80TH EDITION: STRINGS & ORGAN
NOVEMBER 26 TO 30, 2019
Focusing this year on String instruments and Organ from November 26 to 30, 2019, the 80th edition of Canada’s largest national performance competition will award more than $100,000 in prizes and grants to the most talented young Canadian musicians. These will include cash prizes from $2,500 to $15,000, concert engagements including a solo performance with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and other important Canadian and international presenters, a promotional recording produced by ICI Musique, as well as training scholarships.
CATEGORIES
Strings A*: Competitors aged between 18 and 25 on December 1, 2019
Strings B*: Competitors aged 17 and under on December 1, 2019
Organ: Competitors aged 32 years and under on December 1, 2019
*String instruments admitted: violin, viola, cello and double bass.
HISTORY OF THE COMPETITION
HIGHLIGHTS
- Created in 1940
- National competition since 1963
- All the instruments of the orchestra, as well as voice, are featured on a rotating basis over a three-year cycle.
2016 : strings and organ
2017 : woodwinds, brass and voice
2018 : piano and harp - The OSM Manulife Competition is one of the only Canadian competition to offer four categories of prizes :
cash prizes
scholarships, offering tuition and accommodation at Canada’s leading summer academies
profesional recordings
concert opportunities all around Canada, including the privilege to play with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal - An important platform for young Canadian artists wishing to participate in international competitions.
Among its 350 past winners:
Jan Lisiecki(piano-2009), just signed a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon for five CDs
Andrew Wan(violin-2007), Current concertmaster of the OSM
James Ehnes(violin-1992)
Karina Gauvin(voice -1987) / Soprano
Louis Lortie(piano-1972)
Angela Hewitt(piano-1969)
André Laplante(piano-1968)
Janina Fialkowska(piano-1967)
Joseph Rouleau(voice -1949) / Bass
Léopold Simoneau(voice -1944) / Tenor
Former jury members:
Kent Nagano, OSM musical director and conductor since 2006
Laurent Bayle, President and Executive Director of Cité de la Musique and Philarmonie de Paris
Charles Dutoit, OSM musical director and conductor (1977-2002)
Salvatore Accardo, Violonist
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet,Concert pianist
Michel Béroff, Pianist
Earl Blackburn, Senior Vice President (Opus 3 Artists)
Jean-Pierre Brossmann, General Manager of the Théâtre du Châtelet (1998 to 2006)
Grace Bumbry, Soprano
Xavier de Maistre, Concert Harpist
Alan Fletcher, President and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School
Henry Fogel, President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1985-2003)
Lawrence Foster, Conductor and Music Director of the Opéra et Orchestre National de Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon.
Ida Haendel, Violonist
Charles Hamlen, Chairman of IMG
Welz Kauffman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ravinia Festival in Chicago
Jeffrey Khaner, Principal Flute of The Philadelphia Orchestra
Ralph Henry Kirshbaum, Cellist
André Laplante, Pianist
Sid McLauchlan, Producer for Deutsche Grammophon
Mervon Mehta, Executive director of the Performing Arts division, Royal Conservatory of Toronto
Matthias Naske, Artistic Director of the Wiener Konzerthaus
Benjamin Pasternak, Pianist, Peabody Institure, John Hopkins University
Régis Pasquier, Violinist
Françoise Pollet, Soprano
Renata Scotto,Soprano
Barry Shiffman, Director of Music Programs at the Banff Centre and Associate Dean of the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music
Bramwell Tovey, Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, cellist
Matías Tarnopolsky, Director of Administration and Programming of the Cal Performances, University of California, Berkeley.
MENTORING PROGRAM
For several years, close to thirty Orchestra musicians have generously accepted to serve as mentors to the young contestants competing in the semifinals and finals. This program allows young candidates to benefit from the support and advice of professional musicians, an initiative which further adds to the enriching and formative experience that is the OSM Standard Life Competition.
List of the 2010 to 2017 editions mentors
Vincent Boilard, Associated oboe
Alain Desgagné, Associated clarinet
Albert Brouwer, Associated flute
Pierre Beaudry, Principal bass-trombone
Marc Béliveau, Violin
Denis Bluteau, Associate principal flute
Anna Burden, Associate cello
Russell De Vuyst, Associate trumpet
Serge Desgagnés, Principal percussion
Marianne Dugal, Second associate concertmaster
Michael Dumouchel, 2nd clarinet and E-flat clarinet
Andrew Dunsmore, Percussion (2011-2012 Season)
Victor Fournelle-Blain, Viola 2nd assistant
Sofia Gentile, Viola
Dina Gilbert, OSM assistant conductor (2013-2016)
Esther Gonthier, Rehearsal-pianist of the OSM
Luis Grinhauz, Assistant concertmaster
Neal Gripp, Principal violist
Olga Gross, keyboards
Mathieu Harel, associate bassoon
Amy Horvey, trumpet
Austin Howle, principal tuba
Timothy Hutchins, Principal flute
Sylvie Lambert, Cello
Jacques Lavallée, Associate-timpani and percussionist (1990-2011)
Vivian Lee, Second trombone
Stéphane Lévesque, Principal bassoon
Alison Mah-Poy, Violin
Andrei Malashenko, Principal timpani
Paul Merkelo, Principal trumpet
Dennis Miller, Principal tuba (1989-2014)
André Moisan, Principal saxophone and bass-clarinet
Sylvain Murray, Cello
Pierre-Vincent Plante, Principal english horn
Natalie Racine, Viola
Alexander Reid, Principal second violin
Richard Roberts, Concertmaster
Jean-Sébastien Roy, First violin
Gary Russell, 2nd assistant cello
Hugues Tremblay, percussion
Andrew Wan, Concertmaster
Ali Kian Yazdanfar, Principal bass
Alexa Zirbel, 2nd oboe
John Zirbel, Principal horn
