TORONTO, July 10, 2014 /CNW/ - The SOCAN Foundation today announced 17 recipients of the 23rd Annual SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers.
This year's competition attracted 193 entries, awarding $29,250 to the prizewinners. "The jury chose to award the grand prize jointly to two composers, both based in Montreal, for works that complement one another in every way," said Rick MacMillan, Manager, SOCAN Foundation.
The Annual SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers recognize Canadian composers 30 years of age and under for specific musical works in five categories of concert music. The competition was judged anonymously by a jury of three prominent composers: Dr. Rodney Sharman of Vancouver (who has served as composer-in-residence with the Victoria Symphony, National Youth Orchestra of Canada and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and whose works have been performed in more than 30 countries), Dr. James Harley (associate professor in the Faculty of Music at the University of Guelph, ON, and a multiple award winner in his own right), and Monique Jean of Montreal (who specializes in electroacoustic music and sound installations, including collaborations with choreographers and visual artists).
"The electronic elements in James O'Callaghan's Isomorphia make use of a number of environment sounds," says Harley." This work shows real imagination."
Symon Henry's Que mon silence portera à son plus petit doigt struck Sharman as "a beautifully and precisely notated score. I found it imaginative, compelling and politically engaged; the theatrical elements are organically incorporated into the piece. I hope very much to attend a live performance."
The John Weinzweig Grand Prize celebrates the best overall work submitted in the competition, and is valued at $3,000 ($1,500 to each winner). O'Callaghan's work was also recognized with the $3,000 first prize in the competition's Sir Ernest MacMillan Awards category, while Henry's work shared the top prize in the Pierre Mercure Awards category with Thierry Tidrow's Violon et clarinette.
Other major winners include Luke Nickel, who took the $3,000 first prize in the Godfrey Ridout Awards category for Kyrie, as well as a shared second prize of $1,125 in the Sir Ernest MacMillan Awards category for whole beauty now lies in memory, along with Matthew Rickets, who also won $1,125 for Burrowed Time; Eliot Britton, who took the $2,225 first prize in the Serge Garant Awards category for Metatron; and Charles-Philippe Tremblay-Bégin and Pierre-Luc Lecours, who shared second prize ($1,500 each) in the Hugh Le Caine Awards, for Valsalva and Impacts discret, respectively.
Other award winners include: Alec Hall (third prize) in the Sir Ernest MacMillan Awards; Stephen Spencer (second prize) and Julien-Robert Legault Salvail and Carmen Vanderveken (shared third prize) in the Serge Garant Awards; Remy Siu (second prize) and Taylor Brook (third prize) in the Pierre Mercure Awards; Cecilia Alexandra Livingston (second prize) and Thierry Tidrow (third prize) in the Godfrey Ridout Awards; and Enzo Marceau and Guillaume Barrette (shared third prize) in the Hugh Le Caine Awards.
View complete list of winners with their biographies.
About the SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers
The SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers is open to Canadian citizens 30 years of age and under.
About SOCAN Foundation
Founded in 1992, SOCAN Foundation is dedicated to fostering musical creativity and promoting a better understanding of the role of music creators in today's society. The Foundation is an independent organization guided by its own board of directors. The board, which consists of composers, songwriters and music publishers, reflects concert music and popular music genres as well as the geographic and linguistic regions of Canada. It is closely aligned to the interests of the members of SOCAN - the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada.
SOURCE: SOCAN Foundation
Media Contact: Rick MacMillan, 416-445-8700, ext. 3815, [email protected]
Share this article