Orchestras Canada/Orchestres Canada

Category: Betty Webster Award

Janna Sailor Wins the Betty Webster Award 2023

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Vancouver, Canada (27/9/2023) – Conductor Janna Sailor is the winner of the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award for 2023.

???? Watch the Award Announcement on YouTube!

Janna Sailor was nominated by the Allegra Chamber Orchestra, one of the few all- female orchestras in the world. The award celebrates Janna’s innovative approaches to developing programs and audiences, her quest for equity and representation at every level of the orchestra, her commitment to championing Indigenous artists and creators, and her efforts to build community through music and social justice.

The Betty Webster Award was established in 2002 to honour Mrs. Elizabath Webster, C.M. (1925-2018), 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 2023, the jury focused on the calibre and impact of the nominees’ contributions to innovation of one or more Canadian orchestras.

Janna Sailor is a conductor and violinist pursuing a diverse career delving into contemporary, world, early music, jazz and improvisation, chamber music and interdisciplinary projects with dancers, visual artists and electronics. She regularly conducts major Canadian orchestras, including Symphony Nova Scotia, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Saskatoon Symphony. She has also performed with Vancouver Symphony, Victoria Opera, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more. Moreover, she has built a number of arts based social initiatives, including instructing disadvantaged youth on Vancouver’s downtown Eastside, fundraising and outreach activities for immigrants, establishing music therapy programs, and founding of the Allegra Chamber Orchestra: an all-female professional ensemble, which regularly commissions, mentors and premiers works by Canadian, female and minority composers.

In response to receiving the award, Janna Sailor said:

“I am deeply grateful and humbled to be selected as the recipient of the 2023 Betty Webster Award, and to Orchestras Canada for their inspired and important efforts in supporting Canadian orchestras, propelling our industry forward as we work together as a community; striving for inclusivity, creativity, and reconciliation.

I am in awe of the accomplishments of the Betty Webster’s past award recipients, and am honoured to be in their company – I will strive to live up to the amazing contributions they have made to the orchestral scene.

To stand on the podium in front of an orchestra is a privilege and beautiful responsibility – and one that I could never take for granted, working together with my fellow artists to make the world a better place through music brings me indescribable joy. I continue to explore and learn alongside my ensembles and those I am privileged to work with, and am deeply grateful that this award will facilitate future exploration and collaboration.”

The award includes a plaque and a donation to an orchestra or a group of the winner’s choosing. Ms. Sailor has asked that this year’s donation be directed to Allegra Chamber Orchestra.

The national jury was chaired by OC board member and Symphony 21 Artistic Director, Jaelem Bhate, and included T. Patrick Carrabré (Composer, Director, UBC School of Music and Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Orchestras Canada Board member); Jim Tranquilla (Executive Director, Tutta Musica Orchestra & Director of Community Engagement, New Brunswick Youth Orchestra); Marie-France Mathieu (Conductor; Orchestre Philharmonique de la Relève du Québec); and Katelin Coleman (Artistic Director, Artemis Musicians’ Society.).

Speaking about the Award, jury chair Jaelem Bhate noted, “Janna is a remarkable artist and advocate whose generous spirit and devotion to the betterment of the community through music is inspiring. We were unanimous in our appreciation for her accomplishments and creativity with the Allegra Chamber Orchestra. Her positive impact on the artists and audiences she interacts with was clear from her nomination letters, and I am thrilled that she is this year’s Betty Webster Award winner.”

Circular Portrait of KatherineOC’s Executive Director, Katherine Carleton commented, “Janna Sailor’s vision of a world in which classically-trained musicians can unite their social beliefs with their artistic skills is both compelling and inspiring. I suspect that Betty Webster herself would highly approve!”

 

 

???? Watch the Award Announcement on YouTube!

Katia Makdissi-Warren Wins the Betty Webster Award 2022

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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 
Headshot of Katia Makdissi-WarrenKatia 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

Yannick Nézet-Séguin wins Orchestras Canada’s 2020 Betty Webster Award

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Yannick Nézet-Séguin is the winner of the Orchestras Canada BettyWebster Award for 2020.

Maestro Nézet-Séguin was nominated by the Orchestre Métropolitain. While the award is traditionally presented in person, this year required rethinking the tradition, and the award announcement was made through this video, which celebrates Yannick’s involvement and music making with several Canadian orchestras from coast-to-coast.

The Betty Webster Award is presented each year to an individual or organization that has made a sustained and significant contribution over a number of years to the Canadian orchestral community, with an emphasis on leadership, education and volunteerism. It 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.

Maestro Nézet-Séguin is an internationally renowned, proudly Canadian, proudly Québécois conductor.  In September 2018, he became the third Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera, New York. Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2012 and Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain since 2000, he is also Honorary Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (after serving as Music Director, 2008 to 2018), and Honorary Member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.  In September 2019, he signed a life-time contract with the Orchestre Métropolitain.  A Deutsche Grammophon artist, Maestro Nézet-Séguin has a significant and diverse discography.

In response to receiving the award, Yannick Nézet-Séguin said: “Dear musicians across Canada, I am deeply honoured to receive the Betty Webster Award from Orchestras Canada. The Canadian orchestral scene abounds in talent and, while we are going through a rough patch these days, I am one of those who remain hopeful and believe we must stand together in the coming months. To the entire musical world, to musicians across the country, bravo and thank you for your many initiatives. It warms my heart to receive this honour.”

The award includes a plaque and a donation to an orchestra of the winner’s choosing. M. Nézet-Séguin has asked that this year’s donation be directed to the Orchestre symphonique de l’École Joseph-François Perrault.

The national jury was chaired by OC board member and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Director of Artistic Operations, Jennifer MacDonald, and included last year’s laureate, Claire Guimond (flutist and founder/long-time artistic director of Arion Orchestre Baroque, Montreal QC); Chris Lee (tuba, National Arts Centre Orchestra); Eric Mathis (Director of Artistic Administration and trombonist, Symphony Nova Scotia, Halifax NS); Leanne Miners (arts manager, North Bay ON); and Jeffrey Ryan (composer, Vancouver BC).

Speaking about the Award, jury chair Jennifer MacDonald noted, “our jury was, as always, inspired by the nominations: people and groups whose contributions are felt regionally, nationally and internationally. It was a genuine privilege to be reminded of the many ways that Canadians are making an impact on the orchestral world.  Ultimately, though, one particular nomination rose to the top, and we are honoured to name Yannick Nézet-Séguin as this year’s winner. He is a remarkable musician, visionary and humanitarian, and he continues to promote Canadian music and musicians on the world stage.”

 

Arion’s long-serving Artistic Director wins Orchestras Canada’s 2019 Betty Webster Award

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Claire Guimond is the winner of the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award for 2019. Mme Guimond will receive the award on Friday, October 18th, at the opening concert of Arion Baroque Orchestra’s 2019-20 concert season. 2019-20 marks Mme Guimond’s final season as Artistic Director of the Montreal-based ensemble.

The Betty Webster Award is presented each year to an individual or organization that has made a sustained and significant contribution over a number of years to the Canadian orchestral community, with an emphasis on leadership, education and volunteerism. It was established in 2002 to honour Orchestras Canada’s founding Executive Director and is a tribute to Mrs. Webster’s visionary leadership and her extraordinary contributions to the health and vitality of orchestras right across Canada.

Mme Guimond founded Arion with three McGill University colleagues in 1981. Initially a quartet, over time the group expanded into one of North America’s best-known baroque orchestras. The orchestra features both established and emerging soloists and conductors along with Arion’s accomplished musicians in a busy program of concerts in Montreal, national and international touring, and recordings.

Mme Guimond has served not only as artistic director and flutist with Arion, but also as executive director for much of her time with the orchestra. A strong supporter of young musicians, she maintains a full calendar of teaching through masterclasses and private lessons.

The 2019-20 season will mark Claire’s 39th and final season at Arion’s helm. This year she is joined by co-artistic director Mathieu Lussier who will succeed her in 2020-21. It is a tribute to Mme Guimond’s hard work and success with Arion that Montreal is now seen as a thriving centre for early music that both attracts renowned international soloists and supports the baroque musicians that perform there.

In response to receiving the award, Claire Guimond said, “I am touched and honoured to receive the Betty Webster award from Orchestras Canada. I would also like to express my appreciation of Orchestras Canada for their important contribution to the vitality of our Canadian orchestras. I am grateful and would like to thank all those who believe in, work for, support and enrich musical life in Canada. Together we make a difference! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Arion’s board members who have generously supported the orchestra for almost 40 years.” The award includes a plaque and a donation to an orchestra of the winner’s choosing. Mme Guimond has asked that this year’s donation be directed to Arion Baroque Orchestra.

The national jury was chaired by OC board member and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Director of Artistic Operations, Jennifer MacDonald, and included orchestral managers Hugh Donnan (Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra), Jean-François Phaneuf (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra) and Joanne Harada; musician and arts manager Françoise Henri (Société pour les arts en milieux de santé – SAMS Montréal); and accountant and OC secretary-treasurer Karen Wilkinson, FCPA, FCA.

Speaking about the Award, jury chair Jennifer MacDonald noted, “the jury was touched with the number of impressive contributions being made to the orchestral landscape by individuals and organizations across Canada. The jury was particularly struck by the work accomplished by Mme Guimond as an artistic director, as an administrator, and as a musician in building Arion from a small, talented ensemble to a full baroque orchestra. Because of her vision, she and Arion have proven themselves capable of attracting international talent to a flourishing local early music scene; putting Montreal, Quebec and Canada on the baroque music world map.”

Nominations Open for the Betty Webster Prize 2019

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Orchestras Canada has just opened nominations for the 2019 Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award, our way of recognizing outstanding contributions to the Canadian orchestral community. This annual prize celebrates those who have made outstanding contributions to Canadian orchestras, and provides us with an opportunity to champion the accomplishments of our colleagues. Established in 2002 to honour OC’s founding Executive Director, the Award pays tribute to the late Betty Webster’s accomplishments in her advancement of Orchestras Canada and its members. In particular, sustained and significant contributions in the areas of leadership, education and volunteerism are honoured. Click here for more information, on the nomination process.

Orchestras Canada selects VSO Music Director Bramwell Tovey for Betty Webster Award 2018

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The award recognizes Tovey’s long history of leadership in the Canadian orchestral community

Photo, Bramwell ToveyBramwell Tovey is the winner of the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award for 2018. Maestro Tovey will receive the award at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s June 30th outdoor concert, the first of three performances at the Olympic Plaza on the Canada Day long weekend. The annual appearances of the VSO and the Whistler Institute Orchestra are presented by the Resort Municipality of Whistler and the Province of British Columbia.

The Betty Webster Award is presented each year to an individual or organization that has made a sustained and significant contribution over a number of years to the Canadian orchestral community, with an emphasis on leadership, education and volunteerism. It was established in 2002 to honour Orchestras Canada’s founding Executive Director and is a tribute to Mrs. Webster’s visionary leadership and her extraordinary contributions to the health and vitality of orchestras right across Canada.

Bramwell Tovey is concluding his tenure as the Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, an orchestra he has led since 2000. In this time, he was relentless in his pursuit of excellence for the orchestra, programming works that would challenge, engage and inspire the musicians and the audience. His trademark charisma and charm, as well as his willingness to conduct a wide range of concerts (from classical to pops to education) have seen the VSO attract new audiences and retain a loyal following among the concert-going public of Vancouver. Tovey also takes an active role in the education initiatives of the VSO. He currently serves as the Artistic Advisor to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute at Whistler and was a driving force behind the 2011 opening of the VSO School of Music.

Before his arrival at the VSO, Maestro Tovey was the Music Director at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for 12 years, where he started the Winnipeg New Music Festival. Between his appointments with the WSO and the VSO, he has dedicated almost 30 years to the advancement of orchestras and symphonic music in Canada. Throughout that time, he has been committed to promoting Canadian artists and composers and has demonstrated his belief in music accessibility for all. Alongside those appointments, Tovey served as for 11 seasons as conductor and host of the New York Philharmonic’s Summertime Classics and has as held titled positions with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl, and guest conducted across Canada, the US, Europe, Australia and Asia. He now serves as Director of Orchestral and Conducting Studies at Boston University, and is the Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Photo, Betty WebsterThe national jury was chaired by Waterloo-based conductor Matthew Jones (Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, Etobicoke Philharmonic), and included arts manager Ardyth Brott (Brott Music Festival/National Academy Orchestra—and winner of the 2017 Betty Webster Award), conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser (Artist in Residence and Community Ambassador, Symphony Nova Scotia), arts manager Margot Holmes (Vancouver Island Symphony and Caline Arts Management), and violinist Adriana Lebedovich (Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra).

Speaking about the Award, jury chair Matthew Jones noted, “Once again, the Betty Webster Award jury was greatly impressed by the thoughtful and powerful work being accomplished by individuals and organizations across Canada. The jury was particularly inspired by the impact Bramwell Tovey has had on the cultural landscape of British Columbia, Manitoba and, indeed, all of Canada. It is an honour for us to be able to recognize Maestro Tovey’s commitment to excellence, leadership on and off the podium, advocacy on behalf of music and musicians, volunteerism, and sustained commitment to music education at the VSO School of Music and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestral Institute at Whistler.”

In response to the award, Bramwell Tovey said, “I’m deeply honoured to receive the Betty Webster award from Orchestras Canada. Betty Webster was a remarkable woman whose tireless devotion to Canadian orchestras was inspirational. I was lucky enough to fall within her orbit on arriving in Canada in 1989 and to be one of her legion of friends and supporters. I’d particularly like to pay tribute to the orchestra musicians with whom I’ve worked most closely in Vancouver and Winnipeg these last thirty years. It’s been a privilege and honour to make music with them all. Sincere thanks to Orchestras Canada for this award and for continuing to represent Canada’s wonderful orchestras across the country.”

Other recent winners of the Betty Webster Award include arts managers John Gomez in 2016 (Music Director, Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy), Annemarie Petrov in 2014 (President & CEO, Edmonton Symphony), and Jeff Alexander in 2009 (former President & CEO, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra), double bassist Alison Mackay in 2013 (Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra), and several organizations such as Tafelmusik (2009), the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra (2008) and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (2007).

Driving Creative Force for Music in Canada Wins National Award

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Ardyth BrottArdyth Brott, Executive Director for the Brott Music Festival, is the winner of the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award for 2017.

Ms Brott will receive the Award at a Brott Music Festival concert during the 2017 festival.

The Betty Webster Award is presented each year to one individual or organization that has made a sustained and significant contribution over a number of years to the Canadian orchestral community, with an emphasis on leadership, education and volunteerism. It was established in 2002 to honour Orchestras Canada’s founding Executive Director, and is a tribute to Mrs. Webster’s visionary leadership and her extraordinary contributions to the health and vitality of Canada’s orchestral community.

The award includes a plaque along with a donation to an orchestra of the winner’s choosing.

Ms Brott has asked that this year’s donation be directed to the Hamilton-based National Academy Orchestra, an organization with a 29-year track record of training emerging professional orchestral musicians through intensive work with guest concertmasters and mentors from across the country, guest conductors, and internationally-renowned soloists, and performance opportunities ranging from full orchestra to opera to chamber music. To date, over 1400 young musicians have graduated from the NAO, and many of them are now working throughout Canada and around the world.

Ardyth Brott has served as Executive Director of the Brott Music Festival 30 years, and the National Academy Orchestra for 29 years. A graduate of Western University’s Faculty of Law, she was called to the Ontario Bar in 1995; in addition, she is a best-selling author of children’s books (including the musically-inspired “Jeremy’s Decision”, “The Loneliest Piano”, and “Pepe’s Magic Bow”), and a valued community volunteer (serving in key roles at the Hamilton Club, and the National Gallery of Canada, among others). She has applied her literary gifts to the creation of scripts for ground-breaking music education programs (including “Beethoven and the Bully”, “Isabella Tarantella”, and “The Inuit Spirit”), connecting contemporary issues and orchestral music through story-telling.

Coincidentally, Ardyth Brott is the daughter of Betty Webster. Although she was as surprised as Ardyth was to hear the news, Betty of course is absolutely delighted!

This year’s national jury was chaired by Waterloo-based conductor Matthew Jones (Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra), and included Vancouver arts manager Leanne Davis (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra), Ottawa violinist, conductor, educator (and 2016 winner of the Betty Webster Award) John Gomez (Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy), Montreal arts manager Barbara Scales (Latitude 45 Arts Management), and Charlottetown’s Bruce Craig (PEI Symphony Orchestra).

Speaking about the award, jury chair Matthew Jones said, “The jury saw Ardyth Brott as a prima inter pares: someone whose exceptional contributions to the Canadian orchestral community are seen most clearly in the context of the other remarkable individuals and organizations shaping Canada’s lively and diverse orchestral culture. The jury was struck by Ardyth’s depth of involvement in the organizations she has served, her sustained support for youth involvement in music, and the lasting impact her work has had for numerous generations of professional orchestral musicians in Canada and beyond. It is an honour to be able to acknowledge this work.”

Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy Founder Wins National Award

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John Gomez, founder and music director of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy (OYOA), is the winner of the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award for 2016.  Mr. Gomez was the unanimous choice of a national jury.

Mr. Gomez will receive the Award at an OYOA event in the 2016-17 season.

The Betty Webster Award is presented each year to one individual or organization that has made a sustained and significant contribution over a number of years to the Canadian orchestral community, with an emphasis on leadership, education and volunteerism.  It was established in 2002 to honour Orchestras Canada’s founding Executive Director, and is a tribute to Mrs. Webster’s visionary leadership and her extraordinary contributions to the health and vitality of Canada’s orchestral community. The award includes a plaque along with a donation to an orchestra of the winner’s choosing.

Mr. Gomez has asked that this year’s donation be directed to the OYOA, to assist with the cost of lessons for beginning students of “rare” instruments of the orchestra, including bassoon, double bass, French horn, and harp.

John Gomez is entering his 35th year as founding Music Director of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy (OYOA) and conductor of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra, the academy’s flagship group.  He is an active leader in the Canadian orchestral scene who has dedicated his career to preparing young musicians for successful careers in music, and through his commitment to collaboration, has formed many partnerships in Ottawa, across Canada, and around the world.  He is an educator with a passion for teaching, and sets exceptionally high standards for himself and the young people he works with.  He is a visionary and a strategist, who has devoted countless hours to the cause of engaging young people in music, starting with a strings program in the early 1980s, and culminating in today’s OYOA:  a program that now boasts two full orchestras, and eighteen (nineteen next year) additional ensembles, made up of over 350 students who meet every Saturday morning to make music.

The national jury was chaired by Waterloo-based conductor Matthew Jones (Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra), and included Edmonton arts leader Annemarie Petrov (Edmonton Symphony/Frances Winspear Centre for Music), Ontario-based solo bassoonist and teacher Nadina Mackie Jackson, Montreal musician and volunteer Louise Richard (Association des orchestres de jeunes du Québec), and Moncton’s Ken Macleod (New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and Sistema NB).

Speaking about the Award, jury chair Matthew Jones noted that “John Gomez’s win is all the more impressive considering the exceptional calibre of his fellow nominees, representing a cross section of the Canadian orchestral community: educators, conductors, managers, and individual musicians. The jury responded to the excellence of John’s work, his unstinting and sustained commitment to youth involvement in music, his leadership, and the impact that he’s clearly had on more than a generation of Canadian professional orchestral musicians.  It is an honour to be able to recognize this work.”