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Obituaries
François Glorieux
Longtime arts supporter Michael O’Brian died on Oct. 6. Born in Penticton, B.C., in 1941, O’Brian served as a volunteer director of numerous arts organizations in Vancouver and beyond, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Opera, Museum of Anthropology, the National Art Gallery of Canada, and Emily Carr University.
Belgian pianist, composer, and conductor François Glorieux died on Sept. 23 at the age of 91. The honorary professor of music at the Royal Music Conservatory of Ghent and Yale University presented upward of 6,000 concerts, and composed approximately 300 pieces during his career.
Herbert Handt
Russell Sherman, the American pianist and educator, died Sept. 30 at the age of 93. Sherman was the first American pianist to record all of Beethoven’s sonatas and concertos, and was an instructor at the New England Conservatory.
American tenor and conductor Herbert Handt died on Oct. 2 at the age of 97. Handt was the founder of the Associazione Musicale Lucchese, through which he aimed to celebrate the musical history of the town of Lucca, Italy, where he and his wife lived.
Appointments/Retirements
Jacques Lacombe has been named the new Music Director of Vancouver Opera. Music Director Emeritus Jonathan Darlington, meanwhile, will continue to work at the organization in an advisory capacity.
Jacques Lacombe (Photo by Fred Stucker)
Stratford Summer Music has appointed Crystal Spicer as their new Executive Director. Spicer brings three years of experience as the Stratford Summer Music’s production manager. She will follow in the footsteps of Kendra Fry, the outgoing general manager.
Crystal Spicer
Awards
Ariane Cossette
Ariane Cossette has won the 2023 National Capital Opera Competition in Ottawa. Angelo Moretti, a member of the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier Lyrique, placed second, while Jordan Baldwin came in third.
Eric Guo has won the second International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments, for his performance of Chopin’s Concerto in E minor, Op. 11. Guo, a student at the Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School, has previously won the award for Best Mazurka at this competition.
Eric Guo
The MacArthur Foundation has named its 2023 “Genius” Grant Recipients. Among them are two musicians, composers Courtney Bryan and Raven Chacon.
Dame Felicity Lott was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Gramophone Classical Music Awards ceremony in London, England, on Oct. 4. French soprano Véronique Gens took home Artist of the Year, while American violinist Stella Chen was named Young Artist of the Year.
Courtney Bryan
The 84th annual OSM Competition has announced this year’s semi-finalists. William Deslauriers-Allain (contrebass); Romain-Olivier Gray, Grace Sohn, Michael Song, Sua Kwoun and Leland Ko (cello); Duncan McDougall, Justin Saulnier and Tiffany Yeung (violin); and Emad Zolfaghari (viola), will compete in the final round from Nov. 6 to 11.
Indigenous Soprano Elisabeth St-Gelais has won the 10th annual Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Competition. She also received the evening’s Audience Choice Award. Soprano Emily Rocha took home the second prize, with bass Duncan Stenhouse earning the third prize.
Elisabeth St-Gelais
Yunchan Lim, 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition winner, has been signed by Decca Records. His first album with the label is set to be released in spring of 2024.
The 56th annual International Vocal Competition LiedDuo has named soprano Daria Brusova (Russia) & pianist Mark Vaza (Russia) and soprano Marie Maidowski (Germany) & pianist Youngseob Jeon (South Korea), as winners of this year’s Staetshuys Fund Prizes.
Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen has won Artist of the Year at the 63rd annual Musical America Awards. Kevin Puts was named Composer of the Year, with Sir Antonio Pappano winning Conductor of the Year, and Anthony McGill, Instrumentalist of the Year. The Crossing was named Ensemble of the Year.
Yunchan Lim (Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco)
News
Marie Maidowski
The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Guilde des musiciens et musiciennes du Québec have signed a collective agreement, which binds the orchestra and its musicians for a five-year period, starting on Oct. 27, 2023. The orchestra has also recently announced its partnership with the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec, with whom they will embark on a series of educational programs including concerts, masterclasses, and lessons.
Bourgie Hall, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, has announced the acquisition of a new grand piano. They will celebrate this Steinway model D-274 grand piano, manufactured in Hamburg, with a series of concerts in November.
Emad Zolfaghari
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has announced receipt of the largest donation in its 100-year history. They will receive a $14.7-million bequest from the estate of the late H. Thomas and Mary Beck (according to an Oct. 16 article on the Globe and Mail website).
Ludwig-van.com reported, on Oct. 11, that the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has received a gift of $400,000, donated by the late Thomas Charles Messecar Logan, who sang with the choir for 25 years.
The Nova Scotia Talent Trust has announced a legacy gift from the late Judith Grant. The $2.8-million bequest is the largest donation ever received by the trust, which has been in operation for nearly 80 years.
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