Ottawa, August 4, 2011 – Bénédicte Lauzière, a 21 year-old violinist from Montreal, is the first-ever winner of the Canada Council Michael Measures Prize. Launched in September 2010, the prize will provide Ms. Lauzière with $15,000 to help build her career.
“We are delighted to partner with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in investing in young Canadian talent,” said Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. “This prize is made possible thanks to a $1 million bequest from the late Michael Measures and in awarding the prize to Bénédicte Lauzière it is clear that Mr. Measures’ passion for music lives on.”
“Bénédicte was the clear and obvious choice for the inaugural Canada Council Michael Measures Prize,” said Barbara Smith, Executive Director of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC). “She is one of the most promising string players in the country and we are certain she will make an impact on the world of classical music for many years to come. This first-time award is acknowledgement for all her years of hard work, both as a violinist and as student of NYOC’s Career Training Institute.”
Download an image of Ms. Lauzière.
The Canada Council Michael Measures Prize recognizes promising young performers of classical music through a partnership with the NYOC. The NYOC coordinates and supervises the administration of the competition and selection of the annual winner. A recipient, between the ages of 16-22, is chosen from those who have successfully completed the annual summer training program. Michael Measures was a music enthusiast and long-time volunteer in the Ottawa arts community. He took a particular interest in providing opportunities for young classical musicians to improve their skills and in encouraging public recognition of their achievements.
The prize presentation will take place on Friday, August 5 at the
Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal as part of the NYOC’s 2011 concert tour. Ticket information can be found on the NYOC website.
Bénédicte Lauzière began learning the violin at the age of five and, by the time she was 10, she started studying at Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal with Helmut Lipsky. Ms Lauzière is currently pursuing a bachelor degree with Professor Jonathan Crow at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, where she has been awarded the Lloyd Carr-Harris scholarship. In 2010, Ms. Lauzière won the silver medal of the Stulberg String Competition, an international competition in Kalamazoo, Michigan as well as the Peter Mendell award, which is given out every year to one of the most promising string players in one of the four Montreal universities. She won the first prize in her age category at the Canadian Music Competition three years in a row (2006–2008). In 2008, she was invited to play as a soloist Prokofiev’s first concerto with Quebec Symphony Orchestra and maestro Yoav Talmi. In the past few years, she participated in masterclasses with Salvatore Accardo, Martin Beaver, Pinchas Zukerman, Alexandre Da Costa, Régis Pasquier and Leonidas Kavakos.
The National Youth Orchestra of Canada is Canada’s advanced orchestral training institute for musicians aged 16 to 28. Its mission is to educate, elevate, and empower Canada’s most gifted young orchestral musicians. Internationally recognized as one of the finest orchestral programs in the world, the NYOC provides the most in-depth comprehensive training anywhere. More than 500 aspiring high school and university-level student musicians audition for the 80 to 100 spots in the NYOC each year. Since its inception in 1960 more that 2,700 of Canada’s finest young musicians have received orchestral training. Its alumni form the core of major Canadian orchestras while others have gone on to become members of prominent international orchestras.
In addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts, the Canada Council for the Arts administers and awards many prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and health sciences, engineering, and arts management. These prizes and fellowships recognize the achievements of outstanding Canadian artists, scholars, and administrators. The Canada Council is committed to raising public awareness and celebrating these exceptional people and organizations on both a national and international level.
Heather McAfee
Public Relations Officer
1-800-263-5588 or
613-566-4414, ext. 4166
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Mireille Allaire
Public Relations Officer
1-800-263-5588 or
613-566-4414, ext. 4523
Email this contact
