2026 Northern Lights Online Piano Festival
Events > Northern Lights Online Piano Festival
| northern_lights_online_piano_festival_2026.pdf |
| media_release_online_festival_2026.pdf |
Participants may select any work(s) for performance from the following list of Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications:
Note: Grading for the Making Tracks, Canadian Folksongs, O Canada (NL OC1) and Dancing with the Northern Lights can be found at DWM-Piano-Music-Graded-Syllabus-March-2020.pdf (debrawanless.com)
Northern Lights Piano Festival classes include:
Primary Level:
Primary Level (Beginner to grade 2)
(P1): one piano solo from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $15.00
(P2): concert class of two contrasting piano solos at the same level from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $21.00
(PE): one ensemble from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $17.00
Elementary Level:
Elementary Level (grades 3 & 4)
(E1): one piano solo from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $15.00
(E2): concert class of two contrasting piano solos at the same level from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $19.00
(EE): one ensemble from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $18.00
Intermediate Level:
Intermediate Level (grades 5 -7)
(I1): one piano solo from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $22.00
(I2): concert class of two contrasting piano solos at the same level from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $23.00
(IE): one ensemble from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $20.00
Senior Level:
Senior Level (grades 8 -10)
(S1): one piano solo from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $22.00
(S2): concert class of two contrasting piano solos at the same level from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $25.00
(SE): one ensemble from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $23.00
- Northern Lights (any level) An Exploration of Canadian Music (solos or duets)
- Making Tracks volumes 1,2, 3, 4 or 5 (NL NLMT 1/2/3/4/5) An Expedition in Canadian Music
- Canadian Folksongs volumes 1 or 2 (NL FS1/2) (solos or duets)
- O Canada (NL OC1) arrangements of Our National Anthem (solos or duets)
- Dancing with the Northern Lights (either level)
Note: Grading for the Making Tracks, Canadian Folksongs, O Canada (NL OC1) and Dancing with the Northern Lights can be found at DWM-Piano-Music-Graded-Syllabus-March-2020.pdf (debrawanless.com)
Northern Lights Piano Festival classes include:
Primary Level:
Primary Level (Beginner to grade 2)
(P1): one piano solo from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $15.00
(P2): concert class of two contrasting piano solos at the same level from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $21.00
(PE): one ensemble from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $17.00
Elementary Level:
Elementary Level (grades 3 & 4)
(E1): one piano solo from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $15.00
(E2): concert class of two contrasting piano solos at the same level from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $19.00
(EE): one ensemble from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $18.00
Intermediate Level:
Intermediate Level (grades 5 -7)
(I1): one piano solo from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $22.00
(I2): concert class of two contrasting piano solos at the same level from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $23.00
(IE): one ensemble from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $20.00
Senior Level:
Senior Level (grades 8 -10)
(S1): one piano solo from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $22.00
(S2): concert class of two contrasting piano solos at the same level from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $25.00
(SE): one ensemble from the Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music publications listed above Fee: $23.00
Festival Guidelines:
1). Participants (open to amateurs only) may enter ONE class as listed above.
2) Participants will prepare a video for submission which MUST be recorded in one sitting as follows:
a). include a brief oral introduction of the selected work(s). Historical, biographical information regarding the composer and stylistic elements should be discussed on a level appropriate basis (based on the level of the piece).
b) identification of the student ownership of the original score MUST be included i.e. show and share the publication; the publication should be displayed during the performance
c) see videos tips and how to upload your video on page 3
3) Repeats shall be included as follows:
a) repeats are expected for Grades Beginner through 4
b) do not perform repeats for Grades 5 through 10
c) all da capo and dal segno signs are mandatory in all grades. Repeats within sections of the da capo and dal segno are not required
4) Participants may perform from memory or not. However, to be eligible for scholarship, memory is required.
5) All participants will receive written comments only (without marks).
6) Each category level (primary, elementary, intermediate and senior) will have a scholarship recipient and an honourable mention.
7) All scholarships are awarded at the absolute discretion of the adjudicator(s). Scholarships are awarded on the basis of the competitor’s general ability and promise of success.
8) For the online application form visit: www.cncm.ca for the Northern Lights Online Piano Festival. Fees and videos must be submitted by MAY 1st, 2026.
9) Comments will be shared via email with participants and scholarship recipients will be announced by JUNE 30th, 2026.
10) Scholarship recipients’ videos will be made public by Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music on the CNCM YouTube channel and will require a signed media release before scholarships can be released.
1). Participants (open to amateurs only) may enter ONE class as listed above.
2) Participants will prepare a video for submission which MUST be recorded in one sitting as follows:
a). include a brief oral introduction of the selected work(s). Historical, biographical information regarding the composer and stylistic elements should be discussed on a level appropriate basis (based on the level of the piece).
b) identification of the student ownership of the original score MUST be included i.e. show and share the publication; the publication should be displayed during the performance
c) see videos tips and how to upload your video on page 3
3) Repeats shall be included as follows:
a) repeats are expected for Grades Beginner through 4
b) do not perform repeats for Grades 5 through 10
c) all da capo and dal segno signs are mandatory in all grades. Repeats within sections of the da capo and dal segno are not required
4) Participants may perform from memory or not. However, to be eligible for scholarship, memory is required.
5) All participants will receive written comments only (without marks).
6) Each category level (primary, elementary, intermediate and senior) will have a scholarship recipient and an honourable mention.
7) All scholarships are awarded at the absolute discretion of the adjudicator(s). Scholarships are awarded on the basis of the competitor’s general ability and promise of success.
8) For the online application form visit: www.cncm.ca for the Northern Lights Online Piano Festival. Fees and videos must be submitted by MAY 1st, 2026.
9) Comments will be shared via email with participants and scholarship recipients will be announced by JUNE 30th, 2026.
10) Scholarship recipients’ videos will be made public by Northern Lights Canadian National Conservatory of Music on the CNCM YouTube channel and will require a signed media release before scholarships can be released.
Filming Tips:
How to upload a video to YouTube:
- Display your Northern Lights publication on your piano after your oral presentation
- Film in landscape format (phone on its side)
- Keep your camera/filming device stable – tripod, tape to an item, or lean against books
- Position to see both the performer and the piano/keyboard in the video
- Film at a decent resolution (1080p at 24 or 30 frames per second if possible).
**Important: most digital devices have 2 cameras, one for point and shoot and one for
“selfie mode”. The point and shoot camera always has better resolution (1080) than
the selfie camera (typically 720). - Film in a location with decent lighting (daylight in a bright room is ideal; don't film into
light coming through a window) - Good audio is more important than the video. If using a smartphone, ensure a good
distance for sound. If there is a mic on the piano--great! - Before and after your oral presentation and performance leave a few seconds of stillness
How to upload a video to YouTube:
- Log in to your YouTube account.
- Click on the video [+] icon at the top right hand side of the window, which can be found next to your user icon and notifications.
- Select and click ‘Upload Video.’
- Then, press ‘select files to upload’ to find the video file saved on your computer. Or, you can drag and drop it into the window.
- Under Audience select "Yes, It's made for kids"
- Continue to hit the NEXT button until you come to "Visibility"
- An optional step is to choose the privacy settings on your video. We recommend selecting unlisted. This will allow you to share it with the CNCM Office and Festival Committee, but the video won’t be searchable by the wider public.Once the video has been uploaded and processed by YouTube, it will give you a shareable link that will be included on your online festival application.
Copyright © 2002-2025 CNCM