More Than 200 Young Musicians to Descend on Toronto for the Canadian Music Competition National Finals
Canadian Music Competition National Finals
June 21 – July 4, 2012
Walter Hall — Edward Johnson Building, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto
80 Queen’s Park
Admission is free
Please see www.cmcnational.com for the complete schedule
Results will be announced July 5, 7:30pm at Walter Hall
Canadian Music Competition Gala Concert
Featuring performances by finalists and winners of the competition
July 6, 7:30pm
MacMillan Theatre — Edward Johnson Building, University of Toronto
80 Queen’s Park
Tickets $20 / $5 for children and students
Tickets available at the door or at the CMC desk at the national finals
More than 200 remarkable young musicians and singers aged seven to 30 will descend on Toronto next month for the national finals of the 54th edition of the Canadian Music Competition, the country’s premiere classical music competition.
Founded as a means to discover and nurture young talent – and to prepare them for professional careers – the CMC attracts more than 600 competitors each year. The best advance through three rounds of competition – regional, provincial and national — to earn top placements in a variety of age and instrument categories. In addition, four over-all grand prizes are handed out to the top musicians in each of four age groups.
Last year, winners from the three levels of competition shared a total of more than $100,000 in scholarships to help them further their training.
This year, Yamaha is bringing in its prized CFX concert piano for the national finalists to perform on.
The Canadian Music Competition was launched in 1958 as “Quebec Music Festivals,” but co-founder Claude Deschamps decided the event needed a national scope. He teamed up with advisors and patrons from English Canada and established the CMC in 1971 with Quebec Music Festivals evolving into the Quebec chapters. There are now 17 chapters across Canada stretching from Vancouver to Nova Scotia.
In addition to the core competition, the CMC has a junior program that allows youth aged seven to 15 to pay a reduced entrance fee and receive feedback from judges at their regional competition only, without advancing to future rounds. Every two years, the CMC also holds the Stepping Stone, an elite level competition featuring 30 of the country’s most outstanding early-career professionals, which helps winners substantially increase their international profile.
Described by La Scena magazine as “a national cultural institution and a ritual of overcoming nerves and stress,” the CMC boasts a roster of alumni that includes countless classical luminaries, such as Marc-Andre Hamelin, Angela Hewitt, Louis Lortie, Robert Silverman, Jane Coop, Leona Boyd, Isabel Bayrakdarian and Susan Hoeppner. Annalee Patipatanakoon of the Gryphon Trio is one of countless now-famous past-winners of the Stepping Stone. The trio members are serving as artistic ambassadors to this year’s competition.
Each year, select winners and finalists of the Canadian Music Competition showcase as part of a gala concert following the final day of competition. This year, the gala takes place July 6 at the MacMillan Theatre at U of T.