Toronto, August 29, 2016 – David Braid is the 2016 recipient of the $20,000 Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award for Keyboard Artistry. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of keyboard artistry, and was presented today at Toronto’s Music Monday‘s gala 25th anniversary lunchtime concert where Braid was featured.
Hailed in the Canadian press as ‘a jazz genius to call our own’ (Maclean’s Magazine), multi-Juno-Award-winning pianist David Braid has performed concerts of his original music and improvisations across Europe, Asia, Australia, Brazil, the United States, and Canada. Combining principles fundamental to European classical music and the spontaneity of American jazz, Braid’s fusion of art and music engages audiences with a style described as ‘refreshingly uncategorizable’ (Paris Transatlantic), ‘brilliant’ (Montreal Gazette), ‘wide-ranging, exploratory’ (South China Morning Post), ‘une force poétique’ (Le Soleil) and ‘hauntingly beautiful’ (The Globe & Mail).
Recently, Braid’s arrangements and compositions were an integral part of the Chet Baker-inspired film, ‘Born to Be Blue’ (IFC Films) starring Ethan Hawke – his jazz score received praise for its ‘contemporary patina without sacrificing period authenticity’ (The Times, UK).
Braid is a Steinway Artist, Artist-in-Residence at the University of Toronto, and a Special Associate Artist of Sinfonia UK Collective.
Braid was selected by a jury comprising Tom Allen, music journalist, broadcaster and musician (Toronto, ON); Lorraine Desmarais jazz pianist and educator (Laval, QC), and Megumi Masaki classical pianist and educator (Brandon, MB). The jury members stated that, “David Braid is a relentlessly creative jazz performer and an inventive composer working in many different contexts. He is a brilliantly versatile artist yet his sound is immediately identifiable.”
The Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award was established at the Ontario Arts Foundation by the late Norman Walford, former Executive Director of the Ontario Arts Council, and the late Paul de Hueck, former CBC television production manager. The Ontario Arts Council is responsible for the nomination and selection process.
Previous award winners include Robert Silverman (1998), Lorraine Desmarais and Janina Fialkowska (2007).
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Established in 1991, the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) is passionately committed to building long-term support for the arts in Ontario. In 2015-2016, the OAF paid over $3.0 million in endowment income and $300,000 in awards and scholarships.
For more than 50 years, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians. In 2015-2016 the OAC funded 1,676 individual artists and 1,125 organizations in 209 communities across Ontario for a total of $50.5 million.
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