Ready to Launch: The Rebanks Family Fellowship Program Positions Emerging Artists for Success

The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program, The Glenn Gould School's unique one-year program for artists on the cusp of renown, is accepting applications for Fall 2021 admission until February 28.  The Royal Conservatory is on the federal government list of designated learning institutions reopening to international students. 

Barry Shiffman, Associate Dean of The Glenn Gould School (GGS), explains what makes The Rebanks Family Fellowship Program so special: "In 2013, we started a program aimed at recognizing some of the very best young classical performers, from Canada and from around the world, who had finished their basic training and were ready to launch their careers. With the resources of The Royal Conservatory including celebrated faculty and remarkable Koerner Hall, the program was created and includes career-boosting activities such as a funded international residency. This is an endeavor without precedent in our country.”

And for the first time, six gifted Rebanks Family Fellowship Program alumni have been featured in an extraordinary online concert.

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The concert performers explain what The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program means to them.

• Kevin Ahfat, piano (2018-19 Rebanks Fellow), member of the triple Grammy award-nominated ARC Ensemble: “[Program participants] can pursue anything of intrigue, whether that be concerts, educational pursuits, or whatever else that piques our interest.”
• Sydney Baedke, soprano (2019-20 Rebanks Fellow), whose voice was recently described as ‘luminously clear and round’ by the Toronto Star: “The Royal Conservatory’s support from an artistic and financial perspective has been an absolute gift.”
• Georgia Burashko, mezzo-soprano (2018-19 Rebanks Fellow), currently studying early music at the Royal Conservatoire of the Hague: “The power of the program is that it allows young performers to take the opportunity to build their confidence and establish their point of view. It allows you to figure out what you’re about as an artist.”
• Byungchan Lee, violin (2019-20 Rebanks Fellow), who made over a dozen appearances as a program participant: “Come [to the Rebanks Family Fellowship] with big dreams, be involved, and imagine how you could grow while being a force for good in the music community.”
• Richard Narroway, cello (2018-19 Rebanks Fellow ), 2020 recipient of Australia’s Freedman Classical Fellowship: “I have not heard of any program elsewhere in the world created specifically to help bridge the important transitional period between the end of one’s formal training and a professional career in music.”
• Britton Riley. cello (2013-14 Rebanks Fellow), member of the Kennedy Centre’s National Orchestra: “I just wanted to become the best orchestral player I can, and the best chamber musician I can, and continue to work on my own playing and musicality.”

For more information about The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program, which was created through the generous and invaluable support of the Rebanks Family and the Weston Family Foundation, or to find out how to apply by February 28, visit the GGS website. 

And to read more GGS news, click here.