Ontario Council of Folk Festivals (OCFF)

Fostering and promoting traditional, contemporary and multi-cultural Folk music since 1986.

The OCFF Youth Program takes place during the OCFF annual conference, and is a way of incorporating young people into the delegation, as the future generation of music makers, performers, presenters and festival personnel.

The Youth Program is a professional development program with two specific streams (Performance and Festival) that offers opportunities for one-on-one, in-depth interaction with professionals from the community. The OCFF will provide one-on-one mentorship with an established artist, workshops, masterclasses, enhanced orientation to the OCFF event and community, a youth ‘hub’, opportunities for collaboration, a special showcase opportunity (for performing participants) and practical experience (for festival participants).

The 2009 youth showcasing artists and mentors are:
• Lauren Best – Evalyn Parry • Briar Gillis – Claire Jenkins • Timothy Jackson – David Celia	• Solange Lacroix – Annabelle Chvostek • Samuel Levy – David Woodhead • Maddy Rodriguez – Tannis Slimmon • Elyse Simpson – Megan Jerome

• Emily McQuarrie
• Andrew Payne

The OCFF will be accepting applications from solo performers or small groups (max. four members), and those that have a professional interest in other aspects of festival work (artistic direction, stage management, festival administration, etc.).

• Applicants must be between the ages of 14 and 19 (as of October 15th, 2009);

• Applicants must be residents of Ontario;

• Participants will take part in, engage with, and be committed to all aspects of the program. The participants will arrive at the OCFF conference on Friday afternoon and depart on Sunday after the debriefing meeting. During the conference, it will be the participant’s responsibility to attend every session indicated in their schedule, in order to take full advantage of this opportunity.

• Participants agree to provide the OCFF with comprehensive feedback after the conference regarding the program to help develop and enhance future programs.

Performance Deadline: CLOSED

Festival Deadline: CLOSED

The OCFF will be accepting five youth delegates in the Performance Program and five youth delegates in the Festival Program this year. Applications can be submitted by individuals, festivals or venues from across Ontario. If more than five applications are received per stream, the applications will be considered through a juried process administered via the OCFF office.

Please submit the following, along with the application form:

1) Bio (500 words) that describes either your musical background (Performance Program only) OR production experience (Festival Program only) AND reason for interest in the OCFF’s Youth Program;

2) Letter of recommendation from a teacher, festival director or venue.

3) CD with a sample of the applicant’s music - does not need to be professionally recorded or mastered (Performance Program only).

Deadline: CLOSED

Help kick-start the career of a youth participant by offering your professional knowledge as a mentor. The OCFF will be selecting 10 youth program mentors this year, who will be asked to guide their assigned youth participant through the conference. The OCFF will select mentors based on a specific set of criteria, and cannot guarantee the participation of all applicants.

For more information, please contact Erin Barnhardt, Project Consultant - Community Outreach, at ebarnhardt@ocff.ca.

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508-B Gladstone Avenue • Ottawa, ON • K1R 5P1
Phone: 613-560-5997 • Toll Free: 1-866-292-OCFF (6233) • Fax: 613-560-2001