Canada Council for the Arts: Musical Instrument Bank

Deadline: April 1, 2026

Program Summary:

The Canada Council for the Arts created its Musical Instrument Bank to acquire exceptional stringed instruments and to lend them to Canadian classical musicians who are at the beginning of an international solo or chamber music career, or other key moment in their career. The musicians who receive these instruments play them throughout the loan period in concerts around the world and in recordings.

The prize: Every three years, talented professional classical musicians from Canada compete for a chance to borrow one of the more than 20 legendary instruments from the Canada Council’s MIB.

Background:

The MIB was established in 1985 with a $100,000 bequest from the Barwick family and through the fundraising efforts of the late William Turner, a businessman, and Denis Brott, a cellist, both from Montréal. It enables established soloists and chamber musicians, as well as musicians on the threshold of an international career, to give concerts around the world and to record pieces with MIB instruments over the entire length of the loan.

The MIB includes more than 20 magnificent instruments, including violins, cellos and bows, created by such master craftsmen as Stradivari, Gagliano and Pressenda, have been donated or lent to the MIB since it was created in 1985.

Ric Heinl and his team of luthiers at Geo. Heinl & Co. Limited are responsible for restoring and maintaining the instruments.

Who Can Apply:

To be eligible, you must: 

• be at least 18 years old at the deadline
• remain one of the following for the term of the loan:
  • a Canadian citizen living in Canada or abroad
  • a First Nations, Inuit or Métis person from the land now known as Canada
  • a permanent resident of Canada, as defined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or
  • a Protected Person of Canada, as defined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• have developed your arts skills through formal or informal learning
• have been compensated in a manner that is appropriate for your artistic practice and region
• have an artistic practice for at least 1 year and completed at least 2 artistic activities that were made available to the public

Note: You can count activities that took place in another country. Do not count activities that were carried out to satisfy course requirements in an academic or arts training program.

• be committed to building a career in the arts
• be recognized by other artists and arts workers in your artistic practice or in your local community.

In addition, to be eligible for the Musical Instrument Bank prize you must:  

• have an emerging or established international solo or chamber music career