Press release
String players William Deslauriers-Allain and Zoey Dabin Yang awarded at this 17th edition
Montreal, October 28, 2022— The Jeunesses Musicales Canada Foundation (JM Canada Foundation) has exceptionally awarded the Peter Mendell Award to two remarkably talented young string players: double bassist William Deslauriers-Allain, a student at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal with Joel Quarrington, and violinist Zoey Dabin Yang, a student at McGill University with Andrew Wan. The recipients received a $2,500 scholarship each.
“Out of a dozen applications, we chose these two string players, who impressed us both with the quality of their sound and their playing. The jury came to the unanimous decision to share the $5,000 scholarship between the two candidates competing for the award,” explained Véronique Desjardins, interim Executive Director of the JM Canada Foundation.
The jury was composed of Janelle Fung, pianist and piano professor at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Véronique Desjardins, Executive Director by interim of the JM Canada Foundation, and Peter Mendell, lawyer at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg.
Biography of William Deslauriers-Allain
Double bassist, William Deslauriers-Allain has been studying at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal since 2017, first with René Gosselin and then with Joel Quarrington since 2021. He is the recipient of the Gilbert Patenaude Scholarship at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal (2021) for the student with the best instrumental and academic results. In May, he was awarded the Gaétan Belleau and Lise Bergeron Scholarship of $2,000 and the 2nd Grand Prize at the Festival-concours de musique de Sherbrooke as well as the Madeleine and Alain Goulet Scholarship of $10,000 and the 1st Prize at the Sorel-Tracy Competition. At the end of 2021, William performed as a guest soloist on October 24 in a concert at the Saint-Camille Chapel in the Eastern Townships, as well as with the Grand Orchestre à Cordes du Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal on December 5. He also won first prize Huguette-Dubois at the Concours de Musique de la Capitale in Quebec City in May 2022.
Biography of Zoey Dabin Yang
Originally from Seoul, South Korea, violinist Zoey Dabin Yang began her musical journey at the age of six. After moving with her family to Toronto in 2016, she continued her education at the Taylor Academy for Young Artist with Jonathan Crow and Barry Shiffman. Zoey holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where she studied under Andrew Wan, Concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. She was the recipient of the prestigious Lloyd Carr-Harris Scholarship, and she is currently completing a master’s degree at the same institution.
About the Peter-Mendell Award
Established in 2005, the Peter-Mendell Award recognizes the excellence of a young string player aged 25 or under, attending university in Quebec or studying at a Conservatoire de musique du Québec.
This annual award bears the name of Peter Mendell, a well know attorney at the law firm of Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, a devoted music enthusiast and amateur cellist. Peter and Margie Mendell are proud to partner with the JM Canada Foundation and JM Canada to support musical excellence.
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.
– 30 –
Information:
Véronique Desjardins
Interim Executive Director
JM Canada Foundation
fondation@jmcanada.ca
