Attending the Sept. 13 SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Audio-visual Composers presentation in Montreal were, from left: composer Maxime Goulet, Francine Ménard of the SOCAN Foundation, composer Guillaume St-Laurent, jury member Paul Baillargeon, composers Marie-Andrée Roy, Hugo Mayrand, Vincent L. Pratte and Renaud Hallée, and SOCAN Foundation board member Marc Ouellette. Photo: Michel Gagné

Six composers from Quebec were among the 11 in total to capture cash prizes in the inaugural SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Audio-visual Composers, the results of which were announced recently. An awards presentation ceremony was held in Montreal on Sept. 13 for the Quebec winners. In attendance were two established SOCAN composers – jury member Paul Baillargeon and SOCAN Foundation board member Marc Ouellette.

In all, 68 outstanding applications were received for the 2011 prizes, which totalled $21,000 in cash awards. The annual SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Audio-visual Composers recognizes Canadian composers under 32 for original musical themes or scores created exclusively for audio-visual support in four award categories. A jury of three outstanding Canadian composers – Marvin Dolgay, President, Screen Composers Guild of Canada; Paul Baillargeon, veteran Quebec-based composer; and award-winning Vancouver-based composer John Sereda – judged the entries in Toronto.

Heading the winners’ list was Montreal’s Guillaume St-Laurent, who took the $3,000 first prize in the category of Best Original Musical Theme for his work on the film Noémie (directed by Éric Chaussé), as well as the $1,500 second prize in the Best Original Score: Animated category for Zoé (directed by Emilie Row).

Left to right: Vancouver area winners Matthew Rogers, Adam Lastiwka and Iman Habibi.
(Photo: Sara Pavilionis)

Other first-prize winners, each taking home $3,000, were Vincent L. Pratte for his score to Der Treibende Fisher (directed by Ianic Mathieu), in the Best Original Score: Fiction category; and Maxime Goulet for his work on Running (directed by Ann Marie Fleming), in the Best Original Score: Animated category. First prize in the category of Best Original Score: Non-Fiction was shared ($2,250 each) by Iman Habibi and Adam Lastiwka, both of Vancouver, for their music to, respectively, Shades of Grey and Eat St.

Additional 2011 award recipients include Hugo Mayrand (second prize) and Jonathan A. Miller (third prize) for the Best Original Musical Theme; Marie-Andrée Roy (second prize) and Josh Cruddas (third prize) for the Best Original Score: Fiction; Renaud Halée (third prize) for Best Original Score: Animated; and Matthew Rogers (third prize) for Best Original Score: Non-Fiction.

The SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Audio-visual Composers is open to Canadian citizens under the age of 32. The 2012 application deadline is April 16, 2012. Visit www.socanfoundation.ca for further details.