The Virginia Parker Prize (originally known as the Virginia P. Moore Prize) is an annual award given to outstanding young classical musicians (singers, instrumentalists, or conductors) who have previously been recipients of Canada Council

Canada Council

The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...

 grants. The Virginia Parker Prize recipients receive $25,000 to help further their professional careers.

Originally established by Virginia Parker and her husband Thomas Alexander Gzowski (T.A.G.) Moore in 1982, the prize is funded by the Virginia Parker Foundation and is now adminstered by the Canada Council. Past prize winners have included Marc-André Hamelin

Marc-André Hamelin

Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ, is a French Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marc-André Hamelin began his piano studies at the age of five. His father, a pharmacist by trade who was also a pianist, introduced him to the works of Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji when he was...

 (1989), Nancy Argenta

Nancy Argenta

Nancy Maureen Argenta is a Canadian soprano singer, best known for performing music from the pre-classical era. She has won international acclaim, and is considered by many as the leading Handel soprano of her time.She was born in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada...

 (1990), Michael Schade

Michael Schade

Michael Schade is a Canadian operatic tenor, who was born in Geneva and raised in Germany and Canada. He and his four children live in Oakville, Ontario; a city just outside of Toronto, Canada. The family has a second home in Vienna, Austria.Schade is considered a leading Mozart tenor...

 (1991), Karina Gauvin

Karina Gauvin

Karina Gauvin is an internationally-recognized Canadian soprano who has made several recordings and is especially recognised for her interpretation of Baroque music. Opera News stated that, "Gauvin knows how to rivet an audience in opera and concert. She has been a queen of Baroque opera for years...

 (1995), and Marie-Nicole Lemieux

Marie-Nicole Lemieux

Marie-Nicole Lemieux is a Canadian contralto. She first came to the world's attention in 2000 when she became the first Canadian to win first prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Belgium...

(2001).