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Artists in Residence

Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting is seeking to elevate the profile of area musicians and give them experience in composing music in a professional setting for professional applications, and to bring a new variety of musical voices to Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting’s on-air and online programming: something distinctively Pittsburgh.

The artists will compose, arrange, perform, and record original instrumental compositions that will be used as show themes, transitional music beds, and in other settings in WYEP’s and WESA’s on-air, digital, and video content. Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation developed the Artist in Residence program to help support the diversity of talent that is a vital component in Pittsburgh’s musical ecosystem. The submission window to apply to be in the next cohort of local musicians is planned for June.

“This is part of WYEP’s ongoing work to support the talent that makes Pittsburgh music so strong and exciting,” said Mike Sauter, Vice President of Broadcasting at Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting. “By commissioning music from area musicians, we can help more creative voices to be heard, as well as giving listeners a taste of what our musical community can create.”

“WYEP shines a spotlight on area musicians every day by playing their music and keeping music fans informed about local concerts,” added Brian Siewiorek, Director of Creative Services at Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting. “The Artists in Residence program is a more direct way that we can work with musicians in the region to share their craft with a wider audience.”

Fifteen musicians from the southwestern Pennsylvania region will create musical compositions to be featured in the stations’ on-air and online content.
The chosen artists will be showcased on both station’s websites, WYEP.ORG and WESA.FM, and their compositions will be heard by listeners across our region’s airwaves.

Apply to become an Artist in Residence

The submission window for the second residency period has closed. Thank you for your interest!

Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting and its two radio stations, WYEP and WESA, seek the next group of musicians to participate in its Artist in Residency Program. To participate, you must be an experienced musician in the Pittsburgh region who can compose and record original instrumental musical compositions that will be used as show themes, transitional music beds, and other uses for WYEP’s and WESA’s on-air and digital content.

  • You must live in the Pittsburgh region to be considered. We don’t have a specific distance from Pittsburgh that will be allowed, but a good rule of thumb is whether you live in an area that can tune in to WYEP or WESA on traditional radio.
  • Each artist will compose and record approximately 10 works that will be around a minute in length (or less, in some cases, based on specified criteria).
  • Artists in the residency will meet with Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting staff to discuss criteria before creating the works. The criteria will be interpreted by each participating artist according to their personal creative vision.
  • At the end of the residency, artists will be compensated $175 for each final composition produced based on the assignments given to the artist.
  • Each residency period will last around six months from September to the end of February 2024.
  • Unfortunately, due to the number of responses we receive, we are unable to give any feedback on your entry unless you are accepted into the residency.
  • Artists will be required to deliver finished, arranged, and produced recordings of their compositions by the end of the residency period. (In other words, the final work product will be recordings usable on the radio or in digital audio content, not sheet music or demo recordings.)
This program is supported by a grant from the Hillman Foundation to foster arts and culture in the Pittsburgh region.