Press Release
The JM Canada Foundation’s 2021-2022 AIDA Fund
Montreal, Tuesday, June 7, 2022 – The JM Canada Foundation celebrated the recipients of grants from its Fonds d’Aide aux Artistes (AIDA Fund) for 2021-2022 at a recognition event on June 6 at Jeunesses Musicales Canada’s André Bourbeau House. Sixteen artists and one ensemble directly received grants totalling $53,000 from the JM Canada Foundation over the course of the past cultural season.
The AIDA Fund’s partner organizations—Concert Lachine and its Lachine International Vocal Academy, the Canimex Canadian Music Competition, the Concours musical international de Montréal, Domaine Forget in Charlevoix, the Canadian Vocal Art Institute, the Orchestre de la Francophonie, and Orford Music—also awarded AIDA grants, allowing over 75 young people to benefit from AIDA support in 2021-2022.
“Through the AIDA Fund, we can encourage emerging Canadian artists as they make their way along their artistic and professional paths. With the current context on the cultural scene, this fund is even more important as a form of assistance, as it helps support projects by young artists who are still just beginning their careers. For the Foundation, it’s a way of showing our support for these artists who work diligently to ensure the success of their professional careers,” explains Florence Junca-Adenot, President of the JM Canada Foundation.
Annually, for more than 20 years now, the JM Canada Foundation has been proud to award AIDA Fund grants to young classical music artists from Quebec. The recipients are selected by a jury of experts. Through this fund, the Foundation has, to date, provided artists with a total of $3.2 M, allowing them to pursue their dreams.
2021-2022 RECIPIENTS*
• Olivier Bergeron, baritone (Montreal)
Project: preparation of the repertoire for a first solo European recital
• Aneska Diament, soprano (Montreal)
Project: participation in the repertoire program at Domaine Forget, working with mentors including Jean-François Lapointe, Karina Gauvin, Ariane Girard, and several others
• Emma Fekete, soprano (Montreal)
Project: preparation for auditions for the 2022-2023 season
• Gabrielle Gagnon-Picard, piano (Montreal)
Project: participation in two large-scale contemporary music competitions
• Queen Hezumuryango, mezzo-soprano (Montreal)
Project: participation in the OSM Competition
• Marion Portelance, soprano (Montreal)
Project: studies at the Royal College of Music
• Vatra Quartet (Montreal)
Project: participation in the 49th edition of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition
• Thomas Shahbaghyan, violin (Laval)
Project: studies at Michigan State University
• Hakim Boudaa, piano (Montreal)
Project: studies at Kunstuniversität Graz with Julius Drake
• Tommy Dupuis, guitar (Drummondville)
Project: participation in the training program at the 30th International Guitar Festival Iserlohn, in Germany
• Marie-Bianca Lebeault, oboe (Boisbriand)
Project: studies at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (Zurich University of the Arts), in Switzerland
• Krystina Marcoux, marimba (Montreal)
Project: advanced training with percussionist Jean-Pierre Drouet and composer Georges Aperghis
• Rose Naggar-Tremblay, contralto (Montreal)
Project: advanced training in Augsburg, Germany, and audition for the Dutch National Opera
• Sophie Naubert, soprano (Gatineau)
Project: Master of Music degree at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik (Hanns Eisler School of Music) in Berlin
• Carole-Anne Roussel, soprano (Rivière-du-Loup/Rimouski)
Project: advanced vocal training with soprano Hélène Guilmette and coach Martin Dubé
• Yu Kai Sun, violin (Montreal)
Project: second year of studies in the Master of Music program at the Colburn School Conservatory in the United States
• Alexandre Turmel, baroque violin (Gatineau)
Project: final year of studies at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague
* Artists’ biographies are available here.
ABOUT THE AIDA FUND
Established with financial support from the province’s Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, the AIDA fund provides artists with non-recurrent funding for specific one-off projects such as auditions, competitions, master classes, etc.
In keeping with JM Canada’s mandate, the JM Canada Foundation’s AIDA Fund is intended to support the development and guide the professional career path of young Quebec artists, in addition to facilitating their access to major cultural institutions at the national and international levels.
ABOUT THE JM CANADA FOUNDATION
The JM Canada Foundation works to raise, create, and administer funds to support the mission of JM Canada, which cultivates an appreciation for various types of classical music among young audiences, supports the development of young, classically trained musicians on the national scene, and helps further the developing careers of young Canadian musicians.
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Information:
Véronique Desjardins
Interim General Director
JM Canada Foundation
fondation@jmcanada.ca
