ON), Liberté-Anne Lymberiou (QC), Anju Singh (BC), and Janet Sit (ON).

Alexander Bridger (NL)
Ricardo Ferro (ON)
Liberté-Anne Lymberiou (QC)
Anju Singh (BC)
Janet Sit (ON)

Each composer will write a new chamber work for Continuum while receiving guidance from a mentor of their choosing over a six-month period. Following a workshop at the Canadian Music Centre in February 2024, the Continuum core ensemble will premiere these five works on April 7, 2024.

With nearly 70 applications received from across Canada, we congratulate the selected composers and we look forward to sharing their work with you later this season!


Program Partners

Applications: 2024 Teen Composer Award (Now Closed)

The 8th Annual Teen Composer Award

The Teen Composer Award (TCA) provides an invaluable and practical composition experience for one high-school aged composer through one-on-one composition mentorship, professional development and an introduction to the Canadian contemporary music community. The program includes participation in the workshop and rehearsal process and culminates in a live performance by the Continuum Ensemble on our main stage concert series.

Application deadline: October 27, 2023

From Fall 2023 through Spring 2024, the selected composer will be mentored by professional Canadian composer Lieke van der Voort, who will serve as a guide for the composition process. Lessons may be in person or via Zoom.

The recipient of the award will compose a 5-8 minute work for the Continuum ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion with conductor), or a subset of this instrumentation agreed upon with Continuum’s Artistic Director.

The selected composer’s work will receive a live performance on April 7, 2024 at our concert PIVOT co-presented with the Canadian League of Composers, Canadian Music Centre, and the The Music Gallery at 918 Bathurst, Toronto.

The recipient will receive high quality video and audio of the performance; this documentation will also be shared via Continuum’s online platforms.

To Apply

Please send an email to christina@continuummusic.ca with the subject “Teen Composer Award” by Friday, October 27, 2023 which includes:

  • Your full name and where you currently study
  • A paragraph in the body of the email about your interest in the program
  • If available, a PDF of one score
    • If not available, please address in your written statement and describe your past music making/composing experience 
  • If available, one or two links to audio or video of your music (Soundcloud, YouTube, Vimeo, Bandcamp etc.)

Teen composers residing in Canada are invited to apply. Continuum does not cover travel or accommodation expenses to attend the premiere performance.

Previous Recipients

Cindy Chen (2017), Erik Kreem (2018), Sarah Lu (2019), Zack Payne (2020), Sointu Aalto (2021), Britney Dawn Do (2022), Jacob Eaton (2023)

Welcome to Continuum’s 39th season!!

After launching the current season with our annual HATCH summer music festival tour, we are excited to announce plans for the rest of our season!

Our 39th season celebrates the fruition of our many mentorship programs. In addition to Continuum’s fourth edition of PIVOT and a concert curated by the participants of our Mentorship in Artistic Production, we feature the performers, composers and artists we have worked with through past mentorship programs on each concert.

MAINSTAGE CONCERTS

In November, we present two premieres by PIVOT 2019 composers in a concert co-curated by Amy Brandon: the premiere of Amy’s new work for augmented reality percussion and a new acoustic work for the Continuum core ensemble by Émilie Girard-Charest co-commissioned by Continuum with Ensemble Paramirabo in Montréal. These works come together with a selection of innovative Canadian premieres.

In April, Continuum is excited to present PIVOT in collaboration with the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre. Selected through a juried process, five PIVOT participants mentor with professional composers of their choice for six months, and then gather in Toronto for professional development sessions and rehearsals. The program culminates in a concert of premieres by the Continuum core ensemble. We also present the 8th annual Teen Composer Award in a pre-concert presentation.

And in June we present the culminating concert of our Mentorship in Artistic Production (MAP). Drawing on their shared interest in improvisation and collective creation, Artistic Producers Émilie Fortin and Hillary Jean Young curate a programme that highlights the creation process as much as the performance.

MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

In fall we will accept applications for PIVOT and the 8th Teen Composer Award with mentorship by composer Lieke van der Voort. Stay tuned for details!

ONLINE ENGAGEMENT

Throughout the season, we continue our Press Play web series with 12 new episodes. Each episode presents works from our most recent concerts including Show Room, Spore Wind, and HATCH 2023 at Ottawa Chamberfest

Join us for another exciting season of new chamber music masterfully performed and shared in mentorship with the next generation. And if you like what we’re doing, please consider joining our Continuum family by making a donation now!

Announcing HATCH 2023 Participants!

For our fifth consecutive season, we are excited to present HATCH, Continuum’s annual summer music mentorship project for performers, composers and conductors made possible with the generous support of The Azrieli Foundation

From this year’s pool of applications, our jury selected the following participants:

Composers: Gabo Champagne, Nathan Friedman and Ethan Wray Hill

Performers: Roan Ma (violin), Audréanne Filion (cello), Sara Constant (flute), Juliette Moreno (clarinet), Megaria Halim (piano) and Alex Fraga (percussion)We are also proud to continue our partnership with Tapestry Opera and other partner organizations across Canada for the Women in Musical Leadership program. We welcome conductor Monica Chen, who will lead the HATCH ensemble in rehearsal and performance. Monica’s conductor mentor is Rosemary Thomson, Music Director and conductor of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra.

Roan Ma, Violin
Roan Ma, Violin
Audréanne Filion, cello
Audréanne Filion, cello
Sara Constant, flute
Sara Constant, flute
Juliette Moreno, clarinet
Juliette Moreno, clarinet
Megaria Halim, piano
Megaria Halim, piano
Alex Fraga, percussion
Alex Fraga, percussion
Gabo Champagne, composer
Gabo Champagne, composer
Nathan Friedman, composer (Photo credit: Aaron Licht)
Nathan Friedman, composer (Photo credit: Aaron Licht)
Ethan Wray Hill, composer
Ethan Wray Hill, composer
Monica Chen, conductor
Monica Chen, conductor

Mentors: Carolyn Chen (composer), Jason Doell (composer), Carol Fujino (violin), Paul Widner (cello), Leslie Newman (flute), Anthony Thompson (clarinet), Gregory Oh (piano), Ryan Scott (percussion).

We are excited to once again partner with our friends at the Canadian Music Centre that will host our rehearsal process in Toronto in July, followed by performances at the Toronto Summer Music Festival (July 18), BIGLAKE Festival (July 20), and Ottawa Chamberfest (July 22)! Stay tuned for dates and ticket availability. We look forward to sharing recordings of the works by our participating composers and mentors as part of our Press Play series next season.

Lessons are underway – we look forward to sharing more information on our upcoming performances and these phenomenal next generation of contemporary music artists!


Program Sponsors and Partners

HATCH 2023 Call for Applications!

ATTN: EARLY-CAREER PERFORMERS and COMPOSERS

Continuum is excited to announce a call for applications for the fifth edition of HATCH, our annual summer mentorship program for early-career performers and composers supported by the Azrieli Foundation.

This program is designed for self-identified EARLY-CAREER PERFORMERS AND COMPOSERS

Free to apply. The program does not have a tuition fee.

DEADLINE: February 20, 2023 at 5pm EST

APPLICATION FORM BELOW

HATCH returns in-person, bringing together early-career performers and composers for artistic and professional development with a focus on contemporary chamber music. This summer, performer participants will work with the Continuum core ensemble, and composers with mentors Carolyn Chen and Jason Doell. Rehearsals at the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto will be followed by a tour of Toronto, Prince Edward County, and Ottawa. 

The conductor position for the HATCH ensemble will be filled by a participant of the Women In Musical Leadership program (WML).

Please note: The piano position will be filled by last year’s accepted candidate who was unable to participate in the program at the last minute due to force majeure.

Applicants should be based in the Toronto area or able to provide their own transportation to and accommodation in Toronto for the duration of the program.

TIMELINE

Participants must be available for all rehearsal and tour dates.

March 1: Notification of acceptance

March 6: Composer mentorship begins

June 16: Deadline for completed works

June 16: Performer mentorship begins

July 12-17: Rehearsals and meetings at the Canadian Music Centre 

July 18: HATCH Tour – Toronto Summer Music performance

July 20: HATCH Tour – BIGLAKE Festival performance

July 22: HATCH Tour – Ottawa Chamberfest performance

Transportation to and from Wellington, ON in Prince Edward County will be provided, plus per diem.

Transportation to and from Ottawa, ON will be provided along with overnight hotel accommodation (shared, two per room), plus per diem.

Performers

The six selected performers will:

  1. Receive mentorship in their instrument from Continuum’s core ensemble throughout the process. Mentors: Leslie Newman (fl), Anthony Thompson (cl), Carol Fujino (vn), Paul Widner (vcl), Gregory Oh (pno), and Ryan Scott (perc);
  2. Prepare and rehearse (up to) 3 new ensemble works by the participating composers and a work by each composer mentor (Note: the work by composer mentor Jason Doell will be a premiere written for the HATCH ensemble);
  3. Perform the works listed above on the HATCH Ontario tour;
  4. Receive a $750 honorarium.

Composers

Composers should plan the majority of activity to happen between March 10 – June 16 (composition), with interaction with performers from July 12-23.

The three selected composers will:

  1. Write a maximum 8-minute piece for Continuum’s HATCH ensemble (fl, cl, pno, perc, vn, vc, conductor)
  2. Receive mentorship from Carolyn Chen and Jason Doell
  3. Participate in rehearsals and the HATCH Ontario tour;
  4. Receive a $750 honorarium. 

Decisions will be arrived at by juries consisting of selected mentors and Continuum staff.

COVID Protocols

Continuum staff continue to monitor public health conditions and will adapt the program as necessary. Participating artists agree to abide by the policies and procedures set forth by Continuum and the rehearsal/performance venues throughout the program. This may include wearing a mask and participating in regular COVID testing. In this event, KF94 masks and rapid tests would be provided by Continuum..


Continuum shares responsibility in fostering an equitable, diverse and inclusive contemporary music community. We encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity. Please be in touch if you wish to discuss possible program adaptations that would remove barriers to participation.

All participants must agree to a Code of Conduct that requires all participants and mentors to work respectfully and constructively.
Should you have questions related to the program, please email Operations Manager Christina Volpini at christina@continuummusic.ca


This project is funded with the support of The Azrieli Foundation

PROGRAM PARTNERS

Project Partners: The Canadian Music Centre, Tapestry Opera (WML)

Festival Partners:

Toronto Summer Music

    Jonathan Crow, Artistic Director

    Vanessa J Goymour, Executive Director

BIGLAKE Festival

    Johannes Debus, Artistic Director

    Elissa Lee, Executive Director

Ottawa Chamberfest

    Carissa Klopoushak, Artistic Director

    Mhiran Faraday, Executive Director

    Jenna Richards, Director, Artistic Planning & Community Engagement


Marion Newman & Continuum co-winners of Friends of Canadian Music Award 2022!

We are thrilled to have been selected as a co-recipient of the Friends of Canadian Music Award 2022! We are honoured to share this award with mezzo-soprano Marion Newman, who has been a close collaborator through the years. The award is given by the Canadian League of Composers in partnership with the Canadian Music Centre to recognize exceptional commitment to elevating Canadian composers and/or sound artists.

We have chosen to share this award with composer Amy Brandon, and Marion shares the award with composer Jessica McMann.

The announcement from the Canadian League of Composers reads: “In addition to recognizing artistic and career accomplishments, the jury – comprised of Mark Takeshi McGregor, Keiko Devaux, Saman Shahi, and Matthew-John Knights – believed it was important for this year’s award to acknowledge the extraordinary events and the important conversations that have taken place in all parts of our community throughout these past difficult few years. They were adamant that, in addition to their successful track records as performers, both Newman and Continuum deserved recognition for stepping up during these difficult times.”

The full announcement can be read on the CLC website:

Announcing 2023 Teen Composer Award recipient Jacob Eaton

We are absolutely delighted to announce this year’s recipient, Jacob Eaton, based near Wateron National Park, Alberta!

Jacob’s private lessons are in progress with composer mentor Lieke van der Voort. With Lieke’s guidance, Jacob will compose a string quartet to be premiered by Aaron Schwebel and Carol Fujino, violin, Carolyn Blackwell, viola and Paul Widner, cello in a pre-concert presentation at our concert Spore Wind on June 9, 2023.

Jacob writes: “There are 6 kids in my family and we all play musical instruments. My sisters play cello, violin and harp and my brothers and I play piano and organ. I am currently learning Mozart’s Fantasie in d minor. Outside of music my interests include playing chess, football, hiking, trading stocks and reading.

I like the way composition allows you to collaborate with other musicians on projects. I have been part of a few composition projects now and they have taught me about composing music as a group. I really enjoyed that way of composing.

I have observed the way my music teachers share ideas with others and contribute to concerts and musical events through composition. This has inspired me to want to learn more about composing so that I can contribute to my community in that way.”

Announcing Continuum’s Artistic Producers

We are excited to share that Hillary Jean Young and Émilie Fortin join Continuum as Artistic Producers for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons through our inaugural Mentorship in Artistic Production (MAP).

These wonderfully imaginative and inquisitive artists each bring a wealth of knowledge to our organization through their own unique multidisciplinary practices. Over the next two seasons, they will learn the day-to-day processes and procedures of Continuum including programming and curation, collaboration, commissioning practices, grant writing and reporting, contracting and scheduling musicians, working within a budget, logistics, marketing, and general event production. 

Hillary Jean Young, Artistic Producer
Émilie Fortin, Artistic Producer

This two-year mentorship period will culminate in a concert co-curated by Hillary and Émilie in the Spring of 2024 complete with a Continuum’s full budget and resources. This is a project we intend to continue every two years to help facilitate a new generation of Artistic Producers replete with knowledge of administrative infrastructure to go forward and create projects responsibly and sustain operations in good practice.

The MAP selection process was completed by a jury comprising Sanjeet Takhar, Artistic Director of The Music Gallery; Juliet Palmer, Artistic Director of Urbanvessel; Ryan Scott, Artistic Director of Continuum; and Christina Volpini, Continuum’s Operations Manager.


Hillary Jean Young is a musician, vocalist, and improviser working in experimental music, new opera, contemporary chamber music, and electronic music. Hillary has performed with numerous ensembles and orchestras, such as kallisti chamber opera, OperaQ, red fish blue fish, and The Happenstancers. Hillary’s operatic experience includes roles such as the title role in Janáček’s Příhody lišky Bystroušky, Elle in La voix humaine, La Modista in Rota’s Il cappello di paglia di Firenze, and Ghost 2 in the premiere of Lei Liang’s Inheritance.With their queercore performance art duo, masc4masc, Hillary has curated, hosted, and performed in venues across North America, as well as released an album, Not Another Queer Movie, via people places records. In 2019, Hillary earned their Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music Performance from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where they studied with Grammy award winning soprano Susan Narucki. Since relocating to Toronto, they have participated in the Toronto Creative Music Lab, performed at the inaugural season of the West End Micro Music Festival, written for DOMINIONATED, and worked for Paper Bag Records.


Émilie Fortin‘s artistic practice revolves around three axes: the creation of new repertoire through close collaboration between performer and composer, the exploration of new sounds through improvisation, and teaching.

Constantly seeking to enrich the trumpet repertoire, she has participated in the creation of over forty works. Her future and present collaborations explore physicality connection with training in body mime, dance and theater. In 2018, she created the soloist collective Bakarlari and serves as its artistic director. Dedicated to solo contemporary and creative music by offering concert experiences outside the traditional framework, Bakarlari is supported by Le Vivier Group.

She is a member of the Toronto-based ensemble Freesound, a collective of artist-creators dedicated to commissioning and presenting contemporary music in all its forms, and of ék, a mime and sound duo with trombonist Kalun Leung.

As an improviser, Émilie is known for her rigorous approach to noise music. Her collaborations include recordings and performances with, among others, Éric Normand, the Ratchet Orchestra and GGRIL.

Émilie has participated in the soundSCAPE Festival (Italy), Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance and Practice (Boston), Oh My Ears Festival (Arizona), Re:Sound (Cleveland) and Northwestern New Music Conference (Chicago). She has worked with members of the International Contemporary Ensemble (Banff Centre for the Arts), Ensemble Musikfabrik (Bauwerke Brass Academy), Ensemble Modern (Klangspuren Schwaz) and Vinko Globokar (Laboratorium), and has studied with Marco Blaauw and Peter Evans. In Montreal, she has performed with Productions SuperMusique (PSM) and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM).

A firm believer that pedagogy is an integral part of being a well-rounded performer, Émilie teaches in various high schools and music camps in the Montreal area as a specialist. For three years, she taught trombone, trumpet and music theory in Croix-des-Bouquets and Jacmel (Haiti) as part of the Ambassadors program. During the 2017-2018 season, she had the chance to hone her skills in community teaching with The Global Leaders team, having been one of 35 people selected from around the world to be part of this adventure. This allowed her to be a guest teacher in Bolivia (Conservatorio Plurinacional de Mùsica), Chile (Viva la Mùsica Panguipulli), Panama (Orquestra Veragüense de Vientos ) and Washington (DC Youth Orchestra Program).

As an ardent defender of the representativeness of brass instruments and the democratization of contemporary music, Émilie advocates for these issues as a presenter for organizations and conferences such as IRCAM Forum 2021, UQAM (Gender Differences and Inequalities in Music in Quebec), the Vivier Interuniversitaire and at the Canadian League of Composers. She is also a founding member of the Burning Brass Band, an ensemble that aims to increase the place of women, trans, non-binary and queer people in the Montreal brass band scene.

Originally from Abitibi-Témiscamingue, she studied at the Conservatoire de musique de Val-d’Or in the class of Frédéric Demers; she then studied classical performance with Lise Bouchard at the Université de Montréal. In 2017, she completed her Master of Music  at McGill University under the tutelage of Russell DeVuyst.

Émilie has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Montreal Arts Council.

Émilie Fortin photo credit: Gabrielle Valevicius

Applications: 2023 Teen Composer Award (Now Closed)

The 7th Annual Teen Composer Award

The Teen Composer Award (TCA) provides an invaluable and practical composition experience for one high-school aged composer through one-on-one composition mentorship, professional development and an introduction to the Canadian contemporary music community. The program includes participation in the workshop and rehearsal process and culminates in a live performance by the Continuum Ensemble on our main stage concert series.

Application deadline: October 24, 2022

During the late fall and winter of 2022 and early 2023, the selected composer will be mentored online by professional Canadian composer Lieke van der Voort, who will serve as a guide for the composition process. Lessons may be in person or via Zoom.


The recipient of the award will compose a 5-8 minute work for string quartet to be performed by Continuum musicians, including Aaron Schwebel, violin, Carol Fujino, violin, and Paul Widner, cello (viola TBA).

The selected composer’s work will receive a live performance on June 9, 2023 at our concert Spore Wind co-presented by The Music Gallery (918 Bathurst, Toronto). The recipient will receive high quality video and audio of the performance; this documentation will also be shared via Continuum’s online platforms.

To Apply

Please send an email to christina@continuummusic.ca with the subject “Teen Composer Award” by Monday, October 24, 2022 which includes:

  • one or two links (Soundcloud, YouTube, Vimeo, Bandcamp etc.) for audio or video of your music
  • a PDF of one score
  • a paragraph in the body of the email about your interest in the program.
Lieke van der Voort, Composer Mentor

Teen composers residing in Canada are invited to apply. Continuum does not cover travel or accommodation expenses to attend the premiere performance.

Previous Recipients

Cindy Chen (2017), Erik Kreem (2018), Sarah Lu (2019), Zack Payne (2020), Sointu Aalto (2021), Britney Dawn Do (2022)