Spark to Flame Information

Application and important dates.

2024 Application Deadline

November 8, 2024 (11:59pm)

Live auditions will take place on the mornings of Thursday, November 21, and Friday, November 22, 2024. Applicants will be notified of their individual audition time by November 15, 2024. Auditions will be 10 minutes long for each applicant. If there are too many applicants to be heard in one day, auditions may be extended over the course of the following week. All audition times are final and may not be rescheduled.

Rehearsal dates: Full orchestra rehearsals are on February 25 and February 27 (6:30-9:30pm). The Dress Rehearsal will be on March 1 (1:30-4:00pm). All rehearsals to take place in Alix Goolden Performance Hall. Additional rehearsals will be scheduled in preceding weeks with the student body orchestra on Monday evenings (6:30-9:30pm). Selected performers are encouraged to attend all full orchestra rehearsals and will be required at select rehearsals with the student body orchestra.

Concert date: Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 7:30pm, in the Alix Goolden Performance Hall.

About Spark to Flame

The annual Spark to Flame concert is presented by the Ann & George Nation Conservatory School of Classical Music. This program supports emerging artists’ development and is open to all current* students of the Victoria Conservatory of Music. The Spark to Flame orchestra is comprised of the Conservatory School’s student Chamber Orchestra, joined by members of the Conservatory’s faculty and other local professional orchestral musicians. Together they provide a high caliber experience for both the students playing in the orchestra, as well as the promising student soloists, selected through audition. .

The program instills in musicians the importance of personal responsibility in creating a professional performance. During the weeks leading up to the Spark to Flame concert, participating soloists will be given the opportunity to work with Conservatory faculty and artistic staff to develop their professional and artistic skills. All student participants assist with promoting the concert.

*Some restrictions apply, please see Audition Application Policies below for details.

Audition Application Policies

Updated for 2024/25 – please read carefully!

  1. Spark to Flame (S2F) is open to all students to audition in the discipline they are currently studying at the Conservatory, provided they are registered in that discipline for either a minimum of twelve (12) 45-minute lessons, or equivalent, during each term of the academic year (i.e. Fall 2024 and Spring 2025), OR are enrolled in one of the following full-year programs: Young Artists Collegium, Postsecondary Diploma or Certificates. All applicants should be performing at a level suitable for professional orchestral accompaniment.
  2. S2F focuses on instrumental works and vocal arias/duets compatible for orchestral accompaniment (i.e. Spark to Flame Chamber Orchestra including standard orchestral winds, brass, and timpani).
  3. Applicants are required to audition with the concerto, or concerto movement, or aria, they wish to play in the S2F concert. Repertoire is limited to a one-movement concerto or aria, a selected movement of a concerto, or multiple movements with permission from the audition committee, whereby the total performance time is a major consideration. In cases where the S2F orchestra is unable to accommodate the work a selected candidate has auditioned with, due to instrumentation, at the discretion of the audition committee, either the final orchestral realization may be transcribed to include piano to cover missing parts, or the candidate will be allowed to substitute another work, subject to approval by the audition committee.
  4. Please consult with your instructor to select appropriate-level repertoire, bearing in mind the limitation of one regular rehearsal and the dress rehearsal. Concertos for more than one instrument will be accepted. The audition will be 10 minutes long. Candidates should bring one original copy of their audition repertoire’s piano reduction to the audition for the adjudication committee, and are responsible for submitting a digital (pdf) copy of the same piano reduction with their application.
  5. Notification of audition results will be made by Friday December 1, 2024, or earlier.
  6. Applicants must provide their own accompanist for the audition procedure.
  7. Candidates must research the instrumentation for the piece they wish to present and include this information in the application.
  8. The online application must be completed IN FULL to be considered eligible. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered. All auditions are held in person at the Conservatory on the dates specified.
  9. Students who successfully auditioned and performed as soloists in the most recent Spark to Flame concert (2024), may not reapply to audition in this year’s concert. Previously selected soloists may audition again after a ‘gap’ year, thus in Fall 2025. If the audition committee is unsuccessful in completing their overall selection for the current year of qualifying candidates, the audition committee may invite, at their discretion, one or more previous year(s) winning candidates to perform in the current year S2F concert.
  10. This program is intended to showcase amateur emerging Conservatory student artists. Therefore, established music professionals (i.e. music school instructors, including regular members of the Conservatory Faculty, and/or professional performers), are not eligible to audition.

Jury Composition and Audition Criteria

The Spark to Flame Audition Jury will be comprised of all current Department Heads within the Conservatory School of Classical Music (Keyboard, Strings, Voice, and Winds/Brass), the Associate Dean of Postsecondary Studies, the appointed guest conductor for the current Spark to Flame concert, and one other professional classical performing artist external to the Conservatory.

Audition criteria encompasses consideration of the overall level of performance and artistry, as demonstrated by the candidate through their technical ability, fullness of tone and range of expression, historically informed performance practice, and artistic interpretation. Overall presentation and delivery of the audition performance will also be considered. Memorization of music for the audition is optional, and if selected for the concert, applicants will be expected to have their music memorized before the first full orchestra rehearsal.

Contact

For more information, please contact Dr. Alexander Richards, Student Information and Program Assistant at postsecondary[at]vcm.bc.ca.

2025 Performers

To be announced – stay tuned!

Past Performers

2024
Simon Eskildsen, piano
Tyler Evans-Knott, flute
Max Francis, violin
Elana Lin, violin
Angela Pan, piano
Chloe Williams, flute
Filbert Zhang, piano

2023
Camilo Aybar, clarinet
Joanne Jiang, cello
Channing Mar, clarinet
Layla Park, violin
Walter Rees, violin
Vivian Ye, piano

2022
Tasmin Carlow-Ujiie, cello
Amy Chen, piano
Alex Chernata, clarinet
Eu-Rway Chew, piano
Max Francis, violin
Elana Lin, violin
Chloe Williams, flute

2020
Thomas Bauer, piccolo
Emily Dubois, fiddle
Taya Haldane, flute
McKenna Jennings, harp
Gina Johnson, soprano
Samuel Li, piano
Nicole Teachman, cello
Vanessa Tian, piano
Lucy Zhang, violin