2020 National Youth Choir of Canada Apprentice Conductor

Thomas Burton

Raised in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Thomas Burton is quickly emerging as a dynamic contributor to Canada’s choral community. He is honoured to have been selected as Apprentice Conductor for the 2020 National Youth Choir of Canada. 
 
As a conductor, Thomas has had the privilege of working with such ensembles as the Pacific Chorale, the Long Beach Symphony, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir. He is a passionate educator and works regularly with youth as an instructor for the Nova Scotia Choral Federation’s Sing Summer Choir Camps and as Apprentice Conductor for the Oakville Choir for Children and Youth. 
 
Thomas currently serves as Director of Music at Munn's United Church in Oakville and is active as a professional choral singer in the Toronto area.  A recipient of the Iwan Edwards Award in Choral Conducting and the Kenneth Elloway Award in Classical Performance, Thomas holds a Masters degree in choral conducting from the University of Michigan where he studied with Dr. Jerry Blackstone and Dr. Eugene Rogers. ​
This program is made possible through the generous support of

About the Program

Initiated in 1998, the NYC/CNJ Conducting Apprenticeship Program offers a young conductor the opportunity to work with Canada’s finest youth choir. The successful applicant will spend two weeks with the NYC/CNJ during rehearsals, performances and touring. Throughout the time period, the apprentice will have opportunities to study with one of Canada’s finest choral conductors, to observe rehearsals, to discuss choral techniques and to have some conducting opportunities in performance with the NYC/CNJ. Please note that all NYC/CNJ rehearsals will be conducted in English only; however, bilingualism (English/French) is an asset. ​

Application Guidelines

The successful applicant
  • must be a Canadian citizen (or permanent resident) 
  • must not be older than 35 years as of the concluding date of the program
  • must be a member of Choral Canada
  • He or she will demonstrate a keen desire to learn more about choral conducting at an advanced level.
  • At the discretion of the NYC conductor, the candidate may elect to sing in the NYC
An independent selection committee will choose the successful applicant. Candidates must submit: 
  • a letter of application (1-2 pages) explaining her/his desire to enter the apprenticeship program, what s/he would like to gain from the opportunity, how s/he intends to use this experience, and why s/he should be chosen;
  • a detailed résumé outlining her/his choral conducting education and experience;
  • a list of the repertoire conducted over the past 2-3 years;
  • video footage showing 10-15 minutes of the candidate in rehearsal and 5-10 minutes of the candidate in performance (both with a choir the candidate works with on a regular basis);
  • two letters of recommendation from established conductors who know the candidate’s work well.
  • see “Application Instructions” for full details​​


Thanks to the generous support of The Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation, there is no tuition for this program. The successful applicant will be responsible for transportation to and from NYC/CNJ but local transportation, accommodation, and meals will be provided for the duration of the program. ​
The successful applicant will also receive a prize of $4,000 from the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation.
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The Foundation provides significant career development opportunities to young Canadian musicians and music scholars in their advanced education, and in so doing commemorates a great Canadian and his unique career. 
www.macmillanfoundation.com

Previous Apprentice Conductors

2018 - Gabrielle Gaudreault
2016 - Kathleen Allan
2014 – Irene Apanovitch
2012 – Dr. Joel Tranquilla
2010 – Heather Fraser
2008 – Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée
2006 – Dr. Caron Daley
2004 – Dr. Timothy Shantz
2002 – Kevin D. Skelton
2000 – Dr. L. Brett Scott
1998 – Dr. Julia Davids