Established in 2002 by the great French Canadian bass Joseph Rouleau, Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) is the most comprehensive elite-level musical competition of its kind in Canada. This annual event takes place in Montreal, with piano, violin, and voice competitions taking place on a rotating basis. Many of its laureates have gone on to major careers. This afternoon at the IAMA (International Artist Managers’ Association) conference at Koerner Hall/Royal Conservatory of Music, CMIM announced a piece of very exciting news.
Starting in 2018, the voice edition will feature two divisions – Aria and Art Song. Eligible candidates will be able to compete in either or both divisions. The same prizes, grants, and awards will be assigned to both divisions, resulting in a record amount of more than a quarter million Canadian dollars to be awarded to prize winners.
This is an extraordinary amount of money, reflecting the generosity of the many donors and patrons who have contributed to this initiative. Another piece of news – as a lovely gesture sure to be appreciated by all Canadian opera/voice lovers, the prizes are named after great Canadian singers:
ARIA division –
‘Jon Vickers’ First Prize – $30,000 + ‘Joseph Rouleau’ Career Development Grant – $50,000 offered by the Azrieli Foundation
‘Raoul Jobin’ Second Prize – $15,000
‘Teresa Stratas’ Third Prize – $10,000
Special Awards
Opera Aria Award – $10,000
Oratorio Award – $5,000
People’s Choice Award – $3,000
Best Canadian Artist Award – $3,000 offered by the Bourbeau Foundation
Three CMIM Grants for unranked finalist of $2,000 each
ART SONG division –
‘Leopold Simoneau’ First Prize $30,000 offered by the John R. Stratton Trust + ‘James Norcop’ Career Development Grant of $50,000
‘Maureen Forrester’ Second Prize – $15,000 offered by Colleen Sexsmith
‘Lois Marshall’ Third Prize – $10,000 offered in memory of Dr. Clive Mortimer
Special Awards
French Mélodie Award – $5,000 offered by Diane Loeb
German Lied Award – $5,000 offered by Arija and Clarence Stiver
Best Canadian Artist Award – $3,000 offered by the Bourbeau Foundation
People’s Choice Award – $3,000
CMIM Grant for the unranked finalist – $2,000
Piano
‘John Newmark’ Best Collaborative Pianist Award – $10,000
This new initiative has essentially doubled the prize money awarded to laureates of the CMIM. I haven’t done a thorough research on this, but from what I can tell, this has made CMIM the most generous of all vocal competitions in the world.
The jury panel was also announced this afternoon, and it is one of the most stellar in memory –
Ben Heppner, tenor (Canada) / Hartmut Höll, pianist (Germany) / Soile Isokoski, soprano (Finland) / Warren Jones, pianist (USA) / Francois Le Roux, baritone (France) / Dame Felicity Lott, soprano (UK) / Joseph Rouleau, bass (Canada) / Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano (New Zealand)
Voice 2018 is open to women and men of all nationalities, born January 1983 or later, who intend to pursue a professional singing career. With the event to take place in May 2018, this means the upper age limit is 35, which is higher than most competitions. All eligible singers may choose to apply to one or both divisions. Details can be found on the CMIM website. Be sure to mark your calendar and book your travel to Montreal!
#LUDWIGVAN
Want more updates on Toronto-centric classical music news and review before anyone else finds out? Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for all the latest.
