Azrieli Foundation Makes Significant Donation to the Arts
March 7, 2017.
Following the triumphant inaugural launch of the Azrieli Music Prizes in 2014, the Azrieli Foundation is again searching for composers to receive two substantial prizes:
The Azrieli Commissions for Jewish Music – $50,000 CAD to a Canadian composer for a new orchestral work. Submission deadline: May 7, 2017.
The Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music – $50,000 CAD to an international composer for the best orchestral work written in the last ten years. Submission deadline: November 5, 2017.
In addition to the cash prize, both works will be performed by a major Canadian orchestra at a Gala Event in the fall of 2018 and will receive a commercial quality recording. Altogether, the combined prize, performance, recording and their promotion rank the Azrieli Music Prizes as the richest in Canada, with a combined value of over $700,000 CAD.
In 2016, composers Wlad Marhulets (Poland/USA) and Brian Current (Canada) received the first Azrieli Music Prizes. Their works were performed by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra under maestro Kent Nagano. This September in Prague both pieces will be recorded by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Steven Mercurio.
“The prize turned out to be truly life-changing for me,” says Marhulets. “Winning was a major milestone in my career, and attending the performance by Montreal Symphony under the baton of maestro Nagano was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life.”
The Azrieli Music Prizes are specifically in search of a creative and critical response to the question “What is Jewish Music?” The international jury – comprised of world-leading composers, conductors and scholars – is seeking submissions that display the highest level of artistry and music excellence in answering this question.
Dr. Sharon Azrieli, a Director of the Azrieli Foundation, is a noted operatic soprano and scholar of Jewish and cantorial music. She is extremely proud of how the Prizes are unfolding. “We are celebrating excellence in new Jewish music on the world stage. In 2014 we had applications from Korea, Kenya, Japan, and of course Canada. We believe the Azrieli Music Prizes are quickly becoming a major vehicle for innovation, creation and risk-taking by today’s most inspired orchestral composers.”
The 2018 Prizes call for submissions is now open. Proposals are accepted, without entry fee, from composers of all faiths, backgrounds, affiliations and experience levels. For submission details, please visit www.azrielifoundation.org/music
ABOUT THE AZRIELI FOUNDATION
For 25 years, the Azrieli Foundation has quietly funded institutions as well as operated programs on the ground. The Foundation supports music and the arts, scientific and medical research, higher education, youth empowerment and school perseverance, architecture, Holocaust education and quality of life initiatives for people with developmental disabilities. www.azrielifoundation.org
For more information, please contact abby@azrielifoundation.org
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