Emerging Artists Showcase

Presenting the rising stars of early music and historical performance since 2018.

The Emerging Artists Showcase has been presented at early-music festivals in Berkeley, CA, Bloomington, IN, and Boston, MA, and virtually through EMA’s digital platforms. In 2023, the Showcase became a central element of the annual EMA Summit.

2025 Virtual Showcase

The 2025 Virtual Emerging Artists Showcase will premiere on Saturday, October 18 during the 2025 EMA Virtual Summit,

2025 Artists

Founded by Artistic Director Caroline Nicolas, Ars Poetica (top) is an ensemble of acclaimed musicians who share a passion for bringing historical music to the stage. Dedicated to the power of storytelling through music, each program explores themes such as mythology, fairy tales, and love stories. AP’s concerts combine innovative repertoire choices, particularly of music from the high Renaissance to early Baroque, with sophisticated interpretations. Future seasons will include performances at the Indianapolis Early Music Festival, a recording project to be distributed by Avie Records, a collaboration with Taiwan’s The Gleam Ensemble, as well as multi-disciplinary programs with poets, dancers, and actors.

Combining her passion on early 19th-century music and historical instruments, Charlotte Tang (bottom left) has been actively performing on both historical and modern pianos across Canada and the States. Recent highlights include a residency at the Banff Centre, as well as performances at the Conference of the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies and Cornell University. Alongside her modern piano studies at Indiana University, Charlotte focused on early 19th-century Viennese pianos and works by Schubert and Schumann under Prof. Elisabeth Wright.

COMTESSA (bottom right) is a Montréal-based ensemble that brings the music of the 11th to 15th centuries to life through dynamic performances and meticulous research. Using medieval period instruments, the ensemble offers audiences an immersive journey into the soundscapes of medieval music. Featuring women and nonbinary performers, COMTESSA showcases a fresh perspective on this timeless repertoire.

All required materials MUST be submitted via the application form.

We strongly encourage all applicants to submit your application at least ONE WEEK prior to the deadline in case there are any issues with your application, so we can resolve them in a timely manner before the deadline.

This application closed Monday, May 19, 2025 at 11:59pm ET.
The 2026 application will open in early 2026.

Please submit questions to specialprojetcs@earlymusicamerica.org

  • The applicant should be a current member of EMA, with either a Personal, Student, Household, or Organization membership prior to the application deadline. Please ensure your membership is current at the time of submission.
    • Students may redeem a one-year complimentary membership once during their course of study. After that, student membership is only $35
  • “Emerging Artists” means artists of any age who have not otherwise performed regularly in major festivals or concert series.
  • No individual performer may be included in more than one Emerging Artists Showcase application (e.g. Jane Smith is a member of Ensemble A and Ensemble B. Only one of the ensembles may apply with her as a member. Likewise, if Ensemble A applies, Jane may not apply separately).
  • All applicants must be residents of North or South America. Citizenship not required.
  • Although the term “early music” is understood in different ways, for the purposes of this Showcase, it involves the following criteria:
    • Attention must be given to matters of historical performance practice.
    • Applicants are expected to perform with period instruments.
    • Past Showcase programs have typically featured repertoire composed before ca. 1820, however we welcome repertoire from later eras, so long as it meets the criteria above.
    • Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose programs that expand beyond the Western canon.
  • Artists who are a part of an ensemble under consideration for Young Performers Festival may apply separately for the Showcase, so-long as they or their ensemble are not university sponsored. University-sponsored applicants should apply only for the Young Performers Festival (YPF).

Ensemble/Performer Information

  • Artist/Ensemble Name
  • Names of all artists to be featured in your Showcase program.
  • How long has the Artist/Ensemble been performing? Please include information about a representative past ensemble project – description or concert program is acceptable.
  • Short soloist/ensemble bio (for promotional material)
  • Artist/Ensemble mission/relationship with historical performance and period instruments (as applicable).
  • Brief description of how your group is emerging and how you see your future in the early music field
  • Title and description of your proposed 25-30 minute Showcase program. If your virtual presentation will include visual elements such as images, cartoons, original artwork, please describe them. (max. 500 words)

Performance recordings that meet the following requirements:

  • Live video performance recordings of the applicant – MAXIMUM of 20 minutes in length.
  • Submitted performance recordings must be no more than two years old.
  • Submitted performance recordings should be of the highest video quality possible.
  • Video recordings should be shared as Youtube links – videos may either be public or unlisted.
  • Recordings can be multiple short selections or one long selection.
  • Please submit a list of personnel represented in your recordings, and a list of the pieces performed. Recordings should reflect, as much as possible, the personnel indicated in your program proposal, meaning that each person in the proposal should have be reflected in a submitted recording.
  • Submission recordings may be of your proposed program, but it is not required.

Showcase Grant Payment Details (one required)

  • Check (Payee name, contact phone, mailing address for check)
  • Paypal (Payee email)
  • Zelle (Payee phone number or email address associated with Zelle account. USA only.)

A panel of judges designated by EMA will assess all applications on the following three criteria categories.

  • Technical proficiency
    • Artistic quality
    • Ensemble cohesion/chamber music skills
    • Awareness of and attention to historical performance
  • Audience Engagement
    • How do you represent yourself as an artist?
    • How are you communicating the music beyond playing the notes in a historically informed way?
  • Innovation in presentation and/or repertoire
    • Creativity and originality using available resources
    • New and attainable ideas – is the size of the proposed project realistically attainable within the three month preparation and production period?
    • Are you conducting new research related to the project?
    • Lecture components should account for no more than 25% of the final project time. The focus should remain on the performance of the music.

Selections will be based on the strength of the proposal and the level of artistry displayed in recorded submissions.

All applications will receive feedback from the judging panel, regardless of the success of their application. Accepted ensembles may receive recommendations from the panel to be incorporated into their final product. 

Previous Showcase Artists

2024 – EMA Summit, Cleveland
Amelia Sie
Duo CPE
Magadalena

2023 – EMA Summit, Boston
Marie Nadeau-Tremblay
Maryse Legault
The Fooles

2022 – Berkeley Festival & Exhibition and Virtual
AKOYA
Julia Bengtsson, dance & Rocío López Sánchez, cello
Duo Oriana
Patricía García Gil, fortepiano
Pauline Kempf, baroque violin
Ximenez Quartet

2021 – Virtual
Beneath a Tree – Baroque to Folk
Alice Chuaqui Baldwin, harpsichord
Filament Baroque
Monika Ruusma, harp & Héctor Alonso Torres, lute
Time Stands Still

2020 – Virtual
L.A. Camerata
Gili Loftus, fortepiano
Lyracle
Trobár

2019 – Bloomington Early Music Festival
Aperi Animam
Joyce Chen, harpsichord
Vincent Lauzer, recorder
Rezonance Baroque

2018 – Bloomington Early Music Festival
Costanoan Trio
Melisande McNabey, harpsichord
Adriana Ruiz Peña, soprano
Rumore Terribile
Voyage Sonique
Rachell Ellen Wong, baroque violin

Showcase Performances

2023 Showcase – EMA Summit, Boston
2022 Showcase – Virtual & Berkeley, CA
2021 Showcase – Virtual
2020 Showcase – Virtual
2019 Showcase – Bloomington, IN
2018 Showcase – Bloomington, IN
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