Winners of the Dean's Essay Prize Announced

Generously funded by the Dean, this competition celebrates excellence in the art of writing about music in the different genres in which it unfolds.  Papers in each genre are judged on the basis of the criteria that distinguish each as the “best of its kind.”  When comparing across genres the panel emphasized the quality and presentation of ideas, with special emphasis this year on the originality of methodological approaches and contribution to the discipline.   The papers are judged by an inter-disciplinary panel.

First Prize:  Vanessa Blais-Tremblay, PhD., Musicology

Paper Category/Title:  Seminar Paper,  “Gorgeous Girlies in Glittering Gyrations:  Between the Bump-and-Grind and the Branlements-et-Grouillements“

Laying the groundwork for some of her thesis project, this seminar paper re-examines women’s participation in the golden age of Montreal jazz through the 1930s – 1950s, arguing that the “first take” dismissed them all too easily as a product of Mayor Drapeau’s morality raids intended to rid a increasingly urban city of values at odds with the continuing Catholicism of the Duplessis years.   The panel was intrigued by her argument that the reason for the raids, the vice, is a productive means of understanding how jazz was “materialistically and discursively” produced at the time.

Most interesting was the originality and depth of her methodology – any research on Quebec music-making involving ground-roots research and the building of an argument from the original sources itself – and the intelligent ways in which she found sources of ethnographic data from the period.  She allowed the voices from the past to speak, mixing her study of the archives, video documentaries, and previous histories about the period to, not only shed new light on the music-making, but also on our understanding of “history-making” as an imaginative act.

As an example of a seminar paper, the depth of original research was excellent.

Second Prize:  Kai Siedenburg, PhD, Music Technology

Paper Category/Title:  Article, “Culture Clash?  Audio Features for Timbre in Music Information Retrieval and Music Psychology“

This article, which the committee understood had not yet been submitted for publication, identifies a curious gap between the types of audio features that are used for timbre research in music information retrieval and music psychology.  Where the typical review of research that is the outcome of one’s comprehensive process or dissertation often simply documents the gap, this paper argues that the gap is not “coincidental” and arises from “differences in the two fields’ methodologies” that stem from the underlying assumptions and questions grounding the work. 

The committee appreciated the thoughtfulness of the argument and the structure through which it was articulated.  They particularly appreciated the effort to capture the attention of the audience with an engaging “introduction,” and the specificity of the final recommendations.

Sound Recording/Performance Competition

This competition celebrates excellence in performance by providing an opportunity for graduate students to complete high quality sound and/or video recordings.  Applications are assessed on the originality and artistic vision of the suggested project, performance achievements, the project’s interest for listeners and the team’s ability to achieve results at a high level.   The panel includes representation from performance and sound recording.

This year, performance and research paper themes resonated in interesting ways, including themes inspired by Montreal and clashes or conflicts arising from disciplinary methodologies.    This led to the development of a new category for this competition:  the Prix de Québec.

First Prize:  Adrian Foster, D.Mus. Performance, Organ/Fei Yu, M.Mus. Sound Recording

Project:   “Resurrecting Mauricio Kagel’s Phantastie für Orgel mit Obbligati:  Montreal Version”

This project is innovative and creative, recreating Kagel’s sound world through the geographical landmarks of Montreal and the ‘historic’ colours of the Redpath organ.   The judges appreciated the imagination connecting the different elements that make this project:  the re-creation of the taped sounds, the discovery of the organ scoring through the registrations and timbres of the Redpath organ – itself a significant cultural landmark in Montreal’s organ scene – and the challenge involved.   His performance skills were recognized as up to the challenge, and he had assembled an excellent sound recording partner to facilitate the process.

Second Prize:  Katelyn King, M.Mus., Percussion/ Pawel Leskiewicz, M.Mus. Sound Engineer

Project:   “Visualizing the Theatrical through the Musical”

The project seeks to apply musical thinking to the theatrical stage elements of performance through the creation of quality sound and video recordings of rarely performed solos and small chamber works taken from David Roesner’s book on Musical Theatre.   The committee was inspired by the idea that, while the works contain many visual elements, she will be developing a musical approach to these elements so that the theatrical does not, to borrow your own words, “overwhelm the musical” that was the original conception and motivating force in each instance.  The committee, consequently, appreciated the fact that the works all focus on delicate sounds in which minute shadings of timbre are essential.   Her collaboration with award-winning composer, Zihua Tan (D.Mus.) in the composition of a new work was also valued.   Before beginning the work, the committee recommends outlining a more detailed strategy for the visual approach.

Prix de Québec

Winner:  Steven Cowan, D.Mus. Performance, Guitar/Denis Martin, PhD, Sound Recording

Project:  “21st Century Guitar Music of Canada”

The judges appreciated the “imagination” that connected the different works by Québec composers in this project (Morel, Bergeron, Staniland, Cowan), as well as the exceptional performance skills demonstrated in the sample and the overall project presentation.  The audio sample was described as “breath-taking,” “demanding one to want more,” – a very emphatic statement when one considers the “newness” of the repertoire.   Steven has also been recommended to apply for a SODEC, Canada Council Recording Grant which reserves 33% of its funding for Quebec artists and projects.