Earlier this week, the Conseil québécois de la musique held the 18th annual edition of its Prix Opus, recognizing outstanding accomplishments in concert music, recording, presenting, composition, and writing about music in the 13/14 season. It was an amazing (and wonderfully staged) celebration of the province’s diverse and expressive musical community, from major urban venues to idyllic rural settings—and Orchestras Canada’s members and friends were front and centre among the 27 winners.
The winners included:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Johanne Goyette, president and founder of ATMA Classique for her tireless work to record and promote classical artists, through a catalogue that now includes over 450 titles.
Concert of the Year, Montreal, and Concert of the Year, Romantic/Post-Romantic/Impressionist music: Hélène Grimaud and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Orchestre Métropolitain
Concert of the Year, Quebec: Solomon, Les Violons du Roy
Concert of the Year, Modern/Contemporary Music: 25th Anniversary concert, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
Recording of the Year, Medieval/Renaissance/Baroque/Classical: Hidden Treasures of Italy, Arion Orchestre Baroque, with violinist/director Stefano Montanari
Recording of the Year, Romantic/Post-Romantic/Impressionist: Brothers in Brahms, Joel Quarrington, double bass and David Jalbert, piano
Recording of the Year, Contemporary/Modern Music: Prokofiev: sonates & mélodies, Jonathan Crow, violin and Paul Stewart, piano
Composer of the Year: Samy Moussa
Discovery of the Year: Andrei Feher (currently resident conductor with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec)
Specialized Presenter of the Year: Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013-14
Artistic Director of the Year: Lorraine Vaillancourt, founder and artistic director of the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013-14
Musical Event of the Year (ex aequo): Palais Montcalm and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal for the programming each venue did to celebrate the inauguration of their respective Casavant organs: a made-in-Quebec success story, if ever there were one!
Performer of the Year: pianist Louise Bessette
International Touring Artist of the Year: the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Maestro Kent Nagano
Congratulations to all, and a particular salute to the Conseil québécois de la musique for making this important celebration possible.