Montreal, September 26, 2015 – The Jeunesses Musicales Canada Foundation (FJMC) is proud to announce the winner of the Peter Mendell Award 2015: violinist Elizabeth Skinner.
Created in 2005, this annual award is named after its creator. Peter Mendell is a well-known lawyer at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, a passionate music lover, and an amateur cellist. True to the mission of the Jeunesses Musicales Canada Foundation, the Peter Mendell Award aims at encouraging the development of musical excellence and includes a $ 2,500 grant.
About Elizabeth Skinner
Elizabeth Skinner began studying the violin at the age of 9 in her hometown of Victoria, BC. Since then she has gone on to be recognized as an engaging and diverse performer winning solo and chamber awards in Canada and the United States, including concerto competitions in both British Columbia and Georgia. Elizabeth has performed at music academies and festivals in several provinces across Canada, in the United States, in Germany and in Italy. In May 2013 she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor degree in violin performance from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Georgia, USA. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in violin performance at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music under the instruction of Axel Strauss. Most recently, she was nominated for the Golden Violin Competition, chosen by the string faculty based on her “demonstrated exceptional talent and contribution to musical and cultural life at the Schulich School of Music.”
About the Jeunesses Musicales of Canada Foundation
The Jeunesses Musicales of Canada Foundation (JMCF) is pleased to celebrate more than 25 years in the service of classical music and new talent. The Foundation’s members and team are joining their efforts to support Jeunesses Musicales of Canada (JMC) in its mission. Each year, through the dynamism of its members and its current president, Mr. Richard Lupien, the Foundation contributes to the activities of JMC, without a doubt one of the crowning jewels of our country’s cultural heritage.
About Jeunesses Musicales Canada
As a non-profit organization, Jeunesses Musicales Canada (JMC) has a dual mandate: to promote the diffusion of classical music, especially among young people, and help young professional instrumentalists, singers and composers develop their careers both nationally and internationally. With a network of over 300 volunteers who host their tours in concert halls and schools, JMC was among the first organizations to present professional caliber concerts in areas far from large urban centers. Nowadays, the JMC presents over 600 concerts and more than 600 workshops with over 100 artists in some 200 venues in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces each season to an audience estimated at 130,000 people, including 100,000 children aged 3 to 12.
