Sound / Music Residencies in Canada

A Position on Retreat

Lake Cowichan, Vancouver Island, Canada

A Position on Retreat, an artist residency situated in Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island, Canada, offers a serene environment for artists from diverse disciplines. Known as 'The Blue House,' this comfortably renovated home sits at the center of a picturesque tourist town, surrounded by Canada's breathtaking natural landscape. Within a five-minute walk, residents have access to grocery stores, charming coffee houses, restaurants, beautiful beaches, and scenic hiking trails. Enveloped by a temperate rainforest, ancient old-growth forests, the vast Pacific Ocean, and numerous lakes and waterfalls, the residency is a haven for creative inspiration and rejuvenation. A Position on Retreat strikes a perfect balance between community engagement and the tranquility of nature, providing artists with an ideal setting for both creativity and reflection. This artist residency on Vancouver Island is an exemplary retreat for artists who seek to immerse themselves in nature and focus on their creative pursuits. It's an environment where the natural beauty and calm of the surroundings contribute significantly to the artistic process, making it a sought-after destination for artists looking to enrich their practice.

Ada X

Montréal, Canada

Ada X is a bilingual feminist artist-run centre in Montreal offering eight-week production residencies for women, trans, non-binary, and queer artists working in media arts and digital culture. Residents receive a $2,995 fee, workspace access, equipment, mentorship, and opportunities to present their work publicly.

Alchemy Artists Residency

Waupoos Island, Ontario, Canada

Alchemy Artists Residency, founded in 2015, is an artist-led international program on Waupoos Island, Prince Edward County, Ontario, where food, art, garden, and table converge to foster site-inspired artmaking, collaboration, and community engagement. The Summer 2026 residency, held August 7–14 on a 15-acre island in Lake Ontario, emphasizes extended studio time, private reflection, shared meals, and exploration of process and materiality in artistic and culinary practices. It welcomes local and international artists interested in living and working within a temporary community.

Avatar Audio and Electronic Art

Québec, Canada

Avatar is an artist-run centre in Québec City dedicated to research, creation, production, and dissemination of audio and electronic artworks. The organization offers multiple residency programs ranging from one to four weeks, designed to support emerging and established artists in developing innovative sound art projects with access to specialized studios, equipment, and technical expertise.

BANFF

Banff, Alberta, Canada

The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, located in the Canadian Rockies, is a renowned post-secondary institution offering programs in artistic disciplines, leadership, and mountain culture. It began in 1933 with a single drama course and has since grown into a global hub for arts and creativity. The Centre provides various programs, including Indigenous Leadership, thematic and self-directed residencies, and practicum programs for hands-on training. Key residencies cover diverse fields like Indigenous World Dance, Chamber Music and Opera, Indigenous Arts, Literary Journalism, and Visual Arts. The Centre is supported by the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, and private donors, functioning under Alberta's Post-Secondary Learning Act as a registered charity. Its mission is to advance creative potential, bringing together artists, leaders, and communities for collaborative and inspirational endeavors. The vision of the Centre is to be a catalyst for creativity and thought, fostering the realization of potential in a supportive environment. Situated on Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain, the Centre offers a unique setting that inspires participants to connect with their surroundings and each other.

Caetani Cultural Centre

Vernon, Canada

The Caetani Cultural Centre, located in Vernon, British Columbia, offers international self-directed residencies for emerging and established artists, writers, curators, and cultural researchers. Situated within a historic 1895 heritage home, this residency provides private living spaces and two on-site studios designed for visual and interdisciplinary artists. Participants are encouraged to explore creative practices across a variety of mediums, including visual arts, writing, music, and digital media. Artists can book short-term residencies from three days to up to three months, with extended stays available upon negotiation. The residency fosters a quiet, independent atmosphere while offering optional opportunities for community engagement such as artist talks, open studios, or workshops. The nearby Vernon Community Arts Centre provides additional access to ceramics and printmaking facilities. Nestled in the Okanagan Valley, the Caetani Centre allows residents to immerse themselves in nature, history, and a vibrant local arts scene. Residents are responsible for travel and project costs, but the program provides affordable fees for both accommodations and studio spaces.

Dragon Dance Residency

Trois-Rivieres 5225, Canada

The Dragon Dance Residency, based at Dragon Dance Theatre in Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada, offers intensive artist residencies focused on theatre, dance, music, mask-making, and plastic arts like sets and costumes for socially conscious work. Participants engage in experimental, improvisational labs, cultural exchange, and collaborative creation culminating in public performances, with meals provided and rustic accommodations such as tenting or dormitory. Upcoming sessions include a Artist Book Makers Congress from July 1-31, with April 26, .

Fogo Island Arts

Fogo Island, Canada

Fogo Island Arts is an international residency program founded in 2008 that invites professional contemporary artists, curators, writers, filmmakers, musicians, designers, and thinkers to live and work on Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada, fostering creation, research, and connections around themes of sustainability, ecology, economy, and belonging. Residents stay in saltbox houses within local communities, with access to individual studios in scenic locations, and are expected to engage publicly through presentations or workshops. The program, part of the Shorefast Foundation, supports a range of disciplines and has specific opportunities like the fully funded 6-8 week Newfoundland and Labrador Artist Residency.

Gibraltar Point

Toronto, Canada

Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts on Toronto Island, Ontario, Canada, offers two types of artist residencies: self-directed and thematic/programmed. The self-directed residencies provide artists, writers, and composers with private accommodations and studio spaces for short-term stays in a distraction-free environment, ideal for creative focus, research, or collaborative work. Studios are well-equipped, ranging in size and amenities, and the serene, car-free island provides a peaceful retreat year-round. The thematic residencies, on the other hand, bring together up to 18 artists to explore specific topics under the guidance of facilitators, fostering collaboration, dialogue, and new perspectives. Gibraltar Point offers accommodations, shared facilities like kitchens and lounges, and access to beautiful outdoor spaces, including scenic lakefront views, making it a unique and inspiring environment for artists across disciplines.

Hidden Creek Arts Centre

Nelson, Canada

The Hidden Creek Arts Centre, also known as The Narrows Artist Residency, offers retreat-style residencies at a sustainable eco-centre near Grohman Creek, a short boat ride from Nelson, BC, primarily for local artists in visual arts, creative writing, and music composition, though open to all career stages. Residencies typically last one week, providing shared housing, food allowances in some cases, boat transport, and access to a dedicated straw bale studio, with past recipients spanning visual arts, literary arts, performing arts, and theatre. The program emphasizes solitude and artistic development in a natural setting.

Kingsbrae International Residence for the Arts (KIRA)

St. Andrews, Canada

Kingsbrae International Residence for the Arts (KIRA), founded in 2016, is a prestigious artist residency program located in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. Designed to support artists across various disciplines, KIRA provides six selected artists with a multi-week immersive experience, including individual studio space, private accommodation, and two meals per day. Participants are encouraged to engage with the local community through public teaching sessions and open studios, offering unique opportunities for cultural exchange. Situated on a historic seaside property, the residency provides access to the renowned Kingsbrae Garden and an amphitheater for public events. Artists bear costs for materials and travel, but enjoy full support through dedicated studio and living facilities. KIRA welcomes artists from all career stages who demonstrate a strong work ethic and collaborative spirit.

Kingsbrae International Residency

St. Andrews, Canada

Kingsbrae International Residence for the Arts (KIRA), established in , is an artist residency program in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, that awards six artists multi-week residencies to foster creativity and promote excellence in the arts while benefiting the local community. Residents receive individual studio space, private housing on a historic seaside property, two daily meals prepared by an on-site chef, and a stipend, with requirements to engage the community through workshops, talks, or collaborations. The program supports diverse disciplines including visual arts, music/composition, writing, new media, and interdisciplinary arts, welcoming artists at all career levels with a collaborative attitude.

MOTHRA

Toronto, Canada

MOTHRA is an artist-parent collective based in Toronto, Canada, that offers child-inclusive residencies to support the integration of caregiving and art practices. Founded in 2018, MOTHRA aims to normalize the presence of children in the arts sector, providing a platform for artists to work alongside their children. The residency, hosted at Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts, encourages collaboration, co-working, and dialogue on issues relating to caregiving and art. It supports artist-parents by addressing the challenges of maintaining an art practice while caring for children, promoting a more inclusive and vibrant art community. The program emphasizes the need for systemic change in arts funding, studio practices, and societal attitudes towards caregiving. MOTHRA also engages in research, activism, and networking with similar groups globally to advocate for the rights of artist-parents.

Ottawa School of Art

Canada

Name of Residency: Ottawa School of Art Residency ProgramThe Ottawa School of Art (OSA) established an artist residency program during its 135th anniversary. The residency program is located solely in the ByWard Market campus in downtown Ottawa. OSA has opened its specialized studios there for ceramics, printmaking & sculpture for use by resident artists during the schools regular hours of operation. OSA will accept a maximum of 2 artists per studio at any time during the year. We suggest that t

Out of the Box Productions on the West Coast of Canada

Canada

Name of Residency: Woodland Farm Creation Residency on Salt Spring Island, CanadaOur residency program is for live performing artists to research and develop new works. We are particularly interested in the effects of being in nature on the creative process. We want to offer time, space, and nature to artists so they may reflect, respond, experiment and renew their creative processes.Residency Programme since: 2019Description of Organisation: Since 2004, through Out of the Box Productions, artis

Ross Creek Centre for the Arts

Canning, Canada

The Ross Creek Centre for the Arts offers self-directed and project-based artist residencies in a rural Nova Scotia retreat setting, providing time, space, studios, accommodations, and meals to professional artists across disciplines like visual arts, writing, theatre, dance, film, music, performance, photography, and fibre arts. Residencies last 2 weeks to 4 months (typically 4-12 weeks), with options for community engagement, teaching workshops, or large-scale projects, and applications accepted year-round. The program emphasizes inspiration from the changing landscape and supports both individual and collaborative artists.

Studio H Canada

Canada

Name of Residency: Studio H multimedia & interdisciplinary artist residencyStudio H Canada collaborative art residency and exchange is hosted by Heidi Bergstrom in Metchosin, a stunningly beautiful rural municipality of Victoria, BC, Canada. Artists from around the world and Canada, in all disciplines and media, are invited to engage in collaborative projects or to develop new work on their own in this creative and inspiring setting. The vision of the Studio H Canada Art Residency program is to

The Herdsman House in Neubergthal

Canada

Name of Residency: The Herdsman House in NeubergthalWe accommodate year-round, self-directed, and self-funded individual residencies for up to 3 people, with the option to accommodate family, and negotiate financial limitations. The Herdsman House offers 2 bedrooms with writing desks, a bedstee, kitchen, living space, and 3 piece bathroom. Below the art studio of the residency owner, Margruite Krahn, there is a suite that includes a large bedroom, kitchenette, and private bathroom. Both spaces i

The Sointula Art Shed Residency

Sointula, Canada

The Sointula Art Shed is a small artist-run residency program established in in Sointula, British Columbia, Canada, offering a self-contained cottage and adjacent shed studio with a window gallery in a remote fishing village founded by Finnish socialist utopians. It welcomes writers, musicians, visual, and performing artists seeking quiet, nature access, and community engagement through workshops, open studios, and exhibitions. Residencies typically last 1-2 months at a cost of around $700-850 CAD, with no stipends provided but support for grants and local outreach opportunities.

Wild Rose Farm Artist Retreat

Canada

We offer a one week retreat at our eco-friendly organic farm. Artists can pursue their work, cultivating their creativity in direct contact with nature in a restful and beautiful setting. Working space is provided, and farm, nature and found objects are available to those who would like to make use of them with gratitude.Whether seeking inspiration, rest or just time to work in a rural and peaceful environment, this retreat offers all of these possibilities.There are only 4-6 spaces available at

Woodhaven

Kelowna, Canada

The Woodhaven Artist in Residence Program, hosted by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, is a unique opportunity for artists from various disciplines to immerse themselves in a serene natural setting. Situated within a nature conservancy in Kelowna, British Columbia, the program supports artists engaged in visual arts, digital arts, performance, social, and community-based artistic practices, with a special encouragement for BIPOC artists and those from marginalized groups. The residency offers accommodation in a two-bedroom home and full use of a studio at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, promoting work that explores sustainable and just relationships with nature amidst climate change. Artists are expected to engage in community programming, contributing to the vibrant exchange between the artist, the university, and the broader Kelowna community. The program highlights UBC Okanagan’s commitment to ecological stewardship and creative exploration, providing a paid residency for artists to develop site-specific projects that engage with the local environment and communities. This residency is a testament to fostering artistic innovation and environmental consciousness, offering a contemplative experience for artists to create, reflect, and connect.

Yukon Arts Centre

Whitehorse, Canada

The Yukon Arts Centre offers multiple artist residency programs for visual arts, performing arts, film, music, and literary arts. Programs include the Jenni House Artist Residency (June-October , one-month residencies with $1,000 CAD honorarium), the Kluane National Park Artist Residency (two-week residencies June-August with $3,000 CAD honorarium and accommodations), and the @YAC Residency for performing arts. Residencies serve artists from the Yukon, northern regions, and circumpolar countries.