Symphony Resident Conductor Martin MacDonald wins Canada Council conducting award

Symphony Nova Scotia Resident Conductor Martin MacDonald recently received the Canada Council for the Arts’ Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestra Conducting for 2010.

Worth $1,000, the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award is given annually to a young Canadian orchestra conductor. Eligible candidates are selected among the resident or staff conductors with Canadian orchestras, and the winner is chosen by a Canada Council Peer Assessment Committee.

“It is an absolute honour to be granted such a prestigious and wonderful distinction from the Canada Council for the Arts,” says Martin.

“The Council has generously supported my conducting activities for some time now, and I can never thank them enough for their continued support of my career and the careers of other Canadian conductors and musicians. I remain committed to this country, making music for Nova Scotians and all Canadians and contributing to the thriving orchestral scene that we have here in Canada.”

Martin’s position as Resident Conductor at Symphony Nova Scotia is supported by the Canada Council’s Residencies for Composers and Conductors program, which assists in the professional development of Canadian composers and conductors.

Previous winners of the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award include André Jutras, Jean-Marie Zeitouni, Ken Hsieh, Pierre Simard, and Evan Mitchell. In 2008, the winner of the award was Symphony Nova Scotia’s then-Resident Conductor Dinuk Wijeratne.

About Symphony Nova Scotia
Symphony Nova Scotia is Nova Scotia’s orchestra. Each year more than 50,000 audience members (including 16,000 young music lovers) join us in communities across Nova Scotia for performances of the music they love – from baroque and classical to pop and rock and folk. Under the inspirational leadership of Music Director Bernhard Gueller, Symphony Nova Scotia is recognized as one of the finest orchestras in the country. Browse www.SymphonyNovaScotia.ca to learn more, listen online, or subscribe today!

Symphony Nova Scotia is grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture, and Heritage, and the Halifax Regional Municipality for their continued support.