Toronto, November 6, 2007 –Jazz pianist, Lorraine Desmarais and classical pianist, Janina Fialkowska are the 2007 recipients of the Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award for Keyboard Artistry, winning $10,000 each.
Jurors Tamara Bernstein, music programmer (Toronto), Jacques …mond, music programmer (Ottawa), and pianist, Robert Silverman, 1998 de Hueck/Walford Award winner (Vancouver), selectedLorraine Desmarais for her celebrated career as a jazz pianist in Canada and abroad. They noted that Ms Desmarais is constantly moving forward to further her contribution to music in Canada.
The jury recognized Janina Fialkowska for her moving and poetic interpretations of 19th and 20th century repertoire. They also acknowledged her remarkable efforts to reach new audiences with projects such as Piano Six that have taken music to new audiences in rural Canada.
The de Hueck/Walford 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 administered the selection process. The Ontario Arts Foundation manages the endowment that funds the de Hueck/Walford Award.
Established in 1991 as a public charitable foundation, the Ontario Arts Foundation holds over 275 endowments totalling more than $47 million and pays out over $2.5 million annually in support of the arts.
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For further information, please contact:
Janet Stubbs
416 969 7413
jstubbs@arts.on.ca