The apprentice is hosted by Pro Coro Canada for an 8-10 day period in Edmonton, Alberta and will work with the professional choir in preparation to conduct a selection in a concert. The apprentice will also meet with choral leaders in Edmonton, observe a variety of other choral ensembles, and create professional connections.

Past participants Kathleen Allan (NYCC 2016), Gabrielle Gaudreault (NYCC 2018) and Thomas Burton (2022) performed with Pro Coro Canada and its choir for emerging singers, #connect, in the Edmonton International Choral Festival, and also had the opportunity to meet international guests such as Paul Mealor, Maria Guinand and Lone Larsen.

Application Guidelines

The successful applicant

• must be a Canadian citizen (or permanent resident)

• must not be older than 35 years as of the concluding date of the program

• must be a member of Choral Canada

• He or she will demonstrate a keen desire to learn more about choral conducting at an advanced level.

• At the discretion of the NYCC conductor, the candidate may elect to sing in the NYCC

​An independent selection committee will choose the successful applicant. Candidates must submit:

• a letter of application (1-2 pages) explaining her/his desire to enter the apprenticeship program, what s/he would like to gain from the opportunity, how s/he intends to use this experience, and why s/he should be chosen;

• a detailed résumé outlining her/his choral conducting education and experience;

• a list of the repertoire conducted over the past 2-3 years;

• video footage showing 10-15 minutes of the candidate in rehearsal and 5-10 minutes of the candidate in performance (both with a choir the candidate works with on a regular basis);

• two letters of recommendation from established conductors who know the candidate’s work well.​

Thanks to the generous support of The Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation, there is no tuition for this program. The successful applicant will be responsible for transportation to and from NYCC/CNJC but local transportation, accommodation, and meals will be provided for the duration of the program.

The successful applicant will also receive a prize of $4,000 from the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation.
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The Foundation provides significant career development opportunities to young Canadian musicians and music scholars in their advanced education, and in so doing commemorates a great Canadian and his unique career. ​​