Independent Residency: Music 2027-28

This is Banff Centre's self-directed track: no set curriculum or faculty mentorship, just a private rehearsal studio — piano and large instruments included — and one to two uninterrupted weeks to compose, rehearse or research on your own terms, across several set windows between April 2027 and March 2028. It suits a solo musician or composer, or a small ensemble of up to six working together, who already has a clearly defined project and doesn't need technical support to carry it out. Applicants must be 18 or older; both Canadian and international musicians are welcome, though Banff's programmes don't meet Canadian student-visa requirements, so international applicants attend as visitors. After scholarship support, a one-week stay costs about $980, covering studio time, accommodation and a meal contribution; Canadian Indigenous applicants have the full cost covered, and named scholarships may be available for others. The application fee is $65 ($35 for Indigenous applicants). You'll need a two-page resume, a two-page project proposal explaining the work and why it matters to you, a studio request form listing equipment needs, five to eight samples of recent work, and your preferred dates — a group applies as one submission through its lead member. A jury reviews for artistic merit and originality, relevant skill and experience, how clearly the goals are defined, and whether the project genuinely suits unsupervised studio work; competition for spots is real, and once dates are assigned they're fixed.