The 2020 Stepping Stone is cancelled
Montreal, Wednesday, May 6, 2020 – In the present context, during which health measures introduced to protect all citizens from COVID-19 must be observed over a longer term, the government of Quebec has requested the cancellation of all indoor and outdoor festivals and cultural events scheduled to take place in Quebec over the period extending until August 31, 2020. Given this situation, the Canimex Canadian Music Competition is being transformed into a “non-competitive” edition (not open to the public). The Stepping Stone and Gala Concert scheduled to take place in Quebec City are cancelled.
All candidates registered for the 2020 edition will be invited to submit a video recording consisting of one or more works chosen from the previously announced repertoire. The evaluation committee will consist of five musician-pedagogues representing the Competition’s instrument categories. Each committee member will provide comments in writing—without a score or ranking—which will give young musicians some feedback on their work and help nurture their motivation. These comments will be an exceptional source of encouragement that will inspire our candidates to excel and outdo themselves.
We are also inviting willing participants to take part in a virtual meeting with the committee members of their choice to discuss their comments, as we do under normal circumstances during the Competition’s audition process. Lastly, the committee members will be asked to vote for their favourite in each of the major age categories, in each of the four Canadian regions (Pacific, Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec-Maritimes), for a total of 16 favourites.
We are also pleased to announce renewed artistic partnerships with the Faculty of Music of Université Laval, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, and Palais Montcalm for our national events to be held in Quebec City in 2021. We hope to be able to provide further details on these events in the near future.
With this new take on the Competition, we are offering an educational opportunity for all young musicians in Canada. The CMC team has put great energy into preserving its mission towards the next generation in this context in which everyone must adapt.
We once again thank all of our volunteers, sponsors, families, teachers, and candidates for their invaluable collaboration during this unprecedented situation.
