Emerge on Main is for emerging musicians who

• perform classical, new, or genre-bending music
• have completed basic professional training
• have yet to establish a significant professional career

If you're wondering if the music you perform will qualify for Emerge on Main, read the next FAQ, "What do you mean by 'classical, new, or genre-bending music?'"  If you're still wondering, email a description of what you play to the Emerge on Main Manager: emerge@musiconmain.ca.

In 2010, applicants must be permanent residents of British Columbia.  A resident of British Columbia is defined as someone who is a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident and has lived in British Columbia for at least 12 months immediately prior to the appication date.

In 2011, applicants from anywhere in the world can apply.

All applicants must be 18 years of age or older.

Defining music is tricky, huh?  Take a look around the Music on Main website to get a feel for the kind of music we produce.  Hopefully that will give you some sense of what we're looking for.

By classical music, we mean music that has been created by a composer, usually written down using western notation, and usually performed by highly trained musicians.

By new music, we mean the same as classical music, but most often we're talking about music written during your lifetime.

By genre-bending, we mean music that blurs expectations about tradition and is created with a conscious effort to push boundaries.  When Music on Main started out, we were especially interested in genre-bending music that subverts our ideas of what classical and new music is.

Of course!

Applicants must have completed their basic professional training and be ready to embark on a career as a professional musician.  You should have completed a diploma or degree from a conservatory or university, or some equivalent type of training.  Significant mentorships or other forms of long-term, serious study are acceptable as well .

Please briefly describe your training in your 300-word bio (on the application form).

We recognize that different musicians undertake their training and are ready to embark on their careers at different stages in their lives.  Because of that, there is no maximum age for applicants.

Emerging musicians at the beginning of their careers are in an uncomfortable professional adolescence, and opportunities to perform on professional series are few and far between.

This programme is designed to help launch the careers of musicians who do not regularly perform on professional series or with professional ensembles.

One individual or ensemble will be invited to become the Emerge on Main artist each year.

Yes!  We'll cover basic travel, accommodation and per diem expenses so that any Emerge on Main artist who lives outside of the Vancouver area can participate in the programme.

We're putting together a group of music industry leaders to review the applications and auditions.  Artistic excellence is the primary consideration for choosing Emerge on Main artists.  We're also interested in providing a platform for aboriginal, non-European, and female artists, groups that are often under-represented on concert stages.

Another goal of Emerge on Main is to find emerging musicians who are ready to launch their careers.  The answers you provide on the application form will help us get to know you and your musical ideas better.

Artistic excellence is the most important factor in choosing an Emerge on Main artist.  These other criteria are things we consider priorities, but artistic excellence will drive decisions.

We love composers, but Emerge on Main is designed as a performance programme, and as such is not able to hire musicians to perform your works.  You're welcome to apply as a performer or with an ensemble that primarly performs your works.

When you're submitting your videos, please know that we'll be reviewing them in context of the community and Main Stage performances.  See FAQ #11 for more details.

Here's how you need to submit your videos:

1.  Go to YouTube and create an account.  (Select "Create Account" in the upper right-hand corner of the YouTube home page.)  Or sign in to your existing account.

2.  From the "My Account" page, select the "New" button on the left-hand side of the page, and then "Video Upload."

3.  Upload your video.  (You'll need to upload a minimum of two and a maximum of three videos.  A note: one of your videos must include a piece that was written in your lifetime.)

4.  In the "Video Information and Privacy Settings" section, fill out "Title" starting with "Emerge on Main" followed by your name, the name of the composer, the name of the piece, and the year it was written.  It should look something like this:
Emerge on Main | Jane Wong performs John Zorn's Goetia for solo violin, written in 2002.

5.  In the "Video Information and Privacy Settings" section, fill out "Description" with any other information you'd like us -- and the rest of the world! --  to know about the performance or piece.  It's not necessary to fill out this section.

6.  In the "Video Information and Privacy Settings" section, fill out "Tags" with the words "emerge on main" followed by your name, the name of the piece, the name of the composer and the year it was composed.  (You'll need to include this information on the application form, too.)

7.  Select "music" under the "Category" button, and ensure that "Public" is selected in the privacy options.

8.  Keep track of your videos and the URLs (or web addresses).  You'll need to cut and paste the URL you find in the "Sharing" section into the online application form for Emerge on Main.

Helpful hint:  Please do not submit audio-only recordings on YouTube.  The jury wants a sense of you performing live so the submissions must include video.  Don't worry if you don't have some fancy-schmancy made-for-TV high-definition directed by Spielberg-esque film.  We welcome non-professional video recordings.  Just do your very best to let us hear you and see you making the music that you love to make.

Of course!  The Emerge on Main artist will perform three community concerts and a Main Stage debut at Heritage Hall in Vancouver.

The three community concerts are designed for the artist to perform their repertoire multiple times.  They'll take place in music schools and community centres prior to the Main Stage debut.

The Main Stage debut at Heritage Hall is scheduled to take place on October 2, 2010, during Music on Main's new Modulus Festival.

The community and Main Stage performances will be 30 to 45 minutes in length.  The Main Stage performance will be the first half of the October 2, 2010 concert.

When you're submitting your videos, please know that we'll be reviewing them in context of the community and Main Stage performances.  Emerge on Main is unable to hire additional performers to support the Emerge on Main artist; therfore, we need a sense of the type of programme you propose and with whom you would perform it.

When you submit your video and written material to Emerge on Main (or any other application), make sure you put your best foot forward.  The first video you submit should show you at the very best you can be.  Think about the jury: they'll be reviewing dozens -- perhaps even hundreds --  of applications, and you should show them something that sets you apart, something that makes people sit up and listen.

Thinking about a jury and the numerous applications they will review is a good rule of thumb for any application you submit to any programme.  Your written material should answer the questions clearly, and honestly.  The written materials are where you get to make the case as to why you should be selected as an Emerge on Main artist.  And of course, the case you make must also fit the programme guidelines.

We recommend that you have other people read and edit your materials too.  Checking in with other people allows you to see if what you're intending to get across to the reader really is getting across!

Good luck!

We anticipate a summer 2011 deadline for the next round of Emerge on Main.  Join the mailing list to keep informed, and remember, the 2011 application is open to emerging musicians from anywhere in the world.

We will be in touch with all applicants in early September.

Just send an email to Music on Main.  You can reach us at info@musiconmain.ca.