Saxophonist Wallace Halladay wins the 2009 Virginia Parker Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts

Saxophonist Wallace Halladay wins the 2009 Virginia Parker Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts

Ottawa, June 17, 2009 – Toronto saxophonist Wallace Halladay is the 2009 winner of the Virginia Parker Prize, announced today the Canada Council for the Arts.

The $25,000 prize was established in 1982 by Virginia Parker Moore for performers of classical music under age 32, who demonstrate outstanding talent and musicianship.

Saxophonist Wallace Halladay captures the qualities of the modern virtuoso, being at home in numerous styles, from the classical repertoire to the performance of contemporary music. Mr. Halladay has performed the concerti of Ibert, Schmitt, Husa, Scelsi and Donatoni, as well as premieres of Michael Colgrass, Mauricio Kagel and Scott Good. A soloist with the Vancouver Symphony and the Esprit Orchestra, he also inaugurated the Kitchener‑Waterloo Symphony's Intersections Series.

Mr. Halladay recorded the two saxophone Sequenzas of Berio and the Colgrass concerto for NAXOS. He is in demand as a performer with new music groups across Canada and the United States. He holds a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music, and studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Arno Bornkamp. Mr. Halladay has taught at Memorial University and Eastman, and currently teaches at the University of Toronto. He is a Conn‑Selmer Artist and plays Selmer (Paris) saxophones.

An image of Mr. Halladay can be downloaded from the Canada Council image gallery. For a list of previous winners of the Virginia Parker Prize, visit the Canada Council website at www.canadacouncil.ca/prizes.

Mr. Halladay was selected by a peer assessment committee consisting of Terence Fullerton (Vancouver), Jane Leibel (St. John's, NL), Claire Marchand (Montreal) and Katharine Rapoport (Toronto).

General information

In addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts, the Canada Council for the Arts administers and awards many prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and health sciences, engineering, and arts management. These prizes and fellowships recognize the achievements of outstanding Canadian artists, scholars, and administrators. The Canada Council for the Arts is committed to raising public awareness and celebration of these exceptional people and organizations on both a national and international level.

Please visit our website (www.canadacouncil.ca) for a complete listing of these awards.

Deuxième mise en nomination / Second nomination

VivaVoce est fier d’annoncer que nous avons eu une deuxième mise en nomination aux prix Opus dans la catégorie Concert de l'année - musiques moderne, contemporaine, pour notre concert « Le tour du monde en 80 minutes » (Salle Redpath, 2 mai 2008).

La première nomination était dans la catégorie Disque de l'année - musiques médiévale, de la Renaissance, baroque, pour notre CD « The Complete Magnificats and Three Salve Reginas of Pierre de la Rue » (Naxos).

Nous sommes donc finalistes dans deux styles musicaux et deux périodes très distinctes, soulignant la polyvalence de l’ensemble.

Les lauréats seront dévoilés le dimanche 25 janvier 2009 à 15 h 30, à la Salle Claude-Champagne, à Montréal.

Pour en savoir davantage sur les Prix Opus, consultez le www.prixopus.qc.ca.

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VivaVoce is proud to announce that we have a second Opus Prize nomination, in the category Concert of the year – modern and contemporary music, for the concert “Around the World in 80 Minutes” (Redpath Hall, May 2, 2008).

The first nomination is in the category Disk of the year – medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music, for our CD “The Complete Magnificats and Three Salve Reginas of Pierre de la Rue (Naxos).

So, we are finalists in two very distinct styles and periods, highlighting the versatility of the ensemble.

The winners will be announced on Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. at the Salle Claude-Champagne in Montreal.

For more information on the Opus Prizes: www.prixopus.qc.ca.

The late Birgit Nilsson donates biggest Prize in classical music history

The late Birgit Nilsson donates biggest Prize in classical music history

Stockholm, December 5th, 2008 – The Birgit Nilsson Foundation announces today the establishment of the Birgit Nilsson Prize as the biggest prize in classical music history. It was the wish of the legendary Swedish dramatic soprano Birgit Nilsson to award outstanding achievements in the international field of opera and concert with a prize in the amount of one million dollars. The first Prize winner will be announced in 2009.

In the early eighties, towards the end of her long and distinguished career, the legendary Swedish dramatic soprano Birgit Nilsson decided to establish a foundation for a Prize to be awarded every second or third year in the amount of one million dollars for outstanding achievements by:

– A singer in the field of opera and/or concert and/or oratorio

– A conductor in the classical field of opera and/or concert

– A specific production by an opera company, as long as this production is outstandingly cast and conducted and, most importantly, staged in the spirit of the composer.

The name of the first prize winner, chosen by Birgit Nilsson herself, is being kept in a sealed envelope until the official announcement to be made in early 2009.

According to the provisions of the Birgit Nilsson Foundation, its Council shall appoint a jury consisting of prominent figures in the classical music field for a three-year term. The jury shall give its recommendation to the Foundation Council, which will make the final decision. In keeping with Ms Nilsson's wishes, the Prize may be given to two designees, in which case the Prize is split in half. Also, the Prize may never be awarded to the same person twice.

Birgit Nilsson (1918–2005) was the world's leading dramatic soprano of her time, excelling in the operas of Wagner (“The Ring Cycle”, “Tristan und Isolde” “Tannhäuser” and “Lohengrin”), Strauss (“Salome”, “Elektra” and “Die Frau ohne Schatten”), Puccini (“Tosca” and “Turandot”), Verdi (“Aida”, “Un Ballo in Maschera” and “Macbeth”) as well as many other operas.

During her legendary career, she performed regularly at major opera houses like

Stockholm, Bayreuth, Vienna, Milan, London, Paris, Munich, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Buenos Aires and others.

Following her debut at the Stockholm Opera in 1946, her international career began in the early fifties with debuts in Glyndebourne, Bayreuth, Vienna and Munich, to be followed by debuts in North and South America in the mid-fifties. Her opening of La Scala season 1958 as Turandot, her 1959 New York debut as Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera and her performances as Isolde and Brunhilde in Wieland Wagner's productions in Bayreuth were considered milestones in her career.

Ms. Nilsson took her farewell from the operatic stage in the role of Elektra in 1982.

Further information on the Birgit Nilsson Prize and pictures of Birgit Nilsson on

www.birgitnilssonprize.org.