National Arts Centre - Centre national des Arts Canada is our stage. Le Canada en scène.

Program - NAC Orchestra Mentorship

for emerging and early-career artists

Events

Shelley conducts The Rite of Spring with the NAC Orchestra Jun 18 - 19, 2025

Shelley Conducts Zarathustra with the NAC Orchestra Jun 25 - 26, 2025

June 12 – July 1, 2025 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

NAC Orchestra Mentorship Program
Play it forward

Hone your orchestral skills under the mentorship of the musicians of one of North America’s leading orchestras. This unique side-by-side program offers exceptional career-development opportunities, centered around rehearsals and performances of major contemporary and classic symphonic works with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO).

Instrumental and conducting candidates

NEW in 2025: Conductor applications are open to international candidates.

Applications are open to international instrumentalists and conductors aged 18+ who are completing their performance degree and are on the audition circuit or are in the early stages of their professional orchestral career. Conducting candidates should have a wide knowledge of orchestral repertoire and be classically-trained

Music librarian and orchestra personnel manager candidates

Applications are open to Canadians aged 18+ with some experience in or understanding of the roles of music librarian and of orchestra personnel manager. Ideal candidates are seeking to further their knowledge, to hone their skills, and to gain valuable hands-on experience in these two very important aspects of orchestral performance. The participants selected for these roles will travel to the NAC in advance of the Program to help with preparations and will return to join the conducting and instrumental participants from June 12 to July 1, 2025.

All participants receive an honorarium, free accommodations, and a meal allowance. Travel subsidies are granted to each participant as a percentage of their total travel costs.

Program location and land acknowledgement

The NACO Mentorship Program takes place in the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall, uOttawa School of Music’s Pérez Hall, and associated internal rehearsal spaces. All of these venues and spaces are in the city of Ottawa, Canada’s officially bilingual capital city.

The NAC is located on the traditional, unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation. We are deeply grateful to the elders, artists and community members for their support through the exchange of protocol and knowledge. Their generosity gives meaning and context to everything we do here. We are committed to honouring their language and culture in our ongoing activities and collaborations.

Take your orchestral career to the next level

Side-by-side experience with professionals
Participants work side-by-side with their NACO mentors in sectionals, rehearsals, and public concerts. Dialogue between mentors and participants is a main feature of this program.

Lasting impact
Participants have meaningful opportunities to network and create long-lasting bonds with NACO mentors and with their peers from around the world.

Career enhancement
The NACO Mentorship Program attracts world-renowned artists to offer masterclasses. Guest artist talks offer opportunities to pose questions to professional artists in diverse career paths.

Wellness and mental health
The NACO Mentorship Program presents guest talks on critical topics of physical wellness and mental preparedness. Participants understand that attending to their physical and mental wellness ensures longevity, stamina, success, and happiness in their careers.

What to expect

Advance preparation of individual parts is critical to the efficiency of the rehearsal process and to the overall morale of the orchestra. Good preparation will ensure that the highest artistic level can be reached in public performances.

Start by getting to know NACO in small and large sectionals and tutti rehearsals on standard repertoire (come prepared!)
Move into two Main Series weeks, each with five to six rehearsals and two public performances
One-on-one mentorship and in-rehearsal discussions throughout the Program
Mock audition with feedback from a panel of NACO musicians
Career talks with panels of NACO musicians and guest artists
Learn about orchestra etiquette
Share meals with peers and NACO mentors
Enjoy a relaxed evening of Karaoke

By the end of the NACO Mentorship Program, participants have gained practical and relevant skills needed to become a complete musician in a modern professional orchestra. The NAC Orchestra takes pride in being a leader in creating space for emerging artists in the international orchestral music community. The NACO Mentorship Program is an indispensable step toward securing the future of orchestral music and its cultural value.

Equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and accessibility

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is committed to creating and sustaining a work environment that is inclusive, anti-racist, accessible, welcoming, and representative of the Canadian diversity.

The NAC welcomes applications from candidates who can help us meet our vision, and contribute to the diversity of lived experiences, perspectives, and approaches. When you join the NACO Mentorship Program, you will be part of an inclusive community working hard to dismantle barriers to everybody’s well-being, access, potential, and success. The NAC actively seeks candidates who identify as women, Indigenous, Black, Persons of Colour (IBPoC), members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and people with disabilities. We encourage you to self-identify in the recruitment process.

Lasting impact

Concrete skills, valuable advice, increased knowledge of the industry, unique performance opportunities, and constructive strategies for putting it all into practice as you navigate real-world opportunities—these are our raison d’être. With guidance provided by some of the finest musicians in Canada, the Americas, and the world, the NACO Mentorship Program will give you a clearer understanding of your own unique artistic purpose and how to achieve it, wherever your career takes you.

THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS

The National Arts Centre Foundation would like to thank the RBC Foundation, Presenting Partner of the NAC Orchestra Mentorship Program. Thank you also to lead donor Dasha Shenkman, OBE, Hon RCM, and The Azrieli Foundation, The Vered Family, Adrian Burns Fund for Women Leaders in the Performing Arts, and the Council for Canadian American Relations Young Artist Scholarship for their generous support.

Presenting Partners