BruxellesHosted by André Papillon and Mario Paquet, the 13th Opus Awards Gala was held today at the Salle Claude-Champagne, in Montréal. Twenty-seven awards were bestowed for the season from September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009 to highlight the talent of artists and craftspeople gathered for this key event. The awards ceremony, punctuated by musical performances, generated much enthusiasm. Music of different colours and styles was consummately performed by celebrated artists: the Ensemble Caprice, Louis Dufort, Mathieu Gaudet and Karina Gauvin, Christine Tassan and Les Imposteures, Normand Forget and the Jazz Trio, all under the artistic direction of Mathieu Lussier.
Jacques Hétu received the Homage Award. Composer, pianist, oboist and teacher, Jacques Hétu is one of the patriarchs of composition in Québec. Originally from Trois-Rivières, he is recognized for his unique style, which is imbued with lyricism, poetry and emotion, and he is sensitive to the structural rigour of his contemporaries. His repertoire includes five symphonies, 15 or so concertos, an opera and several works of chamber music. His works have been interpreted internationally by such prestigious groups as the New York Philharmonic and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France. Throughout his career, Mr. Hétu has received the highest musical honours. He was eight times the recipient of SOCAN’s Jan V. Matejcek Prize for concert music, and performers continue to cherish his music. He was elected a member of the Royal Society of Canada, and named an Officer of the Order of Canada and an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec.
At the initiative of the Conseil québécois de la musique, the Opus Awards Gala underscored the work of outstanding artists, craftspeople, creators and distributors during the 2008-2009 season. Celebrating excellence in concert music, the Gala reminds us how vital and diverse our cultural community is. Québec abounds in talented musicians and the quality of the winners this year showed us that once again, while giving music lovers a taste for discovering their music.
The Conseil québécois de la musique warmly salutes its partners—the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Musicaction, the Canada Council for the Arts, the ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec, the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Galaxie, Espace musique, the Radio musicale of Radio-Canada, Le Devoir, the Faculté de musique of the Université de Montréal, Librairie Monet and La Scena Musicale.
WINNERS OF THE 13TH OPUS AWARDS GALA – 2008-2009 SEASON
CONCERT OF THE YEAR – MONTRÉAL
(award accompanied by a $3000 grant from the Conseil des arts de Montréal)
La porte du ciel, Société de musique contemporaine du Québec and Faculté de musique of the Université de Montréal, November 7, 2008
CONCERT OF THE YEAR – QUÉBEC CITY
Plácido Domingo in Québec City, Orchestre symphonique de Québec and Festival d'été de Québec, July 17, 2009
CONCERT OF THE YEAR – REGIONS
Chopin and Liszt, André Laplante, piano, Orford Arts Centre, June 20, 2009
CONCERT OF THE YEAR – MEDIEVAL, RENAISSANCE, BAROQUE MUSIC
Le Faste de la France, Ensemble Caprice and Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, May 3, 2009
CONCERT OF THE YEAR – CLASSICAL, ROMANTIC, POST-ROMANTIC, IMPRESSIONIST MUSIC
Impressions russes, Les Violons du Roy, December 5, 2008
CONCERT OF THE YEAR – MODERN, CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
La porte du ciel, Société de musique contemporaine du Québec and Faculté de musique of the Université de Montréal, November 7, 2008
CONCERT OF THE YEAR – TODAY’S MUSIC, ELECTRO-ACOUSTICAL MUSIC
Psukhô en concert 2, Productions Totem contemporain, October 4, 2008
CONCERT OF THE YEAR – JAZZ, WORLD MUSIC
Oliver Jones Jazzmen québécois, Journée Oscar Peterson, Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal, May 15, 2009
CREATION OF THE YEAR
Chorals ornés, Yves Daoust, composer, Festival Orgue et couleurs and Réseaux des arts médiatiques, remix of classics, October 2, 2008
PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR – YOUNG PUBLIC
(award accompanied by a $5000 grant from the ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec)
Aventure en mer, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, September 9, 2008
DISC OF THE YEAR – MEDIEVAL, RENAISSANCE, BAROQUE MUSIC
Handel Arias, Karina Gauvin, soprano, Tempo Rubato, Alexander Weimann, conductor, ATMA Classique
DISC OF THE YEAR – CLASSICAL, ROMANTIC, POST-ROMANTIC, IMPRESSIONIST MUSIC
Bruckner 9, Orchestre Métropolitain, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor, ATMA Classique
DISC OF THE YEAR – MODERN, CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Messiaen – Chants de terre et de ciel, Suzie LeBlanc, soprano, Lawrence Wiliford, tenor, Laura Andriani, violin, Robert Kortgaard, piano, ATMA Classique
DISC OF THE YEAR – TODAY’S MUSIC, ELECTRO-ACOUSTICAL MUSIC
Les arbres, Nicolas Bernier, No Type
DISC OF THE YEAR – JAZZ, WORLD MUSIC
Now What, Julie Lamontagne, Justin Time Records
BOOK OF THE YEAR
Collectif, Claude Vivier, 25 ans après – une introspection, Circuit, musiques contemporaines, Vol. 18, No. 3 - Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 2008
ARTICLE OF THE YEAR
Marie-Thérèse Lefebvre, Micheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux et Marcelle Deschênes : pionnières dans le sentier de la création électroacoustique, Circuit, musiques contemporaines, Vol. 19, No. 1 – Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 2009
WINNERS OF SPECIAL AWARDS
COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
(the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec awarded $10 000 to the winner of the Conseil québécois de la musique Opus Award for composer of the year)
Analia Llugdar
DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR
(award accompanied by a $3000 grant from Galaxie and a year of residence with Radio-Canada radio)
Jean-Michaël Lavoie, conductor
SPECIALIZED DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR
OFF Festival de jazz de Montréal, 10th edition
MULTIDISCIPLINARY DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR
Auditorium d'Alma
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Guy Soucie, Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Automne Messiaen 2008
PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
(award accompanied by a $5000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts)
Louise Bessette, pianist
ACHIEVEMENT ABROAD
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor
RECOGNITION OF AN INSTRUMENT MAKER
(award accompanied by a $5000 grant from the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles du Québec)
Hellmuth Wolff, organ maker
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