Two of the six Analekta recordings nominated for a Juno were awarded the precious statuette last night at a ceremony held at Vancouver’s General Motors Place (broadcast on the CTV network).

In the category “Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment”, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and his Music Director Kent Nagano won a Juno for Beethoven: The Ideals of French Revolution, a CD featuring The General, an homage to Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire.

In the category “Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance,” Ensemble Caprice’s Gloria! Vivaldi’s Angels, a new reading of Vivaldi’s famous work also won a Juno.

Congratulations to the winners and the nominees!

The Evolution Composition Competition’s finals were held last night in Banff.

Andrew Staniland won the Evolution CBC/Radio-Canada National Composition Prize and the Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne Prize for Devolution, in three movements: “Love Song I for C. Darwin”, “II Love Song II for C. Darwin” and “Unweaving the Rainbow “. He talks about the work here…

Vincent Ho received the People’s Choice Award for Nature whisper…

It is first as an arranger that Seán Dagher – also composer, performer and founder of the Skye Consort – collaborated on Shannon Mercer’s latest recording. Welsh songs can be heard as either folk or classical music and it was important for Dagher to place them right on the line between the two styles. “Calling on musicians I know and have worked with on previous line-riding explorations, I found myself with cello, bass, flute, percussion, and two violins. The accordion was then given an extra inner-voice melody (and/or drone) and the cittern replaced the guitar or lute. The harp is the Welsh national instrument so it was a natural addition,” he explains.

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No, I won’t tell you one of those horrible jokes that lack a punchline and keep you wondering hours after you’ve heard it. Rather, I was most intrigued by this article in the New York Times, a review of an Elysian Quartet performance… held in a bar! To read about it, it’s here…