Residencies

PHI NORTH

The Residency

PHI North is a residency designed for Canadian-based musicians, offering a unique opportunity to delve into and fine-tune their projects.

This program provides a two-week creative retreat at a private estate in the Laurentian mountains and includes exclusive access to a recording studio, along with technical support from an in-house sound engineer. This residency allows artists to break away from daily routines and focus entirely on exploration and experimentation in their practice.

PHI North acknowledges and thanks SiriusXM Franco for their support.

Selected Artists

JASHIM

Jashim is a non-binary Colombian artist redefining sound, identity, and technology from Montréal. Born in El Choko among Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities, they channel deep roots into futuristic rhythms. After immigrating in 2004, Jashim rose through Ubisoft’s AAA game world before turning decks and dance floors into portals. A pioneer of Montréal’s underground Latinx scene, they debuted with Summer 19 and the EP Cuando aprendí a Hablar, merging reggaeton, memory, and cinematic storytelling. Blending immersive tech with rebellious beats, Jashim is building a new era of performance—where video game worlds pulse to the rhythm of liberation.

Website ↗ | Instagram ↗

Photo: Boris Halas

ERIKA ANGELL

The Montréal-based Swedish vocalist and composer Erika Angell defies categorization. Across sixteen independently produced albums and innumerable collaborations, Angell has been a poetic and audacious force in genre-defying music. Her voice has been described as “a guiding presence” (Exclaim) that “splits the difference between the divine and demonic, skillfully unhinged” (Under The Radar) and “sits alongside the greatest indie female artists who are not afraid of anything” (Le Devoir).

Website ↗ | Instagram ↗

Photo: Tim Georgeson

Her debut solo album of unfettered vocal exploration and expressionist avant-electronic composition—The Obsession With Her Voice—was released on Constellation March 8, 2024. The album garnered unanimous critical acclaim and was named one of the best albums of 2024 by the esteemed music magazine The Quietus. Erika supported the release with an extensive tour across Canada and Europe, performing at renowned festivals such as Le Guess Who? (NL), Umeå Jazzfestival (SE), Suoni Per Il Popolo (CA), and POP Montreal (CA).

ISA FARAH

isa farah (they/she) is a heart-forward cellist, composer, and improviser blending microtonality and free improvisation, grounded in deep listening. Rooted in trans embodiment and ancestral fire, their work weaves ambient tenderness, rhythmic provocation, and feral string screams. Drawing from the Iranian Radif and extended techniques, isa explores in-betweenness as both a musical and political space—channeling grief, groove, and rupture into spaces of softness, devotion, and becoming.

Instagram ↗

Photo: Jasmine Wright

CON SECUENCIAS

Mexico-born, Montréal-based sound artist, music producer, and sound technician. He has a background in electroacoustics and sound design and focuses on multichannel spatial sound and immersive installations. His work delves into creating different atmospheres and virtual spaces using field recordings, sound design, and live spatialization, making his music a complex scenario of real spaces, different sound objects, and rhythmic exploration. His productions feature genres like cumbia and tribal prehispánico, experimenting with different prehispanic Mesoamerican percussion and handmade winds with electronic production and narrative sound design.

SoundCloud ↗ | Bandcamp ↗ | Instagram ↗

Photo: Richmond Lam

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PHI North 2025-2026

Residency location: Laurentides, Québec, Canada
Residency duration: 2 weeks

Schedule Overview

Mandatory introduction day for all selected artists: June 6, 2025
PHI North Session #1:
August 11–26, 2025
PHI North Session #2:
September 15–30, 2025
PHI North Session #3:
October 13–28, 2025
PHI North Session #4:
November 10–25, 2025

Dates are subject to change based on artist and site availability.

What Artists Are Saying

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“For me, the PHI North Residency represented a much-needed pause. For the first time in years, perhaps, I could hear my thoughts, my feelings, and what my art needed from me. I will forever be grateful for that time!”

— Bells Larsen, PHI North 2023-2024

“The PHI North Residency gave me the opportunity to fully commit to my musical journey. Surrounded by nature and loved ones, the environment allowed for a very optimal creative experience. I am forever grateful.”

— Mopao Mumu, PHI North 2024-25

“PHI North not only focuses on all of the needs of the artists within the studio, but also outside of the studio. Rest, space, beauty, and more. Contexts like these teach you how important the spaces you dedicate to creativity are and how they impact your productivity. Creating at the PHI North residency was natural.”

— Honeydrip, PHI North 2024-25

“I applied to the program hoping to discover re-entry points into dormant parts of my music practice. The residency provided the conditions for focused play (ample space, responsive technical support, inspiring scenery, etc.). This opened me up to new ways of music making—from late-night synth relays to open-air recordings of saxophone blowing across the trees—and I walked away with a renewed commitment to prioritizing my production practice.”

— PYNE, PHI North 2024-25

“PHI North was one of the best experiences of my music career, allowing me the space and time to focus on starting my next album. The environment was deeply inspiring, and I had such a memorable time creating with my friends. This residency is irreplaceable, and I cannot recommend it enough for any musician looking to further themselves and to make uncompromising art.”

— Evan Shay, PHI North 2024-25

Program Details

Specific Requirements for the Application:

The PHI North program is divided into two categories. Applicants can submit a project to only one of the following categories:

Category 1 — Musical Project

This category is dedicated to musical projects by an artist, group, or collective, supported by a thematic coherence. A total of three projects will be selected from all the applications received for this category.
Category 2 — Immersive Audio
This category focuses on the creation of an immersive audio work with a strong musical component. Only one project will be selected from all the applications received for this category.

Eligibility Requirements:

For the “Immersive Audio“ category only:

Applicants must demonstrate expertise in creating sound works in immersive audio. This may include, for example, relevant academic training, proficiency with production tools and technical standards (such as surround sound, ambisonics, or Dolby Atmos), or experience with recorded immersive projects or multichannel sound installations.

For both the “Musical Project“ and “Immersive Audio“ categories, applicants must:

Be musicians or sound artists with at least five years of artistic practice, recognized expertise in their field by their peers, and active engagement within the broader artistic community.
Be musicians or sound artists based in Canada.
Have a specific musical project and the desire to carry it out as part of the residency.
Maintain a professional musical practice in Québec or Canada or demonstrate potential for career development in music.
Have previously released or published music that is accessible on public platforms.

Bands or collectives of up to four members are eligible, with conditions identical to those for solo artists.

Selected Artists Will Receive:

Accommodation: A two-week stay in a guest house with exclusive recording studio access.
Recording Studio Support: Daily technical support (up to 8 hours) from a sound engineer.
Sound Spatialization Introduction: A group session during the residency’s introduction day, featuring an overview of immersive sound tools, practical demonstrations, creative discussions, and studio listening sessions.
Video Content Production by PHI: A live recording of a performance, broadcast through PHI and its partners’ platforms.
Licence Fee: A one-time fee of $1,600 per residency for performance broadcast rights.
PHI Resources: Access to PHI’s extensive network of collaborators and resources.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Four projects will be selected annually, each led by an artist, group, or collective of up to four members.

No, only one artist, group, or collective will be hosted at PHI North at a time, during the session assigned based on the availability provided in the application form.

Each artist, group, or collective can apply to only one category of the PHI North program. Multiple applications from the same artist, group, or collective will be automatically excluded from the selection process. However, a group or collective can submit a project, even if one of its members applied solo for a distinct individual project.

The selection of artists for the residency is conducted by an external committee composed of invited professionals with expertise in both categories of the program, as well as an artist who has previously participated in the PHI North residency, ensuring a diversity of expertise, experiences, and perspectives.

Musical Composition Quality (35%): Assessment of the musical richness and, if applicable, lyrical quality.
Artistic Vision and Innovation (35%): Originality, creativity, and relevance of the project in the current context.
Project Clarity, Rigor, and Scope (30%): Coherence and thoughtfulness behind the proposed project.

Each residency session at PHI North spans up to 15 days, with the final day devoted entirely to creating a video profile. This process includes filming an interview and capturing a short performance or musical sample by the artist, group, or collective, in collaboration with PHI’s video team.

Prior to the residency: An initial meeting with PHI’s video team to discuss and align ideas on the creative approach for the performance of a short composition or musical sample.
One week after the beginning of the residency: A second meeting is held to confirm the song or musical sample selection as well as the visual approach and plan the specific details of the filming process.
Last day of the residency: PHI’s video team travels to PHI North to film the video profile of the artist, group, or collective, which includes the musical performance and a brief interview.

Except for the presentation of a performance of a short composition or musical sample on the day of filming, no other final production is required at the end of the PHI North residency. Artists are encouraged to make full use of the time, space, and opportunities available to them.

No, transportation costs to get to PHI North are not covered as part of the residency.

Groups or collectives consisting of a maximum of four members are eligible for the residency.

No, there are no application fees.

Yes, you can invite collaborators to PHI North to work on your project. A maximum of four people, including the artist, visitors, and collaborators, can stay at PHI North simultaneously. The information concerning these individuals must be provided before the start of the residency.

Unfortunately, pets are not allowed on the residency site.

Any other questions?

Contact us!

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Partners

An initiative by PHI made possible thanks to the support of SiriusXM Franco.

PHI is a cultural infrastructure dedicated to supporting contemporary art and artists probing the key agenda of our times, and facilitating access between them and the public. PHI is guided by values that include generosity, rigour, the importance of community, and devotes itself to the innovation and evolution of cultural experiences that both challenge and delight.

To reiterate its commitment to supporting local artistic communities, and to help shape the art of tomorrow, PHI offers three artistic residency programs annually: North, Montréal and Immersive while also supporting the InVisible Voices program. Although each residency meets different artists’ needs, our common mission is to provide our artists in residence with the tools, support, and impetus they need to expand the scope of their practice and take it to the next level.

Discover the Artists

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