Young Performers Career Advancement

Quick Links: Attend the YPCA Showcase | About YPCA | When and How to Apply | Meet the YPCA Class of 2024 | Past Participants

Celebrating 26 years, the Young Performers Career Advancement (YPCA, pronounced “YIP-Kah”) program was designed by the APAP Classical Connections Committee to support classical musicians in the formative stages of their careers.

APAP|NYC 2020 YPCA Participants, Ivalas Quartet, by Adam Kissick/APAP

Attend the YPCA Showcase

Will you be attending the APAP|NYC 2024 conference? The YPCA Showcase featuring the YPCA Class of 2024 at Carnegie Hall is a highlight.

YPCA Showcase at APAP|NYC 2024
Monday, January 15, 2024
7:00- 9:00 p.m. (EST)
Open to the public. Reception to follow.

Meet the Class of 2024 performers here.

RSVP for the Showcase and Reception here.

Support YPCA through the Classical Connections Endowment here.

RSVP for the YPCA Showcase

About YPCA

By participating in APAP's Young Performers Career Advancement (YPCA) program, classical musicians in the formative stages of their careers will receive invaluable advice from industry professionals, develop strategies for communicating with presenters, managers, audiences, and other artists, and learn to set long-term, professional goals in a field that has seen tremendous change over the past two years.

The YPCA program consists of online professional development seminars, one-on-one coaching, and the opportunity to fully participate in the annual APAP conference between January 12-16, 2024, and a showcase performance at Carnegie Hall on January 15, 2024.

Participants in the YPCA program will:

Receive a complimentary full conference registration to APAP|NYC 2024
Get a practical overview of the presenting and touring industry and expert instruction in audience engagement
Learn to set long-term career goals, including developing your vision and identity
Develop strategies for communicating with presenters, managers, audiences and other artists
Gain networking resources that last an entire career
Perform at Carnegie Hall in the only APAP-produced showcase at APAP|NYC 2024

Interested in participating in YPCA? Read the YPCA Guidelines before applying.

Dates and Deadlines

Applications for YPCA are now closed. For questions about the program, please email programs@apap365.org.

When and How to Apply

APAP membership is not required in order to apply to the YPCA program, but artists must have representation (agent, manager, personal representative or an equivalent support structure) in order to participate. If an artist is selected, the artist’s representative must be or must become an APAP member and must also register to attend the APAP|NYC 2024 conference to represent the YPCA artist/ensemble. Read YPCA Guidelines.

YPCA artists will perform in APAP's only self-produced showcase in front of global arts leaders, performing arts presenters, managers, record company representatives, and agents. This event marks the 27th anniversary of the YPCA program. Apply now.

Questions? Contact Willie Santiago, Manager, programs and resources, at wsantiago@apap365.org.

Meet the Class of 2022

As part of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) annual conference, APAP|NYC+ 2022, five exceptional young classical music artists and ensembles will be showcased at a free concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 14, as part of APAP’s Young Performers Career Advancement Program (YPCA).

The 2022 Participants are up-and-coming musicians were chosen through a competitive process by a team of industry experts on APAP’s Classical Connections Committee. YPCA artists will perform in APAP's only self-produced showcase in front of global arts leaders, performing arts presenters, managers, record company representatives, and agents.

Meet the YPCA Class of 2022 here.

YPCA artists will perform in APAP's only self-produced showcase in front of global arts leaders, performing arts presenters, managers, record company representatives, and agents. This event marks the 25th anniversary of the YPCA program.

The deadline has passed and the application process has closed.

Please read the application guidelines and preview before applying.

APPLY NOW