Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting
Encyclopedia
The Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting is a $
10 000 prize awarded by the Ontario Arts Council
every two years to support a selected choral conductor
in furthering his/her professional career and enhancing his/her choral conducting abilities.
The award recognizes excellence in emerging conductors. Candidates are considered based on artistic merit as demonstrated by his or her abilities, cumulative body of work, and contribution to the art form.
Choirs Ontario assembles a selection panel of choral
musicians to evaluate the submissions. Panelists must have the following qualifications; a broad spectrum of knowledge and experience in choral music, ability to provide fair and objective opinions, ability to articulate their opinions and to work in a group decision-making environment.
Prior to the selection meeting each panellist becomes familiar with the award and its assessment criteria. Additionally the panellist reviews each package submitted by the candidates and make reference notes in context to the award’s assessment criteria. Individuals selected to be on the panel are not to disclose their role. For transparency, the names of panellists is released with results following each competition. Upon discovering a conflict with any of the candidates, a panellist will remove themselves from the selection process.
At the selection meeting, all of the panellists review each of the candidate's submissions to come to a group decision and recommend the winner. The panel is required to keep the discussions during the panel meeting and contents of all submissions confidential.
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
10 000 prize awarded by the Ontario Arts Council
Ontario Arts Council
The Ontario Arts Council is a publicly-funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to promote and assist the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of all Ontarians...
every two years to support a selected choral conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
in furthering his/her professional career and enhancing his/her choral conducting abilities.
The award recognizes excellence in emerging conductors. Candidates are considered based on artistic merit as demonstrated by his or her abilities, cumulative body of work, and contribution to the art form.
History
In 1971, the Leslie Bell Singers Alumnae and friends of the late Leslie Richard Bell established the Leslie Bell Scholarship Fund as a tribute to the conductor. Bell was a choir conductor, educator, writer, arranger and composer.Selection process
Choirs Ontario manages the selection process. Candidates submit a package composed of a curriculum vitae, letters of reference and audio-visual support material by mail to Choirs Ontario by the specified deadline.Choirs Ontario assembles a selection panel of choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
musicians to evaluate the submissions. Panelists must have the following qualifications; a broad spectrum of knowledge and experience in choral music, ability to provide fair and objective opinions, ability to articulate their opinions and to work in a group decision-making environment.
Prior to the selection meeting each panellist becomes familiar with the award and its assessment criteria. Additionally the panellist reviews each package submitted by the candidates and make reference notes in context to the award’s assessment criteria. Individuals selected to be on the panel are not to disclose their role. For transparency, the names of panellists is released with results following each competition. Upon discovering a conflict with any of the candidates, a panellist will remove themselves from the selection process.
At the selection meeting, all of the panellists review each of the candidate's submissions to come to a group decision and recommend the winner. The panel is required to keep the discussions during the panel meeting and contents of all submissions confidential.
Eligibility
To be a candidate for this award, an individual must meet the following criteria;- ProfessionalProfessionalA professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
conductor (past training and actively work in a professional capacity) - Canadian citizen or permanent resident of CanadaPermanent resident (Canada)A Permanent Resident in Canada is someone who is not a Canadian citizen but who has been granted permission to live and work in Canada without any time limit on his or her stay...
- Resident in OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
- Recognized locally and regionally by his or her peers (those within the same artistic tradition and/or discipline) and recognized for his or her contribution to the field of music
- Within the first ten years of his/her professional career
Past recipients
- 1973 Edward Moroney
- 1974 Robert Cooper
- 1975 David Christiani
- 1976 Carol E. Boyle
- 1977 Jean Ashworth BartleJean Ashworth BartleJean Ashworth Bartle, CM, O.Ont Choral conductor, Teacher and Founder/Conductor Laureate of the Toronto Children's Chorus....
- 1978 Gerald Neufeld
- 1981 Brainerd Blyden-Taylor
- 1983 Richard Dacey
- 1984 Daniel A. Hanson
- 1985 David Fallis
- 1986 Laurence Ewashko
- 1990 Andrew Slonelsky
- 1992 William Brown
- 1994 Oksana Rodak
- 1996 Peter Nikiforuk
- 1998 Stéphanie Martin, Pax Christi Chorale and Lynn Janes
- 2000 Bevan Keating (Mark Vuorinen received honourable mention)
- 2002 Teri Dunn, Jennifer Moir
- 2004 Postponed while OAC undertook a review of the selection and adjudication process
- 2006 Zimfira Poloz, Linda Beaupré (Isabel Bernaus and Marie-Claire Gervasoni received honourable mention)
- 2008 Ken Fleet
- 2010 Sarah Morrison