Image: Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity has opened applications for 'Mâwacihitowinihk Nikamowak: Indigenous Music Residency', a three-week program for Indigenous musicians scheduled for Nov. 16 to Dec. 4, 2026. The deadline to apply is Aug. 12, 2026. According to the program page, the residency is designed around collaboration, refinement and presentation of work through audio production and live performance.
The Plains Cree title is translated on the Banff Centre site as “they sing at the gathering (place),” a reference to Sacred Guardian Buffalo Mountain, where the Banff Centre campus resides. The program is presented within the institution’s Indigenous Arts programming, which says it offers rigorous, transformative opportunities informed by Indigenous cultures and worldviews and includes residencies, concerts, workshops, talks and exhibitions.
The residency invites musicians of various genres to apply with songs that are nearly completed or finished and ready for the final stages of development. Participants will work with faculty, peers and Banff Centre’s audio production team, and the program description says they will have opportunities to deepen performance skills, expand their understanding of music production and refine existing works and arrangements. It also includes faculty-led workshops, group gatherings and one-on-one sessions.
The program is open to Indigenous people from all regions, locally, nationally and internationally. Banff Centre says it is ideal for Indigenous musicians, vocalists, rappers, singer-songwriters, DJs and instrumentalists across diverse music genres, and it is open to solo artists and duos. Applicants must be 18 or older and submit 2 to 3 samples of completed songs or works in progress.
The residency will also provide 24-hour access to studios and/or music huts, a professional recording session for non-commercial use, and public performance opportunities. The program page notes that commercial audio recording is subject to availability and may involve additional fees. Applicants interested in house-band support for recording are asked to indicate that in their application.
Faculty for the residency include Logan Staats, Jason Manitowabi and Jah’kota. Staats is listed as a faculty member from Six Nations of the Grand River, Manitowabi is described on the program page as an Odawa man of the 3 Fires Confederacy, and Jah’kota is identified as an Afro-Indigenous artist, entrepreneur and humanitarian. The program fee is covered through scholarships for Indigenous arts participants, with Banff Centre stating that the scholarship covers 100% of tuition, meal plan and accommodation costs.
The residency runs at Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta. Arrival is set for Nov. 15, with departure on Dec. 5, and the program includes a closing circle, listening session and closing reception on Dec. 4.
