<p>I get the feeling that you have some considerable talent in composition (and piano), and hope you find a good school to study in!</p>
<p>SpiritManager, I understand the spirit of your advice but I am not going to use MIDI recordings. I am using virtual instruments - that is, plugins. These are sampled instruments which, to an unitiated ear, sound exactly the real thing. I will definitely record myself playing my piano compositions. I have access to a Yamaha C3 Grand where I work, so I will have at least one beautiful (real recording). For the harp piece I may be able to find a harpist, it should be easier than arranging an ensemble. I am keen on displaying a sense of knowledge about my instruments of choice - so the performance aspect is very important. If a piece can’t be played comfortably or with the proper expression it is a lost effort.</p>
<p>PianoEMT - It doesn’t matter how great the instruments sound, unless you’re submitting an electro-acoustic piece. Composition professors want to hear acoustic instruments, rather than a computer, playing your pieces. Certainly most undergrad applicants won’t have access to a full orchestra or large ensemble (although some may) but for the smaller pieces, if you’re looking for merit money, it might well be worth the investment to hire musicians or find college musicians willing to record the piece for you. Ask at UBC’s music department if they can refer you to some.</p>
<p>I think you might check the requirements on the school websites, or call admissions, about this. </p>
<p>You seem to know what you are doing musically and otherwise, but it is good to double check with each school.</p>
<p>Piano, since you live so close and it would solve so many issues, please take a deep look at UBC. I do know someone who did graduate work in composition there who has secured a decent amount of scoring work and who earns his living in the profession.</p>
<p>I have lived and worked in both Toronto and Montreal in the distant past, and for a time was involved in a minor way in film production. If I was asked today to pick a major Canadian city to work in, I’d pick Vancouver 
If I were to pick a grad school in Canada, I’d pick UBC. A resident gets such an awesome break on tuition pricing it’s the absolutely least expensive way to study music on the planet, IMHO. You really are blessed to be a resident ;)</p>
<p>Career wise, I suspect you’ll find Vancouver does have decent ties to the LA film production scene comparatively. In terms of composition, if you have any inclination toward electronic production at all, there are certainly more game sound/music environment opportunities for work on the west coast, from Vancouver right down to SanFrancisco/Bay area. Pick up some c++ along the way and you’ll be golden ;)</p>
<p>Violin dad - thanks for the reciprocity info! That explains something that mystified me about my son’s gt high school in Michigan – the gc there regularly promoted Manitoba to some of the gifted students. Of couse in our case she never mentioned the reciprocity because he was already a Canadian national with a father living outside Winnipeg ;)</p>