The Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre are pleased to present the 2021 Friends of Canadian Music Award (FCMA) to flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor. A cash prize of $1325 will be awarded to the winner and another $1325 to an emerging composer of the winner’s choice. This year, Mark Takeshi McGregor has selected Maria Eduarda Mendes Martins as their co-recipient.
Jurors for the twenty-seventh edition of the award—Müge Büyükçelen, Sophie Dupuis, Cheryl Duvall, and Nicole Rampersaud—were struck by the exceptionally prolific commissioning, recording, and disseminating of Canadian Music by Mark Takeshi McGregor. The jury issued the following statement:
“Mark displays a true devotion and commitment to represent, develop, and support Canadian music and composers. The depth and breadth of this work includes a consistent prioritization and support of underrepresented composers. He is an incredible and cutting-edge performer that champions the work of other musicians, both in his immediate community of Vancouver as well as throughout the country. His leadership is demonstrative of what anti-oppression and equity in new music can be, and serves as an example for others to learn from. We congratulate Mark Takeshi McGregor for his extraordinary contributions to the landscape of Canadian music, and we look forward to his myriad future projects!”
The official presentation will take place on January 9th, with the Victoria-based Aventa Ensemble. Further details will be announced closer to the concert date.
About the Recipients
Described as a “mind-blowing” musician of “huge physical energy” (Times Colonist), flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor has performed extensively across five continents, with the music of emerging and established Canadian composers at the heart of his activities. A prolific recording artist, Mark co-founded the award-winning Redshift Records label in 2007 and in 2020 was the winner of the Western Canadian Music Award “Classical Artist of the Year” for his album Lutalica. He has served as co-artistic director of Redshift Music Society, artistic director of Powell Street Festival, and in October 2021 became artistic director of Vancouver’s Queer Arts Festival.
Maria Eduarda Mendes Martins is a composer, conductor, and arts administrator living in Toronto, ON. Her compositional output explores connections between present and past musical eras, foregrounding the human aspects of creation existent in art.
Originally from Brazil, Maria completed an undergraduate degree at UFRGS, a master’s degree at University of Victoria, and she is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at University of Toronto (all of which in music composition).Maria’s music has been performed by orchestras, choirs and ensembles in Canada and abroad, and she became a permanent resident of the country in 2019.
The Canadian League of Composers acknowledges the financial support of the Ontario Arts Council, the SOCAN Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Azrieli Foundation.
