• Application Deadline: Wednesday, March 26th (before midnight Eastern Time) 

• Application Results: Mid-April

• Residency Dates: June 22nd–29th (arrival to Westben: June 22nd; departure from Westben: June 29th)

All creative and collaborative risk-takers whose practice involves some combination of both composition and performance are encouraged to apply. Basically, as long as a singular title doesn't fit your musical resonance, this is for you.

The PCR offers space and support to make meaningful connections with fellow creative musicians and curious listeners. Our music making will be split up into a few of Westben’s beautiful facilities, including the esteemed 400-seat Westben Barn, the Willow Hill amphitheatre and the historic School House.

Your time with us will be tended to by four residency facilitators along with members of the attentive and caring Westben community to help with hosting, organizing and logistics.

There is no charge to apply or attend this residency. 

Each accepted participant will be provided the following by Westben:  

• Accommodations at a rented house in the town of Campbellford, with possible spillover at another nearby home.  

• Prepared diet and allergy-conscious lunches and dinners from June 23rd–28th  

• Basic breakfast foods provided for self-preparation (participants will also be a 10-minute walk or 2-minute drive to a local grocery store).

Accepted participants are expected to: 

• Arrange and fund their own arrival and departure transportation to Westben. (We will do our best to help coordinate carpooling. If you are travelling from afar without a car, a Westben volunteer can pick you up from the Belleville, Cobourg, or Peterborough bus or train stations). 

• Participate fully in the residency throughout the week, including rehearsing, supporting your peers, participating in a practice-sharing session with the community, and performing in a final concert. 

We are happy to write support letters for accepted participants applying for grants (Canadians, please consider applying to Socan or the Canada Council’s travel grants or professional development grants). Depending on where you are applying from, the following list of Funding Resources may be helpful.

This residency offers a unique opportunity for deep focus and growth, both creatively and personally. Our hope is that the nurturing environment and support provided will enable you to immerse yourself fully in the residency's activities and the community of peers without the need to engage in external work. We acknowledge that life is full of surprises and responsibilities that can't always be set aside, yet we gently encourage you to embrace this time with us as fully as possible. The residency team is dedicated to your well-being and creative journey, and we're always here to assist with any questions or concerns you may have.

While leaving room for the unexpected, and freeform times to foster friendships, connections, and collaborations, the residency has several core components:

Rehearsals/collaborations – Residency facilitators will help organize rehearsal and cocreation times throughout the week. Based on the preferences and creative directions of our cohort, we intend to organize participants into two smaller self-directed ensembles, each consisting of five members. In these groups, members will collaborate to co-create/co-compose music together. Additionally, we plan to form a larger ensemble that will work on creating another piece. 

Sharing food – Wonderful diet and allergy conscious meals cooked by a local chef will be shared together. You'll have plenty of chances to volunteer for a dishwashing shift. :) 

Connecting with the environment and community – This might include hiking the nearby Nature Conservancy, attending a performance of local Indigenous musicians, performing at our local community gardens, getting a tour of the ecosystems with our resident Bird expert on the Westben grounds, and learning about Westben’s sustainability efforts. 

“Meet the Artists-in-residency” Chalk Talk public session – In the spirit of learning from each other through valuing all the unique knowledges participants hold, and connecting with the local community, we invite each participant to share an aspect of their practice that brings them joy. This could be sharing a group activity, an approach that fascinates you, historical context for your practice, a snippet of a creative work of yours, etc. Each participant will have 15 minutes to share. This session will happen at Westben’s historic Schoolhouse as part of its Chalk Talk series. With your consent, these sessions may be recorded/live-streamed and become a part of Westben’s Digital Venue and website. 

“Among Dreams” Concert on June 28th – Our week will conclude with a collaboratively-designed concert during Westben’s main festival series in the beautiful Westben Barn. The running theme in line with Westben’s 26th season of concerts is “Dare to Dream” and our concert will explore the sub-theme of “Among Dreams.” This event is a space to share the creative explorations we come up with during our time together with the local community. Residency facilitators and a full tech team will support the concert. The concert may also be recorded and/or live-streamed.

Apply online at the top of the page. If you have any technical issues with the Google form, please email pcr@westben.ca for other easy ways to apply!

The application is intentionally not too demanding, but please apply with care and commitment. Please make sure that all links you submit are active and accessible. You will be asked the following: 

1. What excites you about this residency? Why do you wish to apply? How might this residency deepen your work/creative practice? 700 words max

2. Please provide 3 direct links to pieces/projects that you’d like us to experience.

We are able to host 9 participants this year. Each year, we are humbled to receive so many incredible applications. We try to respect our limited hosting capacities to provide what we believe to be an attentive environment for all involved. As a result, we unfortunately are not able to accept all applications. Applicants will be selected based on their submitted materials and how we believe they may complement the pluralistic practices of other applicants.

We welcome applications from past online participants, but please note that priority will be given to new participants. To spread out the opportunity, we are currently not accepting applications from past participants who have already attended the residency in person. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds to apply. We highly encourage applications from artists who identify as Indigenous, Black, or a person of colour. Please reach out if you have any questions about the application. Applicants will be notified of their status when the adjudication process is complete (mid-April).

We hope this residency serves as a re-energizing meeting place for creative musicians and curious listeners and fills the gap of tuition-less opportunities connecting diverse music practitioners. We are constantly learning and growing on this path with the help of past and potential participants. We highly welcome and value any constructive feedback, ideas, proposals or questions you may have regarding the residency.

We are always looking for volunteers to assist during the residency. If interested, please get in touch with pcr@westben.ca

Are you passionate about supporting experimental, co-creative, and collaborative music making and sound explorations?! We would love to hear from you. Please email pcr@westben.ca for information on sponsorship packages and partnerships.