Presentation

The Canadian Music Competition is a national organization working in the field of classical music with the goal of supporting and encouraging young Canadian performers. Through its work, the organization encourages musicians to surpass themselves, cultivate discipline and perseverance, sharpen their critical sense and discernment, develop their artistic personality, and grow as performers and human beings. The idea for the Canadian Music Competition initially took shape in 1958 in Montreal. Since then, 17 chapters have been set up to cover all of Canada. The same spirit that drove the founders is still alive today in all the volunteers involved with the Canadian Music Competition. They are the pillars of the organization and supply the energy needed for the competition to pursue its objectives.

Since its creation in 1958, the Canadian Music Competition has been witness to an ongoing stream of thousands of young musicians, among them, some of the greatest names on the national and international scene today, including Marc-André Hamelin, Chantal Juillet, Louis Lortie, Martin Beaver, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, André Laplante, Gwen Hoebig, Richard Raymond, Susan Hoeppner, Stéphane Lemelin, Johanne Perron, Robert Silverman, Angela Cheng, Boris Brott, Anne-Marie Dubois, Jacques Hétu, Maneli Pirzadeh, Desmond Hoebig, Denis Brott, Céline Dussault, Angela Hewitt, Janina Fialkowska, Glen Montgommery, etc.

To meet its objectives, the Canadian Music Competition established three different programs: the Canadian Music Competition itself, the Junior Program and the International Stepping Stone.

• The Canadian Music Competition is a nationwide competition in which participants progress through three rounds: the regional rounds, which take place in 19 cities across Canada, followed by the Provincial Finals and the National Final. More than 750 candidates register annually, giving them a chance to perform on stage, and to obtain the adjudicators’ comments, allowing them to improve and to rise beyond their limits. Over $120,000 in prizes is awarded annually across Canada.
• The Junior Program allows young musicians to register solely for the regional round in order to familiarize themselves with, and to experience the Canadian Music Competition. These young people will be heard by the same adjudicators who go on the national tour. Their comments, which are meant to be constructive, are very important, giving these young musicians elements on which to build in order to improve.
• The International Stepping Stone is held every two years. It offers musicians who are completing their studies the opportunity to measure themselves against criteria that are comparable to those used in international competitions, such as those in Leeds (England), Munich (Germany), or Busoni (Italy). Fifty young musicians at the dawn of their career will be chosen by a selection committee to perform before five adjudicators during the First Elimination. Of these, a maximum of 16 candidates will be selected for the Semi-Final, and six for the Final. A total of $17,750 in cash prizes will be provided by BMO Financial Group. In addition to a cash prize of $8,000, the First Prize winner will undertake a three-week residency at The Banff Centre and perform with orchestra during the gala concert closing the International Stepping Stone and the National Final of the Canadian Music Competition.