Excel vocally by participating in specialized workshops, engaging masterclasses, large ensembles and receiving mentorship from professional vocal artists and musicians.
The Advanced Performance Program (APP) Voice Certificate targets vocal artists looking to advance their performance technique, musicianship and collaboration skills in a supportive environment. Students will work with our outstanding, internationally-recognized faculty who are invested in your musical and technical growth, along with your personal and professional goals.
The Advanced Performance Program runs on Mondays from September to May. APP students receive daily access to practice studios and pianos in our world-class facility.
To graduate with an Extension Certificate, APP students must successfully complete all required courses. To complement the program, students can register for elective courses.
Required courses
Vocal masterclass
- Weekly masterclasses provide students with the opportunity to perform and gain feedback from their peers, designated APP faculty, national and international guest artists. Students also have the opportunity to develop their listening and analytical skills by observing how instructors and guest artists work with their colleagues.
- Past guest artists Laura Hynes, Bo Karen Morrisette, Lisa Anderson, Peter Balkwill, and many more!
Ensemble scene coaching
- APP voice students will collaborate to develop and present a variety of opera and musical scenes together with students of comparable skills and abilities. Students work together to rehearse and perform repertoire selected to suit their musicianship level and ensemble make up. Through Ensemble Scene instruction, students develop key skills related to role performance; how to interpret and come to consensus regarding the realization of a scene, body movement and awareness, how to collaboratively express artistic ideas, and how to engage as an ensemble so as to realize the intentions of the composer and the drama of a given scene.
- The Ensemble Scene Coaching course culminates in a performance of a selected opera or musical theatre scene in front of a formal jury.
Lyric diction
- Weekly lyric diction classes provide students with the fundamental knowledge necessary for the performance of vocal art song, opera, and musical theatre in the core languages of Italian, German, French, Spanish, and English. Students will also develop a working knowledge of IPA allowing them to confidently approach the performances of musical works in these and other languages.
Collaborative piano
- APP students will work closely throughout the year (9 hours) with an assigned collaborative pianist. This provides instrumentalists (vocalists) an opportunity to develop and refine their solo and collaborative performing skills under the mentorship of one of the Conservatory’s exceptional collaborative pianists. This component of the program further complements a student’s private instruction and ensures they are able to work to develop and produce a solo recital program complete with program notes.
- The APP Collaborative Piano course culminates in a graded solo recital in front of a formal jury
Specialized workshops
- The workshops provided each year (up to 18 hours per year) are meant to further augment the development of aspiring professional musicians. Workshops provide an in-depth look into key areas of development that musicians should be aware of and consider outside of the rigour of regular rehearsal and performance. The workshops vary each year with topics addressing the music business, managing and avoiding repetitive strain injuries commonly faced by musicians, topics on historically informed performance, developments in technique, music history, and theory. The world of music is ever-changing, as are the needs and abilities of today’s musicians. These workshops are meant to help students ponder the possibilities and prepare for a career in music.
Large ensemble
- APP students audition for a large ensemble that matches their interests, selected from the various large ensemble programs offered at the Conservatory. Students work together to rehearse and perform repertoire selected to suit the ensemble make up. Through Large Ensemble instructions, students develop key skills related to ensemble performance; how to follow a conductor, work collaboratively with a large group of people to realize and express the intentions of the composer, the music, and artistic aspirations communicated by the conductor. Further, APP Students are expected to demonstrate superior musicianship and express leadership within the ensemble.
- APP Students have the option of auditioning for:
- Conservatory Large Ensemble tuition is covered by the APP program. Society fees are not covered by the APP program.
- APP students must arrange an audition for the ensemble, the APP audition will not act as an audition for a Large Ensemble.
Elective courses
The APP Program offers a discounted rate (not included in the APP tuition) for elective courses. Elective courses such as music literacy, improvisation and independent study are available to APP students. See course list for more information.
Audition requirements
See details below or visit the program area page for complete audition requirements.
Tuition and scholarships
Get the latest information on tuition fees and scholarship opportunities.