For the eight aspiring orchestral musicians who were selected (from 30 candidates) by the jury, Monday’s final round was an opportunity to show off their skills and compete for a total of $19,000 – with a top prize of $7,000.
Earlier this week, 30 musicians between the ages of 16 and 24 auditioned for a jury consisting primarily of NAC Orchestra musicians. Behind closed doors backstage at the NAC, this jury heard the music students perform challenging excerpts from orchestral repertoire, as well as solo repertoire such as concertos or sonatas, then selected the eight who made the strongest impression. These eight promising young performers polished their repertoire, and on Monday they competed before the jury and a live audience in the NAC Studio at 3 p.m. This free, non-ticketed event was open to members of the public.
The eight winners for 2012 are:
- 2012 NAC Orchestra Bursary ($7,000) – Darren Hicks, bassoon
- Harold Crabtree Foundation Award ($5,000) – Christian Paquette, flute
- Friends of the NAC Orchestra Award ($3,000) – Nicholas Galuban, clarinet
- The NAC Orchestra Vic Pomer Award ($2,000) -- Antoine Malette-Chénier, harp
- The Piccolo Prix ($1,000) – Riccardo Nazario del Castello, trombone
- The NAC Orchestra Special Prize for the best performance of prescribed orchestral excerpts ($1000) - Darren Hicks, bassoon (age 20)
- Honourable mentions ($225 each) went to Lara Deutsch, flute, Aidan Dugan, oboe, and Graham McVeety, flute
By Ryan Purchase
