Music by the Sea
Mentorship Programme

In 2012 MBTS launched the MBTS Fellowship Artist Mentorship School. It is one of Canada’s best focused and detailed chamber music opportunities available.
The programme is open to young professionals on full scholarship. Each year a small group of Fellowship Artists and faculty members led by Steven Dann, viola (Toronto) to work together on major repertoire for an intense week-long session — an amazing opportunity for the Fellowship Artists who are selected by invitation.

Following their week of focused work, they stay in Bamfield for the opening weekend of the Festival and the works they have been preparing are programmed as part of the opening concerts. They also have the opportunity to perform with some of the Festival’s Company members. In 2020 all was cancelled because of the pandemic and this year we were still uncertain as to whether or not the program could happen. But at the last minute in mid-June we were able to launch a slightly smaller version of the program in Bamfield for four Fellowship Artists from across Canada led by Steven Dann.  Although they were unable to perform in the Rix Centre they performed outside on a stage at Brady’s Beach to the delight of Bamfielders.  On returning to Victoria they stayed at the Fairmont Empress and performed at the Fairmont Empress Afternoon Tea and in the evening presented a full program at the new Victoria International Marina.

This year in 2022 the full program will return!

We believe these sessions are having a profound transformative effect on these young musicians’ musical and career development—and is one of the most focused and beneficial mentoring programs available.

(click to see past Fellowship Artists below).

Sponsors:

Farmont Empress sponsor
Magnolia Hotel & Spa

Fellowship Artist Programme Faculty

2022 Fellowship Artists

Simon Gidora – violin

Simon Gidora is a recent graduate of McGill University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance under Professor Axel Strauss. While at McGill, he also pursued a minor [...]

Miranda Hollingsworth – violin

Miranda Hollingsworth is a violinist based in Houston, Texas and studies at the Moores School of Music. As a student at the Moores School of Music, she is a student of Dr. Kirsten Yon. Ms. [...]

Mosa Tsay – cello

Mosa Tsay is a Taiwanese-American cellist and concert experience designer who has performed as a solo, chamber, and orchestra musician across North America, Europe, Taiwan, and Finland. She has [...]

Idlir Shyti – cello

Idlir Shyti is an Albanian cellist based in London, he has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as Sudwestdeutsche Kammerorchester, Southbank Sinfonia, Orchestra del Conservatorio di Santa [...]

Max Nyman – viola

Violist Max Nyman graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki in the Spring of 2020. His most important teachers have included violists Atte Kilpeläinen, William Coleman and Steven Dann, as [...]