Composer Fellowship
The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra Composer Fellowship program was launched in collaboration with the Ontario Region of the Canadian Music Centre in our 18-19 Season. The program is aimed at connecting early-career composers with professionals in the orchestral world to nurture and develop new skills through mentorship and the creation of a new work.
Composer Fellows participate in mentorship opportunities with Music Director Gemma New, Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson-Schulte, HPO musicians and staff. Each Composer Fellow also writes a new work to be premiered by the HPO.
“It continues to be a delight to work with our enthusiastic and talented HPO Composer Fellows and Future Award winners. We have created a mentorship program that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Canada. These composers are highly educated yet university programs do not cover much of what composers are expected to do in the real world. I am proud of the HPO’s commitment to the current and future voices of our country and of our ability to deliver a truly useful and inspiring program.”
– HPO Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson Schulte
“It continues to be a delight to work with our enthusiastic and talented HPO Composer Fellows and Future Award winners. We have created a mentorship program that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Canada. These composers are highly educated yet university programs do not cover much of what composers are expected to do in the real world. I am proud of the HPO’s commitment to the current and future voices of our country and of our ability to deliver a truly useful and inspiring program.”
– HPO Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson Schulte
CALL FOR APPLICANTS
Application Deadline: Friday, December 15 at 5pm
Notification by: January 26, 2024
The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, in collaboration with the Ontario Region of the Canadian Music Centre, is seeking applicants for the Composer Fellowship Program for the 24-25 Season. The HPO’s Composer Fellowship program is a tuition-free training opportunity aimed at connecting early-career composers with professionals in the orchestral world to nurture and develop new skills through mentorship and the creation of a new work. 
We are currently seeking two fellows for the 24-25 Season. The program includes valuable mentorship activities with the HPO Music Director, Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson-Schulte, HPO musicians and administrative staff. Participating composers have a unique opportunity to enhance their skills in composition and audience engagement while gaining a comprehensive understanding of how to successfully write for a professional orchestra. Fellows will work closely with orchestra staff gaining valuable insight into arts administration operations. Composer Fellows attend orchestra rehearsals as well as engage in pre-concert talks, educational events and audience engagement activities, providing a deeper understanding of the opportunities for composers in the Canadian orchestral music industry.
In addition, the Composer Fellow will write a 5-6 minute orchestral work to be premiered by the HPO. The Composer Fellow will be provided with an archival recording of the performance. The HPO will offer an honorarium in support of a new work and travel expenses. It is highly encouraged that applicants are close enough to travel to Hamilton (by car or public transit) to take full advantage of the opportunity. 
Eligibility
This is a training program for emerging composers on the edge of a professional career who seek real world mentorship and experiences. There will be assigned tasks, expectations and time commitment. This program is not intended for composers who have substantial orchestral experience or those interested solely in a commission.
The HPO recognizes our role in the development of future generations of orchestral musicians, conductors and composers, and acknowledges inequalities in access to training and development opportunities. We are an equal-opportunity employer and are committed to maintaining a work atmosphere in which people of diverse backgrounds may grow personally and professionally.
Composers and artists who identify with communities which have been marginalized within orchestra music education and the wider industry are invited and encouraged to consult with program organizers in order to support the preparation of application materials.
24-25 Composer Fellowship (2 Positions)
We are seeking two fellows for this season, one aged 25 or younger and one aged 26 or older. The younger composer will write a new work for our Intimate & Immersive series and receive a $3,500 honorarium. The older fellow will write a new piece for our Mainstage series and receive a $4,500 honorarium.
Requirements
- Completed application form
- Brief Biography and CV (PDF, 2 pages max.)
- Two 2-minute excerpts. Please provide a link to streaming audio and scores in PDF format with title pages and excerpted portions only. 
- Please try to match chosen excerpts to the project: please submit least one large ensemble or orchestral work.
- MIDI is only acceptable for one work if necessary.
- A short, written statement outlining why you are interested in the program. You may optionally include composition ideas as part of your statement.
Due to the HPO concert schedule, the Composer Fellows should be available for most HPO concert and rehearsal dates in the 24-25 Season which take place Thursday through Saturday once per month. These specific dates involve concert, rehearsal and event attendance as well as participation in community outreach. Aside from artistic mentorship, the position will also include content on orchestral protocols, library expectations, marketing, audience engagement and public speaking. There is flexibility in the program to accommodate skills and interests. The Canadian Music Centre will highlight the Composer Fellow through the CMC website.
Please contact Joseph Glaser for application support, or communications@hpo.org with specific program questions.
Specific attendance dates for 24-25 Composer Fellows will be available at a later time. If you have concerns about travelling to Hamilton in the 24-25 Concert Season, please include that in your application statement.
Meet the 23-24 Composer Fellows
Kathryn Knowles
Kathryn Knowles is a composer, cellist, conductor, and writer currently based in Toronto, Ontario. Her compositions have been played in workshops by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the New Orford String Quartet, and the Penderecki String Quartet. Her most recent piece, Dreams of Hope, was commissioned by Joseph Petric and funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. She is currently collaborating with Morgan-Paige Melbourne to write a musical titled Between Fires, also funded by the CCA. Kathryn has performed and recorded with Juno-nominated singer-songwriter Lindsay Schoolcraft, and she recorded tracks for an upcoming album by the Juno-winning band, OKAN. Her poetry and short stories received honourable mention in the Writer’s Digest 89th Annual Writing Competition, and her debut fantasy trilogy, The Quiescence Trilogy, is available for purchase now. In addition to this, Kathryn is also a Centre Director with Sistema Toronto, the Music Director of Music4Life String Orchestra, and the Founder of Mad Endeavour.
Michael Maevskiy
Michael Maevskiy (b. 1997) is a Russian-Canadian composer currently based in Kingston, Ontario. Michael’s music has been performed across Canada and Italy and he has had the opportunity to participate in multiple workshops including the highSCORE festival (Pavia, Italy), Tuckamore Chamber Music festival (St. Johns, N.L.), Bozzini Lab (Montreal, QC), Scarborough Symphony Orchestra’s New Generation Composer workshop (Toronto, ON), the Orford New Music Workshop (Orford, QC), and the inaugural Piano Lunaire’s Composers’ Symposium (Toronto, ON). Michael’s work has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, and in 2022, he was awarded a SOCAN Foundation: Young Composer’s Award in the solo/duets category. His music has also been included in the ACNMP’s Contemporary Showcase syllabi for piano and violin. Michael received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto, where he studied composition with Abigail Richardson-Schulte.
Paul Kawabe
Paul Kawabe is a composer based in Toronto. He completed his undergraduate and Master’s degree in composition at the University of Toronto and has participated in composition programs with the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, and Orford Music Academy. Stylistically, his music hinges on dramatic narrative development and evocative soundscapes. Inspiration for his pieces is found in art, architecture, or a story. The emotional impact of these mediums will occasionally become a North Star while writing, where the goal is to bring about a similar experience through sound. His piece Pitch Black Alchemy was recently programmed by The Bedford Trio at their concert in April 2023.
Program support provided by:
Conductor Fellowship
The HPO is thrilled to be a participating orchestra in the Women and Musical Leadership program led by Tapestry Opera. This program addresses a historic gender inequity on the podium by providing female and non-binary conductors active mentorship with leading conductors in the field, deep and varied experience with professional companies, and a robust artistic network. HPO Music Director Gemma New is among the program’s conducting advisors.
Meet the Year 3 Cohort of Conductor Fellows
Kelly Lin
Kelly Lin is a Chinese-Canadian conductor who has gained recognition for her magnetic, captivating, and inspiring interpretations of a diverse range of musical genres, from classical to contemporary. As the founder and Artistic Director of Ensemble Lagom, her performances have been praised for their advocacy of under-represented voices. Kelly earned her master’s degree in orchestral conducting from McGill University, where she was the recipient of the Hnatyshyn Foundation – Christa and Franz-Paul Decker Fellowship in Conducting. She has studied under renowned mentors such as Alexis Hauser and Guillaume Bourgogne. Kelly’s reputation has led her to work with professional orchestras and ensembles across Canada and internationally, and she has performed in major music festivals such as Toronto Summer Music, Ottawa Chamberfest, and 21 Stops Music Festival. Kelly’s recent conducting engagements include concerts with Ensemble Obiora, Ensemble Lagom, Hatch Ensemble, McGill Symphony Orchestra, and McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Monica Chen
A native of Vancouver, Monica Chen is one of the conducting fellows at the Orchestre Métropolitain, assisting Yannick Nézet-Séguin since 2021. She will be the Assistant Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for the 2023-2024 season and one of three finalists at Domaine Forget chosen to perform in concert with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec two years in a row. Recent conducting engagements include working with Opera Kelowna, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the Orchestre Métropolitain. She has participated in festivals at the Eastman School of Music, Domaine Forget International Summer Academy, the UBC Chamber Music Festival, and the University of Oregon Conducting Institute, working closely with maestros Jonathan Girard, Neil Varon, Thomas Rösner, and Bramwell Tovey. She holds two Masters, one in Orchestral Conducting from UBC, studying with Dr. Jonathan Girard and the other in violin performance from Indiana University, studying with Mimi Zweig.
Meet the Year 2 Cohort of Conductor Fellows
Maria Fuller
Saskatchewan-born conductor Maria Fuller is a rising star on the international music scene, praised for her “fiery and dynamic” performances (The Walleye Magazine) and “subtle control, careful focus and thorough professionalism…” (Chronical Journal of Thunder Bay). Sought after as a conductor, pianist, vocal coach, trumpeter, composer and arranger, Maria brings an unparalleled energy and infectious joy to her craft on and off the podium. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano from McGill University, a Masters of Music in Piano, Artist Diploma in Operatic Coaching, and a Masters of Music in Orchestral Conducting from College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Maria was the 2019 David Effron Conducting Fellow at the renowned Chautauqua Institute, and competed in the inaugural La Maestra International Conducting Competition in Paris in 2020.
Naomi Woo
Conductor ​Naomi Woo, named by CBC in 2019 as a “Top 30 Classical Musicians under 30”, is the Assistant Conductor of Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the first-ever Music Director of Sistema Winnipeg. Born in Newfoundland and raised in North Vancouver, Naomi conducts across Canada and is noted for her work as a socially-engaged artist and educator, with appearances at the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Regina Symphony, and the Saskatoon Symphony. An advocate for opera and new music, Naomi will lead the Canadian premiere of Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Angel’s Bone (re:Naissance Opera) and the world premiere of Ellis Ludwig-Leone’s The Night Falls (BalletCollective, American Opera Projects). She holds degrees from Yale, Université de Montréal, and Cambridge.
Meet the Year 1 Cohort of Conductor Fellows
Jennifer Tung
Currently the artistic director of Toronto City Opera, Mississauga Children’s Choir and assistant conductor of the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, Jennifer is also an accomplished singer and collaborative pianist. She has performed with orchestras, given recitals and has served on faculty in summer programs internationally. Jennifer debuted with the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival conducting their production of The Mikado in 2017 and has returned to conductSweeney Todd and Tragedy of Carmen. In 2019, she debuted with Opera York conducting their production of La Traviata and was the assistant conductor for Tapestry Opera and Opera on the Avalon’s joint production of the Dora award winning new opera Shanawdithit by Dean Burry and Yvette Nolan. Jennifer is on faculty at the Glenn Gould School and holds degrees in vocal performance and collaborative piano from the Eastman School of Music. She studies conducting with Denis Mastromonaco.
Juliane Gallant
Conductor, pianist, and coach Juliane Gallant has been based in the UK for the past 8 years, where she trained at the National Opera Studio and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She worked as musical director on operas such as Carmen, La bohème, Tosca, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, Orphée aux enfers, and Les contes d’Hoffmann. She is an Opera Awards Foundation bursary recipient. Juliane has regularly taken part in conducting courses at the Royal Opera House, both in person and online during the pandemic, studying with Alice Farnham, Jessica Cottis, and Sian Edwards.