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News Releases - < 2000

Renowned Cellist Yo-Yo Ma Wins 1999 Glenn Gould Prize

Ottawa, 5 February 1999 - At a news conference at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, François Colbert, Vice-Chairman of the Canada Council for the Arts and Chairman of the Glenn Gould Prize jury, and Stanley Witkin, President of The Glenn Gould Foundation, today announced that renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma is the laureate of the C$50,000 Glenn Gould Prize. The announcement was broadcast across Canada on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada stereo networks.

Created by The Glenn Gould Foundation, the Glenn Gould Prize is intended as a tribute by the people of Canada to the life and work of Glenn Gould. It was first awarded in November 1987 to R. Murray Schafer (Canada) and subsequently to Lord Menuhin (Great Britain) in 1990, Oscar Peterson, C.C. (Canada) in 1993 and Toru Takemitsu (Japan) in 1996.

This year's jury, chaired by François Colbert, Vice-Chairman of the Canada Council for the Arts, is composed of the following international music and broadcasting figures: Eva Badura-Skoda (Austria); Tan Dun (Peoples's Republic of China/USA); Carole Muizelaar (Netherlands); Tim Page (United States); John Peter Lee Roberts, O.C. (Canada); Jukka-Pekka Saraste (Finland/Canada); John Wyre (Canada).

In explaining its unanimous choice, the jury said: "Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is a thinking, questing musician very much in the spirit of Glenn Gould. His artistry is immaculate and individual; his range is wide and deep; his aspirations are of the highest order. Moreover, Ma has employed his gift to bring music to us all - through his concerts and recordings, his workshops for young people, and his multimedia explorations. Above all, he has never played it safe; long may he nurture and challenge us."

Administered by the Canada Council for the Arts and awarded every three years, the prize consists of C$50,000 and an original work by a Canadian artist. In addition, the laureate's photograph will be added to a permanent collection of laureates' photographs on display at Glenn Gould Studio of the Canadian Broadcasting Centre. This year's art work, commissioned by The Glenn Gould Foundation and funded by M. Joan Chalmers, C.C., O.Ont., is being created by distinguished sculptor and mixed-media artist Catherine Widgery of Montreal.

The Prize is awarded to an individual who has earned international recognition as the result of making an exceptional contribution to music and its communication through the use of any of the communications technologies. Individuals from any country are eligible. Nominees may come from a broad range of fields, including musical creation or performance, film, video, television, radio and recordings, music-theatre and writing.

The 1999 Glenn Gould Prize will be presented at a special ceremony in Toronto in September 1999 at the closing concert of the 1999 Glenn Gould Gathering at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.

The Glenn Gould Prize Fund

The Glenn Gould Prize Fund was established by The Glenn Gould Foundation. The fund was launched by a cornerstone contribution from the late Floyd S. Chalmers, C.C., of Toronto. The proceeds of the 1985 International Bach Competition held in Toronto were added to the prize fund. Other contributors included the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, the City of Toronto and a number of individuals and foundations. The original work of Canadian art that is part of the prize is donated by M. Joan Chalmers, C.C., O.Ont. The fund is managed by the Canada Council for the Arts on behalf of The Glenn Gould Foundation.

The Glenn Gould Foundation

The Glenn Gould Foundation was established in 1983 in Toronto, Canada, to honour and perpetuate the memory of Glenn Gould. The Directors are: Stanley Witkin, President ; John B. Lawson, Q.C., Past President; John Peter Lee Roberts, O.C., Founding President; M. Joan Chalmers, C.C., O.Ont., Vice-President; J. Stephen Posen, Vice-President; Barry J. Ryan, Secretary; Sheryl A. Teed, C.A., Treasurer; Stevan G. Ellis; Loie Fallis; Nancy Gelber; Dr. David Goldbloom; Nicholas Goldschmidt, C.C.; Tal Hebdon; Terry Jenkins; Merle Kriss; Dr. S. Timothy Maloney; Sue Davidson Polanyi; Lola Rasminsky; Harold Redekopp; Ray Roberts; Jeffrey J. Smyth; Vincent Tovell; and John A. Miller, Executive Director.

Apart from initiating projects of its own, the Foundation encourages others to develop projects concerned with Glenn Gould and the field of music and communications. In this way, the Foundation has been associated with numerous broadcasts, publications, exhibitions and conferences in Canada and abroad.

For more information about The Glenn Gould Foundation, its Glenn Gould Gathering of this year, its worldwide society, Friends of Glenn Gould, and its semi-annual publication, GlennGould, please write or send a facsimile to: The Glenn Gould Foundation, P.O. Box 190, 260 Adelaide Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5A 1N1. Facsimile: (416) 962-6201

Acknowledgments

The Glenn Gould Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts appreciate the generous assistance of the following supporters of the Glenn Gould Prize 1999:

  • M. Joan Chalmers, C.C.,O.Ont., Canadian art work donor
  • CBC Radio/Société Radio Canada, national media supporter
  • Estate of Glenn Gould
  • Glenn Gould Studio, Canadian Broadcasting Centre
  • Sony Classical, founding corporate supporter

 

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Biographical notes - Yo-Yo Ma

The multi-faceted career of cellist Yo-Yo Ma is a testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences and to his own desire for artistic renewal.

His re-exploration of J.S. Bach's Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello illustrates this exceptional approach to his art. Mr. Ma started learning the pieces at age four, and has drawn inspiration from their intellectual, spiritual and emotional power throughout his life. Long dedicated to working with artists in other fields, Ma collaborated with six artists - one for each suite - in a film series "Inspired by Bach." The films have been broadcast on PBS, TV Ontario, and other networks worldwide and have been released on home video.

Mr. Ma maintains a balance in his engagements as a soloist with orchestras, his recital and chamber performances, recording activities, and educational programs for young audiences. He is committed to the expansion of the cello repertoire both through performances of lesser-known music of the 20th century and the commissioning of new concertos and recital pieces. In many cases, he has recorded the works he has commissioned or premiered, adding to his discography of nearly 50 albums, which reflects not only the standard cello repertoire, but also many collaborations with other artists in jazz, tango and Appalachian music.

One of Mr. Ma's goals is to understand how music serves as a means of communication in both Western and non-Western cultures; to that end he has immersed himself in subjects as diverse as native Chinese music and the music of the Kalahari bush people of Africa.

Mr. Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris and moved to New York as a child. He began studying the cello at age four, and later studied at the Juilliard School. He sought out a traditional liberal arts education to expand upon his conservatory training, graduating from Harvard in 1976.

In Toronto:
Marcia McClung, Applause Communications Inc.
(416) 217-0700
applause@idirect.com