Calgary Civic Symphony - Musician Mentorship Program

The Calgary Civic Symphony is proposing a Musician Mentorship Program that would provide 11 free workshops and sectionals in 2026 with professional coaches and educators, as well as a formalized ‘buddy system’ that would pair new or emerging musicians with experienced orchestra members. 

The Civic, with 80-100 volunteer members ranging from retired and active professional musicians to those in other careers, newcomers, and emerging musicians, is uniquely positioned to create a mentorship environment. Informal support already occurs, but the orchestra’s artistic growth and demanding repertoire, especially with collaborations with Alberta Ballet, Rocky Mountain Symphony, and Calgary Concert Opera, require a structured framework to retain and support musicians. 

The mentorship program will operate as follows:

• Buddy System: New musicians will be paired with a mentor in their instrument section (e.g., violin to violin), based on skill level, career goals, and availability. Mentor and mentee will meet at least once per concert cycle (5 times per year) to review repertoire challenges, performance preparation, and offer any needed career advice, networking opportunities, or community integration.

• Workshops & Sectionals: 11 free group sessions led by guest professionals (e.g., postsecondary faculty, visiting soloists, or community partners). Topics will include ensemble playing and specific technical challenges.

The expected outcomes of this program include:

• Improved Retention: The Civic’s goal is to reduce annual turnover by 20% by providing a more inclusive environment and supporting musicians that might otherwise leave due to difficulty with repertoire or orchestra demands.

• Community Cohesion: The Civic will foster intercultural connections through outreach to newcomer musicians and intergenerational connections through mentorship of young and emerging players, while linking all participants to networks within Calgary’s wider arts community.

• Artistic Growth: Providing consistent skill development opportunities would raise Civic’s performance standard, ensuring readiness for high-profile collaborations that would expand Civic’s audience reach and establish The Civic as a hub for mentorship, learning and community engagement for new musicians. 

The Civic's Musician Mentorship Program will benefit musicians at all stages, the orchestra, Civic's audience, and Calgary's wider arts community, specifically:

• Emerging and Less Experienced Musicians: An average of ~20 new musicians join Civic per season, including young students, both pre-and-post-secondary, and adult learners new to ensemble playing. This initiative would reach these new members as well as recent inductees, with a focus on building ensemble skills, supplementing technical skills, and building confidence and performance experience. This mentorship would reduce attrition in musicians, while also supporting skill development, and preparing participants for future opportunities.

• Newcomers to Calgary: Musicians new to the city and Canada will gain networks and relationships within the arts community. Mentorship would provide artistic guidance and social connection, supporting integration into both the orchestra and Calgary's broader cultural landscape, giving newcomer musicians a sense of belonging and community. 

• Experienced and Professional-Level Members: Professional and long-term members would benefit by sharing expertise, developing leadership skills, and contributing to the next generation of musicians and music-making. Recognition within the program would affirm their value and encourage ongoing engagement with the orchestra. 

• Wider Calgary Arts Community: Engaging professional educators and musicians from the Calgary arts community to lead targeted section rehearsals and workshops would create additional networking opportunities and also provide casual compensation for arts professionals in the community without a substantial time commitment.

• The Orchestra: (80-100 members) Orchestra sections would become more cohesive as less experienced players receive mentorship, raising the overall artistic standard, supporting performances of increasingly challenging repertoire, and strengthening ensemble cohesion.

• Audiences: (average attendance of ~5,000 per season) By enhancing musicians' skills and ensemble quality, the program directly benefits audiences. Civic performances are affordable and accessible to sectors of the demographic that traditional orchestral performances are not, and more polished, engaging performances would increase the vibrancy of this culturally inclusive orchestra.

In the long term, this program would help sustain Calgary’s arts ecosystem by developing performers capable of contributing to ensembles throughout the city.