SOCAN Foundation announces participants for new development program

Story by SOCAN | Monday December 3rd, 2018

The SOCAN Foundation has announced the participants for its inaugural TD Creative Entrepreneur Incubator. “The program is designed to foster high-potential music creators, and to help them evolve their passion and talent into a sustainable career,” said Charlie Wall-Andrews, Executive Director of the SOCAN Foundation.

After reviewing nearly 1,000 submissions, the Foundation was pleased to announce that the following music creators have been accepted into the TD Creative Entrepreneurial Incubator Program:

  • Julie Austin, Ontario
  • Laura Babin Rioux, Québec
  • James Bailey, Ontario
  • Justin Boissonault, Ontario
  • Marvin Chan, Saskatchewan
  • Kassandra Clack, British Columbia
  • Desiree Dawson, British Columbia
  • Domanique Grant, Ontario
  • Aliah Guerra, Quebec
  • Madmoud Ismail, Ontario
  • Bella Krys, Ontario
  • Dante Leon, Ontario
  • Madeline Ritter, Ontario
  • Jon Saldanha, British Columbia
  • Dave Sampson, Nova Scotia
  • Connor Seidel, Québec
  • Linnea Siggelkow, Ontario
  • Annie Sumi, Ontario
  • Vincent Turcotte, Québec
  • Joanna Worthington, Ontario

Each participant in the program will receive:

  • A cash grant of up to $3,000, intended to defray start-up costs (such as those spent on marketing, business development, branding, etc.)
  • Mentorship by an industry professional, including Adrian X (musician/producer/songwriter, Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR), Amy Eligh (Arts & Crafts), Joe Ferrari (Sony Music), and Emily Smart (Six Shooter Records), among many more.
  • Access to an exclusive webinar series led by industry professionals and experts, to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit of the participants.

This new SOCAN Foundation program was made possible with the generous support of TD.  “Music has the power to strengthen communities by connecting people.,” said Valerie Picher, Associate Vice-President, Community Relations at TD Bank Group. “We’re excited to partner with SOCAN Foundation to support the TD Creative Entrepreneur Incubator program, through our global corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment. This program will empower music creators from all backgrounds to develop the necessary skills to enhance music creation and sharpen their entrepreneurial abilities, so music continues to enrich our lives in a sustainable way.”

Visit www.creativeincubator.ca/participantsca for more information about the program, and to meet the participants.

The LYNNeS win SOCAN songwriting honour at 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards

Story by Howard Druckman | Monday December 3rd, 2018

SOCAN members Lynne Hanson and Lynn Miles, of The LYNNeS, won the SOCAN-sponsored English Songwriter of the Year honour, for their album Heartbreak Song For The Radio, at the 2018 Canadian Folk Music Awards, held Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 2018, at The Gateway in Calgary. The duo also earned the Ensemble of the Year Award, based on the same album.

The French Songwriter of the Year Award was presented to Anik Bérubé and Natalie Byrns of the duo Ancolie, and their co-writers Christian Bernard and Frédéric Joyal, for their album, Le soleil en bulle. The group Shauit received the Indigenous Songwriter of the Year honour for their album Apu peikussiakᵘ.

The duo of Pharis & Jason Romero were double winners, for Traditional Singer of the Year (to Pharis) and Vocal Group of the Year, on the strength of their album Sweet Old Religion. The Contemporary Album of the Year was Both Ways by Donovan Woods

For more information, and a complete list of nominees and winners, visit the CFMAs website.

Photo by courtesy of/courtoisie de Soundstreams. James Lowrie (left/à gauche), Haotian Yu (right/à droite).

Six music creators chosen for 2019 Soundstreams Emerging Composer Workshop

Story by Howard Druckman | Thursday November 29th, 2018

SOCAN composers James Lowrie and Haotian Yu are among the six music creators chosen to participate in Soundstreams’ 2019 Emerging Composer Workshop (ECW). The other four participating composers are Yiguo Li (China), Angela Elizabeth Slater (U.K.), Harriet Steinke (U.S.), and Tze Yeung Ho (Norway/Canada). This year, the ECW mentors will be Norway’s Rolf Wallin and Canada’s Dorothy Chang, with the Rolston String Quartet as the resident ensemble.

The seventh annual edition of the ECW will take place Jan. 24 to Feb. 3, 2019, in Toronto. The emerging composers’ new pieces will be showcased and performed by the Rolston String Quartet, at a public concert at the Alliance Française in Toronto, on Feb. 1, 2019. Tickets are available here.

The Workshop is a 10-day intensive mentorship program that supports talented young composers and helps them to launch their careers. Soundstreams’ ECW adopts a holistic model that features a vibrant array of rehearsals, seminars, networking, professional development activities, and a public showcase of new works created during the Workshop. For more details, click here.