Browsing: Music Competition

Toronto, October 10, 2023 – Seven of Canada’s most promising new opera singers have been selected to compete in the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage: Ensemble Studio Competition on October 26, 2023 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. The annual fundraiser and vocal competition showcases the very best in emerging opera talent, with all proceeds supporting the COC’s prestigious artistic career development program, the Ensemble Studio. 125 candidates applied to join the Ensemble Studio next season, with judges traveling all over Canada to hear nearly 90 young artists in-person, with stops in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto. This…

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Montreal, October 6, 2023 – The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) is delighted to unveil the names of the eight outstanding members who will compose the international jury for Piano 2024, taking place from May 5 to 16, 2024. The First Round and Semifinal will be held at Salle Bourgie, and the Final will take place at the Maison symphonique on May 15 and 16, with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under the direction of Guest Conductor Xian Zhang. The internationally renowned jury members will bring a unique and invaluable expertise to our com-petition, attracting candidates of the highest…

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Violist Emad Zolfaghari won the Irving M.Klein International String Competition, despite being on a two-week-long tour playing principal viola with the Curtis Institute Symphony Orchestra in the days immediately before the competition. This snapshot of professional life excited Zolfaghari, but because the Curtis Institute had packed and shipped the orchestra’s instruments from city to city, his practice time was limited. While this caused some stress, it also forced him “to have fun on the tour and see the cities instead of practising all the time.” For Zolfaghari, connection is a vital part of music-making. His favourite piece from the competition…

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Soprano McKenzie Warriner has demonstrated her immense dedication to music since an early age. Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, she travelled more than 200 kilometres to Regina for voice lessons. Her unwavering commitment to her music education has since led her to complete an undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba, and a Master’s of Music at Eastman. “Contemporary music is the sound world I am most drawn to,” said Warriner with pride. It therefore comes as no surprise that she was attracted to the Eckhardt-Gramatté competition, which focuses on contemporary and Canadian music. Warriner was confident in her competition…

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Université de Montréal student Godwin Friesen was pleasantly surprised at the awards ceremony for the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal’s Barbara Bronfman Prize. When the announcer revealed that Friesen was the first-prize winner, he said his “mouth dropped open.” This pianist’s genuine reaction stemmed from equally humble beginnings. Friesen grew up in an extremely musical household and was even part of a family band. From a young age, he was taught that music is about community, something he believes to this day. Indeed, he seeks “to be someone whose musical performances impact many people, inspiring change and hope.” A storyteller at…

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Violinist Tiffany Yeung spent the 2023 summer touring with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, as the soloist for Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major. This opportunity was a part of her win of the Michael Measures Prize, a recorded competition that recognizes a promising young musician participating in the NYO summer program. Named one of “CBC music’s 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30” in 2023, Yeung has established herself as an emerging artist to watch this year. Of the three pieces she recorded for the competition, Yeung was especially familiar with the Sarasate Carmen Fantasy, which she first…

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Violinist Guillaume Villeneuve does not see his instrument as a tool with which to produce sound, but rather emotion. Aiming to connect with his audience at any opportunity, Villeneuve seeks to tell the stories behind the music he plays. “Music is about taking risks,” he said. Thus far, these risks have paid off for the up-and-coming artist. Winning Discovery of the Year category at this year’s Opus Prize ceremony was well deserved after his immense success in the 2022-23 season. Villeneuve said the prize has been “very important” for his career development, and is especially poignant considering “many, many musicians”…

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“I love seeing my voice as an algebra problem I need to solve,” said soprano Anna-Sophie Neher, one of two Canadian laureates from the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Her unique approach to practising as an objective science clearly helps her put in the countless hours needed for success. Neher has evidently managed the mental battle all musicians face; she has a methodical, yet human, approach to the ins-and-outs of her professional life. A self-proclaimed “overthinker,” Neher is determined to use the challenges associated with competition to improve her confidence and lessen her self-criticism. “I think that you can only feel truly…

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This year, pianist Emmanuel Laforest took home the grand prize in the 19-to-30-years-old category at the Canadian Music Competition. A native of Saint-Sulpice, Que., the young pianist is currently a student at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, where he works with Richard Raymond. Laforest first started playing piano at just 7 years old. His childhood teachers included Paul Surdulescu and Jean-Luc Cholette. After high school, he went to CÉGEP for music, where he studied with Marie-Claude Bilodeau. His goal, he says, is to “evolve, as a complete artist, and share my love for music.” So far, these goals have…

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If you asked a younger Ian Sabourin what he wanted to be when he grew up, the countertenor and 2023 Atelier Lyrique Stingray Star Prize winner would not have answered “famous opera singer,” but rather “rock star.” Indeed, Sabourin’s love for music was ignited in two places: the Ottawa Choir of Men and Boys rehearsal hall, and at a Green Day concert he attended at age 8. These opposite genres remained a part of Sabourin’s life until university, at which point he made the decision to focus solely on classical singing. His choice to enter the Atelier competition was somewhat…

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