Vancouver International Children’s Festival Announces Inaugural QTBIPOC Mentorship Program
The FM: Future Music Mentorship program will give nine QTBIPOC artists a chance to transform existing shows and/or create new shows that are appropriate for young audiences and families. The program will also provide the chosen QTBIPOC artists with integral artistic and business skills to bring their voices and wide range of music to BC’s young audiences.
Through one-on-one mentorship with Rup Sidhu and artists from Apparatus, QTBIPOC artists will develop their show and create marketing collateral that they can use to promote themselves in the future. All artists will receive a four-hour recording session, a promo and full-length show video that they can send to presenters and showcases for performance opportunities across the country. At the end of the Program the artists will premiere their performance live at the 2021 Vancouver International Children’s Festival for small live audiences that comply with COVID-19 safety measures and/or by streaming the show live online.
The program is free for participants. In addition, participants will receive an honorarium to attend the training program as well as a standard professional performance fee for the live performance at the Festival. QTBIPOC established and emerging artists that are interested in performing for young audiences are encouraged to apply by January 21, 2021.
“The young audience music market in Canada is primarily made up of white artists which creates a massive gap in this corner of the music industry. Our young audiences need to see themselves represented on stage, be exposed to all the cultures who make up the province we live in and have the opportunity to hear a variety of genres of music by musicians who are interested in performing for young audiences. Young audience performances provide a lot of well-paying gigs for artists and we want to open this market up for more QTBIPOC artists,” states Katharine Carol, VICFS Artistic & Executive Director.
This project is generously supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia through the AMPLIFY BC industry Initiatives Program and the BC Arts Council.
About the Vancouver International Children’s Festival
The longest running professional performing arts festival for young audiences and the first of its kind in North America and Europe, the Vancouver International Children’s Festival presents the world’s finest music, theatre, dance, puppetry, acrobatics and storytelling, as well as creative arts activities for the entire family. Families come from near and far to experience this extraordinary annual arts festival created specifically for children and families. We are dedicated to providing creative, diverse programming that engages and delights our young audience. The 2020 Vancouver International Children’s Festival takes place from June 1 – June 6, 2021 on Granville Island.
About Rup Sidhu and Apparatus:
Rup Sidhu is a founding member of Apparatus and an interdisciplinary artist, who is an expert at engaging young audiences with over a decade of experience. His project RupLoops has performed internationally in hundreds of communities to critical acclaim.
Apparatus is a process-oriented music collective that seeks to change the way work is done in the music industry. Healing, mentorship and stewardship are our primary goals and values.
About Artstarts in Schools
ArtStarts in Schools is a charitable organization that expands the role of arts in education through innovative arts programs for young people, practical resources for teachers and artists, and leadership in advocacy for arts in education. Their anti-oppression principles integrate social justice and the arts, prioritize under-represented artists, and challenge oppressive, colonial practices.
About the Sarah McLachlan School of Music (SOM)
SOM provides high quality music education at no cost with a commitment to enrolling students whose lives will be most impacted by attending SOM.
About Creative BC
Creative BC is an independent society created and supported by the Province to sustain and help grow British Columbia’s creative industries: motion picture, interactive and digital media, music and sound recording, and magazine and book publishing. The society delivers a wide range of programs and services with a mandate to expand B.C.’s creative economy. These activities include: administration of the provincial government’s motion picture tax credit programs; delivery of program funding and export marketing support for the sector; and provincial film commission services. Combined, these activities serve to attract inward investment and market B.C. as a partner and destination of choice for domestic and international content creation. The society acts as an industry catalyst and ambassador to help B.C.’s creative sector reach its economic and creative potential both at home and globally.
About BC Arts Council
The BC Arts Council (BCAC) was created in 1995 as an agency of the Province of British Columbia under the Arts Council Act. The BCAC nurtures and supports arts and cultural activity in communities across British Columbia.
For Program Information and to Apply Please Visit our Call For Artists Webpage
Or Contact:
Katharine Carol | Artistic & Executive Director
Vancouver International Children’s Festival Society
e: kcarol@childrensfestival.ca