Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Music Centre in British Columbia (CMC BC) is pleased to honour the Victoria Symphony (VS) with an Award of Excellence for the VS’s extraordinary contribution to Canadian Music.
The award was presented onstage to VS Music Director Maestro Tania Miller and the Victoria Symphony by the CMC’s BC Director Sean Bickerton, just before the world premiere of Jeffrey Ryan’s Panthalassa (Water, Because It Sings), on Saturday, February 4 at the Royal Theatre.
“The Victoria Symphony has played a leadership role for new music in BC, and, as an alumni of this orchestra, it gives me great pleasure to recognize their extraordinary contribution to Canadian music,” said Sean Bickerton, BC Director of the Canadian Music Centre.
“VS Music Director Tania Miller, has been a pioneer nationally in championing Canadian music and composers. Under her leadership, the Victoria Symphony was the first orchestra in BC to launch a New Music Festival, more than a decade ago in 2005,” Bickerton observed during the presentation.
“And the exemplary VS Composer In Residence program has brought some of the nation’s most visionary and celebrated composers to work in the city of Victoria since it was first established in 1999,” Bickerton stated, “with the appointment of Christopher Butterfield to the role.”
Jared Miller, Sean Bickerton, Tania Miller, Jeffrey Ryan
Butterfield was succeeded by Doug Schmidt (2002-2005), Tobin Stokes and Anna Hostman (2005-2007), Rodney Sharman (2008-2010), and Michael Oesterle (2011-2014), with Jared Miller serving as Composer In Residence since 2015.
“And the Victoria Symphony has commissioned and performed many landmark Canadian works that would not otherwise exist,” Bickerton added. “For all of these reasons and more, it is an honour and privilege to present this Award of Excellence to the Victoria Symphony!”
The Canadian Music Centre in BC recognizes extraordinary contributions to Canadian music throughout our province through the Award of Excellence program.