Hugh Davidson Fund

Since it first began awarding grants in 2016, the Hugh Davidson Fund, held at the Victoria Foundation, has supported the commission of nineteen new works Vivian Fung, Marcus Goddard, Samy Moussa, Jeffrey Ryan, Rita Ueda, Nicole Lizee, Linda Bouchard, Jocelyn Morlock, Stacey Brown, and Cassandra Miller, among other composers to be announced.

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The fund was created in 2006 through a bequest by Hugh Davidson, (b. May 27, 1930 – d. July 14, 2014) who left the Victoria Foundation a sizeable gift from his estate to establish the Hugh Davidson Fund. The purpose of the fund is to aid the public rehearsal, performance and recording of newly composed Canadian orchestral music by the Vancouver and Victoria Symphony Societies or orchestral organizations directed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra or Victoria Symphony Society.

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At Hugh’s direction, the Victoria Foundation assembled a committee to make recommendations about annual grants to achieve this purpose, consisting of the BC Director of the Canadian Music Centre, the Chair of the CMC’s BC Advisory Council, one member of the public appointed by the Victoria Foundation, and the Director of Philanthropic Services of the Victoria Foundation as a non-voting member.

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The original committee consisted of George Laverock, then Chair of the BC Advisory Council, Sean Bickerton, BC Director, and Denise Ball, then an Executive Producer with the CBC, and Sara Neely from the Victoria Foundation. In addition, the artistic leaders of the two orchestras meet with the committee on a regular basis to discuss proposals, and then recuse themselves for votes.

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As of this writing, Hugh’s extraordinary generosity has funded nineteen (19) new orchestral works since 2016, listed below.

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Former head of the Canada Council, Hugh was a prolific composer himself, creating works for piano, ballets, chamber music, vocal art songs, choral works, and incidental music for the theatre. He studied piano with George Crum and composition with Godfrey Ridout at The Royal Conservatory of Music, later studying in England with Bernard Stevens and Humphrey Searle, then with Neil Chotem in Montreal.

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He had a tremendous impact on the musical life and development of this country, as a composer, music critic, radio producer, writer, and arts administrator.

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Hugh Hanson Davidson (1930-2014) was a Canadian composer, music critic, radio producer, writer, and arts administrator. His compositional output includes works for piano, ballets, chamber music, vocal art songs, choral works, and incidental music for the theatre.

Davidson graduated from The Royal Conservatory of Music where he studied from 1945–1948. His teachers there included George Crum in piano and Godfrey Ridout in music composition. He also studied in England with Bernard Stevens and Humphrey Searle, and then with Neil Chotem in Montreal.

From 1956 to 1961 Davidson was a Radio Producer for CBC Montreal’s English network, moving to their French network in 1962 where he worked for three years as Supervisor of Music. He was then appointed Assistant Program Director at CBC Montreal in 1965, a position he held for four years. In 1966 he helped found the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec. In 1967 he worked for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67 as their music consultant. He worked for the BBC in London from 1969–1971 and then returned to Canada to become Music Administrator of the National Arts Centre (1971–1973). He was appointed Head of Music at the Canada Council in 1973, where he remained until he became Cultural Councillor to the Canadian High Commission in London in 1978. From 1981–1988 he served as General Manager of the Canada Council’s Touring Office. After leaving there he worked as a consultant to various arts organizations in the Vancouver area, where he also worked for many hours every week as a volunteer for the Canadian Music Centre.

Davidson also worked as a music critic for a number of newspapers and magazines.

He retired to Victoria, BC in 1999, where he served until his death as a supporter and advisor to the Victoria Symphony.

Commissions

The commissions his legacy has made possible include:

2023/2024

  • Commission of a new work by Robyn Jacob for the Victoria Symphony.
  • Commission of Corey Payette’s Fallen Drum Symphony for the Victoria Symphony.
  • Commission of a new work by Russell Wallace for the Victoria Symphony.

2022/2023

  • Commission of a new work by Alexina Louie for the Victoria Symphony.
  • Commission of Nicholas Ryan Kelly’s Earth, beloved for SSAA choir and orchestra for the Victoria Symphony.
  • Commission of Anna Höstman’s Saltwater, for string orchestra for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
  • Commission of Jeff Ryan’s Emily Carr Songs for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
  • Commission of Linda Catlin Smith’s Mountainfor the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

2021/2022

  • Commission of a new work by Cassandra Miller for the Victoria Symphony.
  • Commission of a new work by Rita Ueda for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
  • Support for the commission of Marcus Goddard’s multimedia work Parts I and II: Life Emerging.

2020/2021

  • Commission of a new work for symphony orchestra by Samy Moussa, Elysium, co-commissioned by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Festival de Lanaudière. Elysium was premièred on September 18, 2021 by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
  • Support a two-year, four-work co-commissioning and recording project of both the Victoria and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras focussing on distinctive, diverse Canadian responses to the four symphonies of Robert Schumann. (Composers to be announced.)
  • Commission of a new work by Stacey Brown.

2019/2020

  • Commission of Vivian Fung’s new Flute Concerto, ‘Storm Within’, premiered by VSO Principal Flautist, Christie Reside and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on November 11, 2022, after delays due to COVID.
  • Commission of Marcus Goddard’s Live Wire on Saturday, October 2, 2021 by the Victoria Symphony.
  • Support for performance of Nicole Lizee’s Perxploitation by Victoria Symphony  in 2020/21 Exploration Series.

2018/2019

  • Support for the production costs of Bramwell Tovey’s Recording of New Works.
  • Commission of Nicole Lizee’s Concerto for Vern Griffiths premiered by Very Griffiths, percussion, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in mid-January, 2019 at the VSO’s much-missed New Music Festival.
  • Support for the production costs and live streaming of Jocelyn Morlock’s My Name is Amanda Todd by the Victoria Symphony Orchestra.

2017/2018

  • Commission of Flocking for Orchestra by Linda Bouchard premiered by the Victoria Symphony on April 7, 2018 in Victoria BC.
  • Support for completion of the recording project for Jeffrey Ryan’s Afghanistan: Requiem for a Generation by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
  • A new Violin Concerto by Marcus Goddard premiered January 22, 2018 by Rachel Barton Pine, violin, with the  Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

2016/2017

  • A new work by Jeffrey Ryan based on the poem by Patrick Lane titled Panthalassa (Water, Because It Sings) premiered by the Victoria Symphony Society on February 4 and 5, 2017 in Victoria.
  • A new work by Marcus Goddard called Spooky Action at a Distance premiered by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on January 29, 2017 in Vancouver.