The 44th Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition took place virtually on September 18th with the six Canadian string finalists’ performances of contemporary and Canadian contemporary repertoire. The programme of each performer included this year’s test piece La Pieta (After Monkman) by CMC Associate Composer Ian Cusson, who spoke of the connection between the composer and performers, “There is this really important moment when this work then gets shared, and the first layer of sharing as a composer is with the musicians, the people that will breathe life into the work … it becomes this great act of sharing where we’re all contributing to the work in some way.”
The high calibre of musicians created a challenging decision for this year’s jury, which included members of the Bozzini Quartet and jury chair, Glenn Hodgins, President and CEO of the Canadian Music Centre who remarked during the winners’ announcement, “It is so encouraging to see such talent and such professionalism in your recitals … Congratulations to everyone.”
The first prize was awarded to cellist Julien Siino, live streaming from Paris, France, who received the top cash prize of $6,000 as well as a cross-Canadian winner’s tour this fall. Siino also received the prize for Best Performance of the 2021 commissioned piece, which was announced by Cusson and comes with an additional cash prize of $1,000.
Julien Siino (cello), Edward Liddall (piano)
“I am so honored to have won First Prize in the E-Gré Competion with my dear colleague Edward Liddall! We had a great time preparing the livestreamed final and especially exploring Eckhardt-Gramatté’s Duo Concertante, and we now look forward to going on tour across Canada and sharing this repertoire to different (and hopefully live) audiences! Thank you to everyone involved for your commitment to keeping the Competition going amidst these trying times for the performing arts.” -Julien Siino, 2021 E-Gré Winner
The second prize ($2,500) was awarded to violinist Isabella Perron, and third prize ($1,500) to cellist Ariel Carrabré. The remaining finalists, cellist Christopher Hwang, violinist Julia Mirzoev and cellist David Liam Roberts each received a finalist’s prize of $1,000. “All of you are truly dedicated and have put much effort into this endeavour of experiencing new Canadian music” said Isabelle Bozzini during the award ceremony. Following the competition, all finalists had the opportunity to discuss their performances with the jury members.
Congratulations to all finalists and their pianists on the high level of musicianship and celebration of Canadian music. The CMC looks forward to hosting the Toronto stop of the E-Gré winners’ tour this fall, “I hope the services of the Canadian Music Centre will help you in your career journey.” -Glenn Hodgins
Both the competition and the award ceremony can be viewed online.
