EMCA's History

The Eastern Manitoba Concert Association (EMCA) is a community presenter of professional musical entertainment in the Eastman Region. An incorporated non-profit, volunteer organization, EMCA has maintained a professional venue for artists, provided educational opportunities for students and enriched the cultural life of Eastern Manitobans for 46 years.

The EMCA formula is simple: quality concerts and a rewarding community volunteer experience. EMCA has presented over 300 professional performances of Manitoban, Canadian and International artists. More than 25 Juno Award Winners, numerous Prairie and East Coast Music Award winners and even Grammy and Oscar Winners have performed on the EMCA Stage. Examples are Buffy Ste. Marie, Leona Boyd, John Allan Cameron, The Borodin String Quartet, Finjan, Stan Rogers, Lois Marshall, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Natalie McMaster. With volunteer production and local business sponsors, almost every dollar of ticket revenues goes to artist fees. EMCA gives Eastern Manitobans A-list performances at affordable prices.

EMCA subscribers are from a large area, including Pinawa, Lac du Bonnet, Whitemouth, Seven Sisters, Pine Falls, Powerview, Beausejour, Nopiming and Whiteshell Parks and the surrounding countryside. EMCA is also a customer for equipment (more than $100,000 has been invested in sound, lights and stage hardware), services (advertising, publishing, agencies, equipment rentals) and hospitality (hotels, restaurants, events), contributing to the Eastern Manitoba economy.

EMCA provides many services to the community. These include technical support with lighting and sound to other community groups such as theatre and band, a music scholarship, and music education support to area schools. EMCA also provides fundraising opportunities for other non-profit community groups, for example, to supply refreshments during intermission to raise funds for their particular activities.

A volunteer Board of Directors runs EMCA, responsible for Administration, Publicity, Advertising, Membership, Staging, Lighting, Sound and Artist Liaison. It takes intensive on-the-job training to master these positions at the level demanded for professional presentations. Volunteers train for a full year and have their position replaced or renewed every three years. As a result EMCA has grown deep roots in the community - in its 46-year history, more than 200 citizens of the region have been a volunteer Director at one time or another - combining fun, achievement, community enrichment, a quality venue, an audience for artists, and of course, enjoyment of the concerts.

That is the substance and value of EMCA to cultural life in Eastern Manitoba. After 46 years of hard work and careful spending - attracting a faithful audience and paying its bills, EMCA is a favourite destination for performing artists across the country. EMCA is a valuable and popular institution in Eastern Manitoba.

Privacy Statement

EMCA would like to keep in touch with you.

 Your data is used to send you information about concerts, program changes, special events, offers and funding activities,  receipts and prize-winner notifications (where applicable).

We do NOT trade or sell our lists. If at any time you wish to be removed, simply contact us by phone: (204) 753-2519 or eMail .  At EMCA we respect and protect your privacy.

This means that:

Scholarships

$500 Post-Secondary Music Award

One award of $500 is to be presented annually to a qualified, graduating student from the School District of Whiteshell or the Sunrise School Division in Eastern Manitoba to assist in his/her pursuit of a post-secondary education in a musical field. The application deadline is 2019 June 7.

International Music Camp Bursary/(s)

One award of up to $500 is to be awarded annually to assist Junior or Senior High School students from the School District of Whiteshell or the Sunrise School Division in Eastern Manitoba in attending the International Music Camp at the Manitoba/North Dakota Peace Gardens for a one week session.

The application deadline is 2019 May 24.

The EMCA Awards Committee's decision is final and if there are no suitable candidate(s), no award will be presented.

Application Instructions

1. Applicants for the Post-Secondary Music Award must perform an audition, either singing or playing a musical instrument. Record the performance and upload the file to an online streaming service of their choice (YouTube, SoundCloud, DropBox, Google Drive, etc). Audition recordings are not required for International Music Camp Bursary applicants.
2. The Applicant must write an application letter describing their musical background, musical training, relevant awards received, post-secondary music school accepted by/applied to, the use of their talent within the community, and any other information in support of the application. Letters should be provided in MS Word or PDF Format. (Please note that applicants must provide a copy of Letter of Acceptance to their chosen post-secondary school before final awarding of prize, but it is not necessary when applying for EMCA's scholarship.)
3. The applicant should fill in the form below to apply for the EMCA scholarship. Fill in all the fields, attach the letter of application and provide a link to the audition performance.
4. The applicant should also provide a letter of reference from their music teacher. Reference letters should be emailed to gailshillinglaw@gmail.com, to be received by 2019 June 7.

Apply for Post-Secondary Music Award        Apply for International Music Camp Bursary

2019 Annual General Meeting

A VERY short (approximately 10 - 15 minutes) Annual EMCA General Meeting was held immediately before the last Concert of the season  (Those Guys), as per the EMCA constitution. A downloadable copy of the 2019 AGM Agenda, the previous 2018 AGM's minutes, the present EMCA financial statement, and the previous 2018-2019 budget are available, below:

2019 AGM Agenda     2018 AGM Minutes     2019  Financial Balance Sheet     2018-2019 Budget