Hugh Davidson Fund Has Supported 19 New Commissions

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 by 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.

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.

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. The artistic leaders of both orchestras also sit on the committees as non-voting members.

The original committee consisted of George Laverock, then Chair of the BC Advisory Council; Sean Bickerton, BC Director of the Canadian Music Centre; Denise Ball, then an Executive Producer with the CBC; and Sara Neely, Director of Philanthropic Services with the Victoria Foundation. In addition, the artistic leaders of the two orchestras meet with the committee on a regular basis to discuss proposals, then leave meetings when it’s time for the members to vote.

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

According to Sara Neely, who knew him well: “Hugh’s generosity has given symphony audiences in Victoria and Vancouver the joy of experiencing so many wonderful new Canadian orchestral compositions.  When I am in the audience, I think of Hugh sitting back enjoying every moment as he so often did during rehearsals and performances in Victoria.”

Former head of the Canada Council, Hugh Davidson had a tremendous impact on the musical life and development of this country, as a composer, music critic, radio producer, writer, and arts administrator.

“I met Hugh Davidson back in the 1980s,” BC Director of the Canadian Music Centre, Sean Bickerton, recalls, “when he was head of the Canada Council’s Touring Council. He made a huge impression — he was larger than life and full of fun.”

Hugh Davidson 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.”

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 later years, he served as Cultural Councillor to the Canadian High Commission in London.

The commissions his legacy has made possible include: