Venus Fest
2026 Mentorship Program


May 04–July 17, 2026


Taking place this year from May 04–July 17, 2026, the Venus Fest Mentorship Program is a Toronto-based program for musicians and music workers of underrepresented identities/genders.


Application Deadline Closed


Participants Receive


    • 4 hours of one-on-one online mentorship sessions with 1 mentor
    • 2 in-person symposium days on May 13 and 14, 2026 in Toronto, ON
    • 2 social program events
    • an invitation to attend events at Debaser's Pique/Topique on June 12 and 13, 2026 in Ottawa, ON (travel and accommodation subsidy provided by Venus Fest)
    • an honorarium of $500


We will provide ASL interpretation support for Deaf/Hard of Hearing participants for all program components, as well as other access support tailored to participant access needs.

VENUS FEST MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
is geared towards musicians and music workers of underrepresented identities/genders. Within this, we especially encourage applications from artists/arts workers who are QT/BIPOC, otherwise equity-seeking, or have lacked previous institutional support for their current professional goals.

We have multiple placements reserved for transfemme, Black, Indigenous, and/or Deaf/Hard of Hearing participants.

Applications are open to anyone living in 'Canada', but participants are asked to attend as many of the in-person components as possible; we encourage applications from people who are either based in the GTA or who can reasonably travel to Toronto to attend the in-person components. If you need to attend virtually for accessibility reasons, please let us know and we can accommodate this for you.

If you prefer to submit your application as a video or audio file, or have other questions related to accessibility for this application process, please email our Mentorship Program Coordinator Beau: beau@venusfest.net



Mentors


Prado Monroe | Artist
CIEL | DJ / Producer
Bobby Sanchez | Artist
Haviah Mighty | Artist / Producer
Michelle Erfer | Booking Agent
Natasha "Courage" Bacchus | Deaf interdisciplinary artist / sign language art accessibility consultant 99Makaveli | Producer
Winta Hagos | Cultural Producer / Venue Owner

*We aim to match artists with artists and arts workers with arts workers, so please be mindful of this when selecting your preferred mentors.
(ie. we will pair an emerging event booker with our mentor who is a booking agent, and an emerging producer/beatmaker with the mentor who is a producer).



Program Dates 


May 04–July 17, 2026

In-Person Symposium Days
May 13 and 14, 2026, Toronto, ON

Debaser's Pique/Topique Events
June 12 and 13, 2026, Ottawa, ON

Social Program Events
Dates to be shared with participants

Online Mentorship Sessions
Scheduled individually with mentors during the program period
 



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99Makaveli

Producer

99Makaveli is a 26-year-old Canadian music producer known for crafting viral remixes and sample flips. She has built a following of over 290K+ across Instagram & TikTok, where she shares her original productions and samples.

Her recent work extends beyond social media, earning her a commercial sync placement producing music for a campaign featuring Teyana Taylor for Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses. She has also partnered with BeatStars, Twitch, Splice, BandLab, and more, positioning herself as part of the next wave of forward-facing producers shaping digital music culture







Bobby Sanchez


Artist

Bobby Sanchez is a rapper, poet, and multidisciplinary artist rooted in Indigenous and queer identity. Raised on Lenape and Siwanoy land, with family from Ayacucho, Peru, her work channels this heritage into music that grapples with Indigenous survival, gender politics, environmental violence, and liberation. Bobby identifies as trans and Two-Spirit, and her art – whether rap, poetry, or performance – reflects lived experience.

Over the past several years, she has released multiple EPs blending hip-hop, spoken word, and political commentary, performed at major Pride stages and poetry slams, and has built a body of work that prioritizes community, decolonial thought, and honest storytelling. Bobby brings an intentional presence to movement spaces, using music not as entertainment, but as a way to tell the truth, hold grief and rage, and strengthen community.





CIel
DJ / Producer


Cindy Li, better known as CIEL, has steadily ascended over the past decade to become one of the best-respected producers and DJs of the international underground. Since throwing her first party in 2015 and releasing her stellar debut EP, Electrical Encounters, on Peach Discs two years later, the Xi’an, China-born and Toronto-based Ciel has blazed a path as one of the hardest-working and most innovative artists in electronic music.

As an internationally sought-after DJ, Ciel has played at some of the world’s most celebrated venues, including fabric, Robert Johnson, La Machine du Moulin Rouge, De School, Blitz, Hot Mass, Tresor, Smartbar, Berghain Panorama Bar, and Nowadays, as well as beloved festivals such as Draaimolen, Dimensions, Love International, Movement Detroit, Bass Coast, and MUTEK. After six years, her monthly radio residency on London’s Rinse FM is still going strong, while standout mixes for Resident Advisor, Ilian Tape, Juanita’s, Tim Sweeney’s Beats in Space, and Discwoman capture an adventurous selector adept at stitching together different styles and genres in unexpected and consistently engaging ways. A typical DJ set might move through dreamy downtempo, wiggly tech house, psychedelic techno, UK bass, slamming speed garage, and hardgroove, working through a diverse range of dancefloors and moods, from deep and trippy to unabashedly euphoric.

Community-minded and deeply principled, Ciel has always supported and promoted colleagues and causes she believes in, and is currently organizing with Toronto’s chapter of Writers Against the War on Gaza. An outspoken advocate for equity and social justice in electronic music, her values are inextricable from her work as a producer, DJ, label boss, and radio host—a quality that endears her to like-minded fans and artists all over the world.







Haviah Mighty


Artist / Producer

Haviah didn’t need an alias when she decided to dedicate her career to music. Also her real surname, Mighty
could not better describe Haviah’s craft of provocative challenges and uncompromising truths. Born in Toronto, she has spent a lifetime developing her skills as a songwriter, vocalist, producer and performer, culminating in a style of profound introspection and authenticity. Her dynamic combinations of rap & song, whether lyrical, celebratory or incisive socio-political critique, transcend any traditional expectation of genre. 2019 saw Haviah earn break-out success with her album ‘13th Floor’, an inaugural work chronicling the deep-seeded traumas of her ancestors - making her the first hip-hop artist and the first black woman to win the Polaris Music Prize, celebrating the “Best Canadian Album Of The Year” - but Mighty didn’t stop there! She released a JUNO Award Winning mixtape, ‘Stock Exchange’ (Nov 2022) making history once again as the first woman to ever win within the rap category. In 2022, Haviah was the only Canadian nominee of the BET Hip-Hop Awards, and in 2023, she released ‘Crying Crystals,’ a project where she turns her story inward to her challenges in love and connection - this project also received a Juno nomination, alongside her
sister Omega Mighty’s ‘Rush Dem,’ which she features on. In 2024, her single ‘Double The Fun’ was nominated!


2024 saw major streaming growth as Haviah partnered with Connor Price (Trendsetter) to amass more than
60 million + streams on Spotify alone. She took a step back that same year after a separation with previous
management, but did a few collaborations to keep the momentum - before returning with her new team +
new music: ‘Double The Fun’ and ‘Pursuit' + a remix of Pursuit ft. Poiison. Her 2nd latest release ‘OK!’ features a music video that is easily her most engaging to date! (Dir. Shiraz Higgins) and the track will get you pumping hard in the gym.
Now, she’s giving us her latest - ‘Lucky’ ft. Shantel May - the collaboration we didn’t know we needed! Shantel
May brings us luscious, soulful vocals a la Whitney Houston or Beyoncé, with confident bars from Haviah,
creating a rich contrast. Rooted in classic boom bap and live instrumentation, “Lucky” explores mutual
appreciation in a relationship where both partners know they’re fortunate to have each other, but question
whether that gratitude is truly seen. While continuing to echo themes of self-love and inner worth, the song
also leans into the longing for care and validation from others. It’s produced by John Fellner, KTOE and
Haviah.


All eyes stay glued on Haviah as she solidifies her impact in the music industry, receiving praises from the
likes of NPR, COLORxSTUDIOS, Sway In The Morning, Pitchfork, Fader, KEXP, BBC Radio 1, HipHopDX,
Rolling Stone, HotNewHipHop & more. She’s previously toured with The Arkells, Sampa The Great, Shabazz
Palaces - and she's opened for G-Eazy, Desiigner, Connor Price, Kardinal, Shawn Desman etc. Haviah continues
to push forward, carving out spaces that boldly defy gendered expectations for women in hiphop.
Unyielding and irresistible - Haviah Mighty will be heard.





Michelle Erfer


Booking Agent

Michelle Erfer is a Brooklyn-based cultural producer and booking agent with 10 years of artist management experience. She directs the Artist Representation program at Beyond Booking, Inc., the 501c3 organization that operates The Bunker NY.  With a background in both music and nonprofit administration, Michelle is grateful to be supporting a roster of 31 artists."




Contact Us
Board of directors: venusfestboard@gmail.com

General festival contact: venusfesttoronto@gmail.com

Media inquiries:
kat@venusfest.net

Please note that Venus Fest does not take artist submissions.







Drawings by Margot Fabre