Career Development Award

What’s so Special about this Piano?

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Charles Richard Hamelin's piano

Many of you may have heard performances by the wonderful pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin, winner of our 2015 Career Development Award. At a reception following his2017 WMCT concert he told us that this prize money was invaluable because it enabled him to buy his very first piano – that is after many years of study (at McGill, Yale and Montréal Conservatory) and having already embarked on a professional performing career. We tend to think of awards being spent on further education and lessons, which are of course necessary and expensive, but having a good quality instrument is also of paramount importance for any musician.

Charles’s beautiful piano is a Hamburg Steinway (Model A) built in 1911.  It was assembled in London, England, and subsequently found its way to the Quebec City area studio of Charles’s favourite piano technicians, Marcel Lapointe and Isabelle Gagnon, who beautifully refurbished it – apparently, it only took Charles a few minutes of playing to know this was “the one” for him. He says this piano has served him incredibly well over the past ten years and he doesn’t think he’ll ever change it for another one.

It is always gratifying for the WMCT to learn how its awards contribute in such meaningful ways to remarkable musical careers.

Annette Sanger

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High school students gain inspiration from a WMCT-sponsored workshop with Midori Marsh

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On Monday, April 14 room 130 at the Faculty of Music, U of T, was alive with the sound of music – a group of high school students from RH King Academy in Scarborough attended a workshop by the WMCT’s most recent Career Development Award winner, soprano Midori Marsh, who performed her sisterhood-themed concert for Music in the Afternoon on April 3. Like the concert, the workshop was a truly magical occasion!

Several students had the opportunity to perform solo and showcase their amazing vocal and acting talents while receiving a wealth of constructive feedback from Midori, whom they clearly loved! Her suggestions for improvements included working on breathing techniques, refining facial expressions, relaxing the head and neck, and maintaining one’s presence through to the end of a song even if one has stopped singing. For the students it was their first time performing with a piano accompanist (the amazing Andrew Ball) and they clearly felt this was a very special occasion while still feeling completely comfortable and supported both by their peers and by Midori. The students felt honoured and privileged to be working with a professional singer, and Midori relished the opportunity to inspire and encourage young musicians with whom she had a great rapport.

Warmest thanks to everyone – the students, their teacher Heather Shaw, Midori and Andrew, and WMCT volunteers and donors who all made this wonderful musical gathering possible.

Annette Sanger
CDA Chair

Students perform at a workshop led by soprano Midori Marsh.
Students perform at a workshop led by soprano Midori Marsh.
Soprano Midori Marsh leads a workshop with high school students.
Students perform at a workshop led by soprano Midori Marsh.
Students perform at a workshop led by soprano Midori Marsh.
Soprano Midori Marsh with students from RH King Academy in Scarborough.

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Midori Marsh, 2024 Career Development Award Winner

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At the March 7 Music in the Afternoon concert, Annette Sanger, CDA Committee Chair, presented this year’s award to Midori Marsh, soprano.
In her thanks for the award, Midori exhorted us all to sing, in and out of the shower, as the best way to personal pleasure, and community strength and unity!

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.
A “polished and poised performer” with “a truly gorgeous, expressive sound,” Midori is a known quantity in the Canadian opera scene, performing with Tapestry Opera, Against the Grain Theatre, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the NAC Orchestra, and more. While at the COC, Midori was seen as Nella in Gianni Schicchi, the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Annina in La traviata, Papagena in The Magic Flute, and Frasquita in Carmen.

About the CDA Award

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The 2024 Career Development Award Competition

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Eight young Canadian classical musicians embarking on performing careers, from all over Canada, and playing a range of instruments, have been selected by CBC producers. The winner of the $25,000 award will be announced at Music in the Afternoon on March 7, 2024. Here is the list of candidates and jury members.

2024 CDA article revKDownload

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Michael Bridge : 2021 Career Development Award Winner

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The WMCT is delighted to announce its 2021 Career Development award winner. The CDA is presented every three years to a young and exceptional Canadian musician embarking on a the WMCT, in partnership with CBC Radio Music and Société Radio-Canada/ICI Musique, and it is funded by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto Foundation.

Photo: Bo Huang

The 2021 CDA winner is accordionist, Michael Bridge. Our audience will remember Michael from his brilliant Music in the Afternoon concert live-streamed on November 12 last year. Actually, this CDA award represents two firsts – the first accordionist, and the first awardee who has performed for us in advance of receiving the CDA!  But with such a talented and versatile performer as Michael we eagerly look forward to hearing him again (in person!) in his CDA-winner recital in our 2022-23 Music in the Afternoon season.

Michael hails from Calgary and is now based in Toronto. He is currently in the final stages of his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto and on the cusp of a full-time performing career, though already he has toured every Canadian province, nearly half of the American states, and several regions in Europe and South America.

Hearty congratulations to Michael Bridge!

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Charles Richard-Hamelin awarded another prize

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In 2015, the Conseil québécois de la musique named him the Discovery of the Year; in 2018 he was their Performer of the Year; for 2020, his ATMA CD of Chopin Ballades and Impromptus has been recognized as Album of the Year in its category.

The WMCT again congratulates the winner of its
2015 Career Development Award.

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