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
The Atlantic Young Artist Competition WILL take place in 2026!
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Brunton Auditorium
Mount Allison University
Sackville, NB
Application Deadline: March 21, 2026
The Rules & Regulations, entry form and terms and conditions for the competition will be posted and active by late January 2026 on this competition webpage.
Entry fees, repertoire requirements and general rules conducting the competition remain the same as prior years. As always, musicians in all disciplines are eligible to compete.
As was the case in 2024, an alternate "live performance" possibility for competitors having to travel by air in order to participate will be offered again. Namely, live streaming their performance in real time on April 25, 2026. More details on this alternate performance opportunity will be available by the end of January 2026.
Entry Deadline: March 21, 2026
Concours des jeunes artistes de l'Atlantique 2026
Le concours des jeunes artistes de l'Atlantique AURA lieu à 2026
Date limite: 21 mars 2026
Samedi 25 avril 2026
Auditorium Brunton
Université Mount Allison
Sackville (Nouveau-Brunswick)
Date limite pour soumettre: 21 mars 2026
Le règlement, le formulaire d'inscription et les conditions générales du concours seront publiés et actifs fin janvier 2026 sur cette page web dédiée au concours.
Les frais d'inscription, les exigences relatives au répertoire et le règlement général du concours restent inchangés par rapport aux années précédentes. Comme toujours, les musiciens de toutes disciplines peuvent participer.
Comme en 2024, une formule alternative de « performance en direct » sera de nouveau proposée aux concurrents devant se déplacer par avion pour participer. Concrètement, leur performance sera diffusée en direct le 25 avril 2026. Plus de détails concernant cette formule seront disponibles d'ici la fin janvier 2026.
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