Call for entries: Red Bull Music Academy 2016 in Montreal

This will be the Academy’s 18th edition and first full return to Canada since Toronto hosted it in 2007. Music makers from across the globe are now officially and warmly invited to send in their applications.

A global institution committed to fostering creativity in music, the Red Bull Music Academy has touched down in a different host city every year since 1998, bringing together a mindfully selected group of producers, vocalists, beatmakers, instrumentalists and DJs from around the world. As a legacy, the month-long academy will see selected participants attending intimate lecture sessions with pioneering figures of the music world and collaborating on music with them and with each other in a state-of-the-art studio environment. The 2015 edition of the workshop in Paris featured lectures by Congolose legend Papa Wemba.

By night, the Academy presents a month-long festival of curated signature concerts and parties held in the city’s coolest venues, cultural institutions and off-the-radar spaces, each showcasing a different element of the host city’s unique musical and cultural identity.

This annual Academy is an oasis of musical freedom: philosophical salon, collaborative masterclass and frenetic jam session all in one, with the unexpected moments of revelation such a combination encourages. Since the 2015 Red Bull Music Academy in Paris was cut short due to the devastating events that took place in the city on 13 November, the 30 participants selected for the second term in Paris will join 40 newly-selected participants in Montreal. That means the total number of participants in Montreal will add up to 70, instead of the usual 60.

Many Academy alumni have gone on to become leading forces in their fields, among them South African talents Black Coffee, Culoe De Song, Jullian Gomes and Trancemicsoul. 

How to apply

Applications are now open for all aspiring music makers (over the age of 18) to attend the Red Bull Music Academy 2016 in Montreal, Canada. Applications opened on 18 January and close on 7 March 2016.  

All applications need to be postmarked by 7 March 2016 in order to qualify. The application form must be submitted along with a CD of recorded material by each applicant. The Red Bull Music Academy jury will then select a group of participants from the submitted applications. All applicants will be notified by the end of June 2016 whether their application was successful or not. If you are selected to attend the Academy, all workshops and sessions are free (and open only to selected participants). The Academy also covers flights, accommodation costs, ground transportation and meals.

To apply or for more information, visit the Red Bull Music Academy website.