(Vancouver, B.C.) – Early Music Vancouver (EMV) announced today the winners of its competition for emerging (age 30 and under) early music artists. Applicants were asked to create a short (3-5 minute) musical video based on what they thought the next generation of early music might look like and to include creative ways to present early music with a focus on issues that are important to them. The competition, which ran from May 1st to May 15th, attracted 18 video submissions from young artists across Europe and North America. “It’s been fascinating seeing what young artists have created based on the criteria for the submissions. The variety of the submissions was an eye opener and we are excited about the future of the initiative.” – Julia Halbert, Competition Coordinator.
The panel of distinguished judges included:
- Chloe Meyers, violinist, and Concert Master of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra
- Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, violinist, EMV’s 2022 Next Generation Artist and Early Music America 2023 Emerging Artists Showcase artist
- Ellen Torrie, soprano, and EMV’s 2022 Next Generation Artist
First place goes to UK-born, Emily Saville, a historical trombone player currently residing in Basel, Switzerland. She takes home a $500 cash prize, plus being featured on EMV’s website, social media platforms and on EMV’s interview series Intimate Conversations. In her winning submission, Ms. Saville stated “I believe that the future of early music lies in it being integrated into music education at a much younger age. Some of the tools and approaches that are used in historical performance can be readily transferred into children’s music lessons, increasing the creativity of the students, making the lessons more engaging, and making younger people more aware of early music as an avenue to explore.” Check out her winning video.
Matylda Adamus of Poland, now based in The Netherlands, captured second place. She takes home $350 cash in addition to also being featured on EMV’s website and social media. “My project Trascrizioni Concertanti focuses on the repertoire from the beginning of the romantic époque and presents witty and sparkling pieces that we transcribed for our ensemble – Stauffer guitar and historical cello. In our repertoire choices we like to focus on the potential that romantic guitar has, and yet, is not fully acknowledged in the concert programs nowadays. We think that in the future, the interest of performing later repertoire will continue to grow as well as the use of less popular instruments such as Stauffer guitar.” See her submission here.
Canadian countertenor Ian Sabourin takes the third spot. In his submission he stated, “My goal is to blend Early Music with Electronic Music and thereby create EBM ‘Electric Baroque Music,’ like EDM ‘Electric Dance Music.’ It combines the traditional elegance and complexity of Baroque music with the modern energy and innovation of electronic music. By using modern production, arranging, and composition techniques, I can make early music more accessible to the modern audience.” Third place prize includes a feature on EMV’s website and social media platforms. Hear his beautiful voice in his submission.
To read more about the competition and the winning artists bios click here.
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About Early Music Vancouver (EMV):
Early Music Vancouver acknowledges that we operate on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Our concerts offer a platform for cross-cultural dialogue and exploration of diverse perspectives and relationships with the past. Under the leadership of Artistic/Executive Director, and internationally acclaimed soprano, Suzie LeBlanc, C.M., EMV presents a packed performance calendar with 40+ live performances and digital concerts per year featuring some of the most renowned artists in the early music genre drawn from all parts of the globe.
In addition, Early Music Vancouver presents an annual summer Bach Festival (including artist-in-residence and emerging artists guest artists), produces Intimate Conversations and Notations (a series of informative behind-the-scenes video interviews and podcasts with feature artists), and presents online courses. EMV also offers a Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme with UBC, plus a BC Scholarship Programme for professional-track music students or active professional musicians seeking to develop skills in early music performance.
Early Music Vancouver has been a much-loved, and vital contributor to Vancouver’s cultural scene for more than 50 years. Live performances take place at venues such as Christ Church Cathedral, St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church, Pyatt Hall (all downtown Vancouver), The Chan Centre (UBC), The Kay Meek Centre (West Vancouver) and Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria. www.earlymusic.bc.ca
For information on Early Music Vancouver, please visit the following platforms:
Website: www.earlymusic.bc.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/earlymusicvancouver
Twitter: www.twitter.com/earlymusicvan
Instagram: www.instagram.com/earlymusicvancouver
