Welcome, (art) Song Lab 2026 Participants.

This is your go-to location for important information. Please bookmark this page so you can refer back here often.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact your CoDirector, or email artsonglab@gmail.com.

CONTACT

For any questions you have during the program, the fastest ways to get in touch are:

EMAIL: artsonglab@gmail.com

Phone/Text/Whatsapp: 1-778-866-5638 (Michael Park)

Planning your Trip

Our home base for the program will be St. Mary’s Kerrisdale, located at 2490 West 37th Avenue in Vancouver, BC.

Click the location point on the map below to access the full Google Map which you can use to search for transit directions and other wayfinding.

Bus routes that are particularly convenient:

2 and 16 provide access to downtown.

41 and the R4 Rapid Bus run West/East providing access to UBC, skytrain, and more!

Google Calendar (Bookmark/Subscribe/Add)

This calendar should now contain all the information you will need to navigate through the week in Vancouver. Calendar items like rehearsals and 1-on-1 meetings have specifics about the schedule in the event details, so click on the title to see the specifics. (Room names are still to come.)

What to expect from the process

What to Bring

Almost without exception, the pieces change during the rehearsal process, so bring whatever you need to continue working on your art song during the week. Some changes might be simple enough for performers to write into the score, while others will require new versions. We’ll be set up to print/share updated PDFs with the performers as they arise.

Group Class on Monday, June 29th

This event is intended for everyone. The welcomes and introductions are really important to setting a group vibe for the week. Every year, the group dynamic is very different, so it's important we have everyone there to set expectations and intentionalities.

Rehearsals

5 days of 30-45 minute rehearsals on a single art song is a lot! We do that intentionally to leave room for as much exploration and development as possible - in terms of both the piece itself, as well as the relationship of creators to performers (and beyond!) Because of newness and vulnerability, the first rehearsal is generally closed to just the creators and performers of each piece, but as the week goes on, it’s up to each team to discuss how to best use their rehearsal time and the resources/humans available to them.

1-on-1 Meetings with Guest Artists

Most of your time at (art) Song Lab will be focused on the piece you and your partner created how it develops in collaboration with the performers. The Guest Composer/Poet we bring in are separate from that process. Their workshops are meant to offer different a different perspective and some insight into their own tried-and-true methods. Everyone will get 30-minutes of scheduled 1-on-1 time with their composer/poet guest artist and it’s up to them how they want to use that time. In the past, some people have brought in their art song for outside perspective, some bring in another work-in-progress, or a different finished work, or they spend time asking for career advice, etc.

Participant Show & Tell

Each participant will have 5 minutes to present whatever they like to the group. This INCLUDES talking, setup, loading, playback, etc. This is an intentionally short period of time, so plan (and practice) your presentation. If you'd like to play audio/video, the clip should be no longer than 4 minutes. We’ll have a large screen and speaker, plus a computer you can send links/files to. You’re welcome to use your own device, but I can’t guarantee the types of adapters that will be on hand.

SongSparks

These are informal workshop-concerts organized by voice-types. This is a great chance for everyone to hear each other's works. The audience can ask questions, and often the performers will use the opportunity of having an astute audience to test out different approaches/interpretations. These are open and free to the public.

A Note on Participation: The more you participate, the better! We also understand that life gets in the way and most people will have to miss at least something during the program. The absolute top priorities for composer/writer attendance (that you should not miss) are the first few rehearsals of your piece (Monday especially), and the SongSparks at which your piece will be performed. The Guest-Artist Workshops and drop-ins are things you really won’t want to miss, but the rest of the activities are aimed at group participation, so no individual’s absence will be a hindrance to an overall valuable experience for those in attendance.

Meet the Performers

Please visit the 2026 Faculty page for photos and bios of each of our incredible performers.