Submit now for Francophone SOCAN Publisher of the Year Award

Story by Eric Parazelli | Friday August 10th, 2018

The 2018 edition of the Montréal SOCAN Awards Gala will once again salute the remarkable work of Francophone music publishers with the Publisher of the Year Award. Publishers are invited to submit their nominations starting today.

The award recognizes a publisher member who contributed in a significant and positive manner to the music industry and creative community during the year leading up to the Gala.

The eligibility period for the 2018 edition of the SOCAN Awards is from January 1 to December 31, 2017, and only the accomplishments which occurred during this period will be taken into consideration. A jury of music industry professionals will evaluate all the nominations.

To be eligible, a publisher must be based in Canada, and their repertoire must be in large part Francophone, or having had a significant Francophone impact, creatively and commercially. A publisher with a representative who sits on the selection committee is not eligible for this award.

Eligible publishers must submit nominations to Stéphanie Falco (stephanie.falco@socan.com) no later than August 30, 2018, at 5:00 p.m., EDT.

The Publisher of the Year Award will be presented during the Montréal SOCAN Awards Gala on Tuesday, October 2, 2018.

Download the nomination form

Photo by Phillipa C Photography

Emilie LeBel joins Toronto Symphony Orchestra as Affiliate Composer

Story by Howard Druckman | Monday August 13th, 2018

Award-winning music creator and SOCAN member Emilie LeBel was selected as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s new Affiliate Composer on Aug. 8, 2018.

The Affiliate Composer two-year residency is one of the most significant and prestigious opportunities for an emerging composer in Canada. It provides a chance to compose at least two works for one of the country’s finest orchestras, allows the composer to gain insights into the complexities of programming at the highest artistic level, and catapults them to national, and even international, prominence.

In the role of TSO Affiliate Composer, LeBel will be fully integrated into all areas of the organization, with access to its inner workings, and will also participate in educational work with young audiences as part of the orchestra’s community-engagement programs. She’ll work closely with TSO Interim Artistic Director Sir Andrew Davis, Composer Advisor Gary Kulesha, and the artistic staff. LeBel succeeds Jordan Pal, who held the Affiliate Composer position from September 2015 to August 2018.

Described as having a “deft compositional hand, unwilling to hurry ideas,” and a style that’s “impressively subtle and sensuous,” LeBel specializes in concert-music composition focusing on textural landscapes, resonance, and variances in colour. Her compositions have been performed and/or recorded across North and South America, Europe, and the U.K. Her honours include the Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award, Canadian Music Centre Toronto Emerging Composer Award, and the Canadian Federation of University Women Elizabeth Massey Award. LeBel has completed a Doctorate in Composition at the University of Toronto, a BFA and MA in Music at York University, and an Honours Diploma in Audio Engineering at The Harris Institute for the Arts.

“Emilie is one of the most exciting young talents in the world of contemporary composition. Her music reflects her intelligence and audaciousness,” says Sir Andrew Davis. “Emilie brings to us her exceptional energy and versatility. Already known as an engaging communicator, and respected for her passionate advocacy work, she’ll be a brilliant ambassador for the TSO. I’m thrilled to welcome Emilie to the TSO’s artistic team.”

Photo by Brad Ardley. Left to right/De gauche à droite. Back Row/Arrière : Manchee, Stillo, D'Aoust, Couse, McCarty, Krecklo, Wientzek, Naranjo. Front Row/Avant : Murji, Murphy, Dedrick, Proudlock, Jane, Emslie, Fung, Pickering, Bushnaq.

SOCAN celebrates participants in 2018 Slaight Music Residency at Canadian Film Centre

Story by Howard Druckman | Thursday August 9th, 2018

The six SOCAN members participating in the 2018 Slaight Music Residency at the Canadian Film Centre attended an early-evening, wine-and-cheese reception at SOCAN’s Toronto office on Aug. 8, 2018, where we celebrated their acceptance into the program and answered any questions they had about how SOCAN works with our #ComposersWhoScore.

The 2018 songwriters and composers participating in the residency are (in alphabetical order, by last name):

  • Suad Bushnaq
  • Jason Couse (of Darcys)
  • Ashley Jane
  • Stephen Krecklo
  • Antonio Naranjo
  • Timon Wientzek

Also attending were Canadian Film Centre staffers Kathryn Emslie, Erica Proudlock, Nafisi Murji and Gillian Manchee, and from The Screen Composers Guild of Canada, Tonya Dedrick. SOCAN screen composer Darren Fung, who serves as a consultant for the residency program, also attended. Representing SOCAN were CEO Eric Baptiste, Membership/A&R representatives Michael McCarty, Rodney Murphy, Brandi Pickering, Aidan D’Aoust, Peter Fera, and Paul Stillo.

The Slaight Music Residency is a creative and business initiative for composers and songwriters. It encourages the complete integration of music creators into the onscreen process, while offering unique business opportunities to increase the use of Canadian music in film and TV. The residency is a part-time, nine-month program that balances artistic expression and creative collaboration with current market demands.

The goals are to

  • increase the music creators’ screen-oriented musical knowledge and skills;
  • broker creative and business opportunities by offering access to international mentors, creative advisors and industry professionals;
  • inspire creativity, and a deeper understanding of the relationship between music and film/TV, through high-level case studies and workshops;
  • deliver a series of complex screen music exercises and opportunities;
  • expand their “demo reels”;
  • build opportunities to showcase their talent onscreen; and
  • position them for future work in the screen entertainment industry.

SOCAN congratulates its members accepted into the program, and wishes them well on their nine-month journey through it!