This annual prize for Canadian composers, valued at $7,500, is designed to encourage the creation of new chamber music and to foster its performance by Canadian chamber groups.

The prize is open to professional Canadian composers. To be considered for the prize, you must be a Canadian citizen or have permanent resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. You do not need to be living in Canada when you apply.

Negotiations between the UBCP / ACTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) formally concluded on March 12, 2013.

After nearly a year and a half of bargaining, the Union of BC Performers / ACTRA has reached a tentative agreement for a new British Columbia Master Production Agreement to be placed before the Membership for ratification.

The West Coast Book Prize Society announced on March 14 the names of the finalists vying for recognition in seven categories at the 29th Annual BC Book Prizes.

Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize awarded to the author of the best work of fiction:
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Vancouver City Council has taken another step towards streamlining regulations for artists and making it easier to hold arts and culture events. 

The two-year pilot program, approved unanimously by Council on March 12, will:

The Vancouver Independent Music Centre Society, along with a coalition of presenting organizations, musicians, composers and managers, has started plans to develop a designated music centre in Vancouver and have issued three Requests for Proposals for related studies.

The Society envisions a purpose-built Vancouver Music Centre with excellent acoustics dedicated to world, jazz, folk, traditional and chamber music. This would be a Music Centre that:

Ironclad Art is your opportunity to showcase your creative contribution to Vancouver and have your artwork immortalized in iron on city streets for up to 100 years. The City of Vancouver invites everyone who lives, works or studies in Vancouver to submit designs for new manhole covers. 

Same-sex couples gaining the right to marry in Canada is one of many topics that will be included in the inaugural exhibits of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, being built in Winnipeg. 

To present the topic of same-sex marriage to future museum visitors, the museum is inviting same-sex couples from across Canada to share their photos and stories.

Kickstart Disability Arts & Culture recently welcomed a new artistic director, Emma Kivisild, and operations director, Nisse Gustafson, to their staff. 

Approaching its 5th year, Canada’s most exciting artist development program, the PEAK Performance Project, is preparing to accept applications. Don’t miss this opportunity to earn development funding, experience an amazing week long bootcamp, and take your career to the next level by being chosen as a top 20 artist.

Applications will open online at peakperformanceproject.com on Monday, March 18.

Here’s a sneak peek at what you will need to prepare for your application:

Emily Carr University of Art + Design will get a big boost to its campus expansion plan, thanks to a $5-million donation from philanthropist Michael Audain and his family foundation, the Audain Foundation for Visual Arts. 

The City of Richmond’s Public Art Program has announced an opportunity for an artist in residence at the Lansdowne Shopping Centre. This residency is an open call for emerging artists or artist teams to consider the notion of the shopping experience as a site for a series of installations, socially engaged interventions and site-specific artwork. The selected artist / artist team will receive a budget of $6,000. This budget is inclusive of all: artist fees, materials, fabrication, installation, and taxes. Travel and accommodation is at the artist’s expense.

The Canadian Artists' Representation / Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) is inviting visual artists from across Canada to attend its annual conference in Vancouver at Emily Carr University of Art + Design (ECUAD), May 31 to June 2, 2013. 

Full conference details are available on the CARFAC website. 

The Key Events List (pdf version), compiled by your Alliance for Arts and Culture, lists upcoming events in and around Metro Vancouver through the next 12 months. The list is designed to be a helpful guide to event planners, who will find the roster helpful in avoiding scheduling conflicts.

The list includes major cultural dates, opening nights, festivals, gala fundraisers and significant community events and activities.