Montréal, Canada (September 22nd, 2022) – Orchestras Canada (OC) presented the 2022 Betty Webster Award to Katia Makdissi-Warren, composer and Artistic Director of Oktoecho, at its Annual General Meeting, to celebrate her longstanding contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion in the Canadian music community. Watch the award winner announcement video here.
The Betty Webster Award was established in 2002 to honour Orchestras Canada’s founding Executive Director. Past winners include distinguished musicians, volunteers, educators, ensembles, and arts managers: a tribute to Mrs. Webster’s inclusive vision for Canadian orchestras. In 2022, the jury focused on the caliber and impact of the nominees’ contributions to inclusion of one or more Canadian orchestras.
Innovative Composer
Katia Makdissi-Warren is an innovative composer who has gained attention on the national and international scene with a unique style that combines Middle-Eastern, Western and Indigenous music. In 2001, she founded Oktoécho, an ensemble specializing in this unique fusion, and regularly composes for the group as well as serving as artistic director.
Her fusion aesthetic leads her to work regularly with the Indigenous, Arab and Jewish communities. Along with her ensemble, she has won several prizes, including the 2019 OPUS prize for best album of the year and the Conseil des Arts de Montréal prize for Diversity and Inclusion in 2020.
In 2019-2020, during her year-long tribute to the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, Katia composed several works for chamber orchestra, including gamelan, Sufi chant, Indigenous chant and others.
Katia Makdissi-Warren studied composition in Quebec City and Hamburg, and then Arab and Syriac music in Beirut with Ennio Morricone, Franco Donatoni, Manfred Stahnke, P. Louis Hage and Michel Longtin. Her works have been performed by such groups as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the National Oriental Orchestra of Beirut, I Musici de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy, l’Ensemble contemporain de Montréal (ECM+), the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra.
“I am deeply honored by this award, which I dedicate to those around me, the wonderful artists and administrative teams I work with, and the listening public. Through music, you allow me every day to connect a little more with the greatness of humanity. Thanks to you, I can find myself in the depths of my own culture and thus find myself connected to all cultures. Thank you also to the entire Betty Webster Award team,” says the winner.
The award includes a plaque and a donation to an orchestra or a group of the recipient’s choice. Ms. Makdissi-Warren requested that this year’s donation be made to the Inuit girls drumming group, which currently consists of six girls aged 10-14. The Inuit girls drumming group has performed in their community for Elders, in support of residential school survivors, at teachings, at vigils and in long-term care homes. They include audiences in their performances, sharing drums and basic teaching with them.
Jury’s choice
The national jury was chaired by OC board member and Music Nova Scotia’s Executive Director, Allegra Swanson, and included Allison Migeon (Co-founder and Executive Director, Ensemble Obiora), D’Arcy Gray (Community Engagement Manager, Symphony Nova Scotia), Jaelem Bhate (Artistic Director, Symphony 21; Orchestras Canada Board member); plus last year’s laureate Linda Penner (President, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra).
OC’s Executive Director, Katherine Carleton C.M., commented, “Katia Makdissi-Warren’s leadership and creativity provide such an inspiring perspective on what an instrumental ensemble can embody. As an observer of the jury’s process, I can attest to the high caliber of nominations for the Betty Webster Award this year. It has been especially exciting to witness our sector’s embrace of inclusion as a guiding principle, and the creativity, respect and collaborative spirit that artists and administrators have brought to this urgent and necessary work.”
* Credit for Katia’s headshot: Jérôme Bertrand and Geneviève Bigué-SMCQ