The Atlantic Young Artist Competition and Tour are projects of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Association and its provincial counterparts in New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The biennial competition takes place in even-numbered years and is open to pianists, singers and instrumentalists between the ages of 16 and 25 (27 for vocalists) who are advanced students studying at the Senior Concert level, currently studying with a Registered Music Teacher.
The Atlantic Young Artists 2026
We look forward to the next AYA Competition in 2026. Check back in late 2025 for competition requirements.
Entry Deadline: Closed
Concours des jeunes artistes de l'Atlantique 2026
Nous attendons avec impatience le prochain concours AYA en 2026. Revenez fin 2025 pour connaître les exigences du concours.
Date limite: fermé
Jo Dashney. Photo credit: Aria Dashney
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2024
JO DASHNEY SELECTED AS ATLANTIC YOUNG ARTIST 2024
Trombonist Jo Dashney was selected as the Atlantic Young Artist for 2024 at a competition held April 27 in Sackville, NB.
This marks the first time the Atlantic Young Artist Competition has been held since 2018. COVID-19 and other barriers to participation resulted in postponements, but this year’s competition brought together four competitors from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland for a high-quality day of performances.
Competition adjudicators James Kalyn and Edmund Dawe watched Jo and flutist Julia Perry perform via livestream from Memorial University in St. John’s, NL. Pianists Timothy Luk (PEI) and Blake Shepherd (NS) performed in-person at Mount Allison University’s Brunton Auditorium.
All four competitors gave tremendous performances and are to be commended for their hard work and artistry. Each presented a 45-minute recital program, displaying a wide variety of repertoire from Bach to recent Canadian compositions.
Dashney, 24, has a bachelor degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, where they grew up. They hold a Master of Music degree from Memorial University and are continuing their studies there in music performance and pedagogy. Jo has performed with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Opera on the Avalon, Jazz East Big Band, and gigs at local pubs. This summer, Jo will play in the National Academy Orchestra at the Brott Music Festival. Jo’s competition program featured 20th- and 21st-century compositions for trombone and piano and solo trombone.
As the Atlantic Young Artist, Jo will be featured in a series of concerts around the Maritime and Atlantic provinces. Stay tuned for announcements about the tour on cfmta.org.
The Atlantic Young Artist Competition and Young Artist Series Concert Tour are projects of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations and its provincial counterparts in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. The competition is open to musicians of any instrument between the ages of 16 and 25 (27 for singers) who are currently studying with a Registered Music Teacher.
Contact:
Federation of Canadian Music Teachers’ Associations youngartist@cfmta.org
New Brunswick Registered Music Teachers’ Association competitions@nbrmta.com