Every three years, the WMCT presents its $25,000 Career Development Award (CDA) to an exceptional young Canadian musician (or small ensemble) embarking on a professional performing career. The award includes the cash prize and the opportunity to give a recital in the Music in the Afternoon concert series. The CDA is a project of the WMCT in partnership with CBC Radio Music and Société Radio-Canada/ICI Musique, and it is funded by the WMCT Foundation. The 2024 Competition winner was announced at the Music in the Afternoon concert on March 7.
Career Development Award Winners
Midori Marsh is an American-Canadian soprano, from Cleveland, Ohio. She received her Bachelor of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2017 and her Master of Music in Opera at the University of Toronto in 2020. In the fall of 2019, she took home both first prize and the audience choice award at the Canadian Opera Company’s (COC’s) Centre Stage competition, and recently completed her third year with the COC’s young artist ensemble
- 2024 – Midori Marsh, soprano
- 2021 – Michael Bridge, accordion
- 2018 – Blake Pouliot, violin
- 2015 – Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano
- with second prize to cellist, Stéphane Tétreault, and third prize to pianist, Pierre André Doucet
- 2012 – Vincent Lauzer, recorder
- 2009 – Darrett Zusko, piano
- 2006 – Shannon Mercer, soprano
- 2003 – Sonia Chan, piano
- 2000 – Yegor Dyachkov, cello
- 1997 – Jeanie Chung, piano
- 1994 – Karina Gauvin, soprano
- 1992 – James Ehnes, violin
- 1990 – Francine Kay, piano