The 2022 Azrieli Music Prizes

The Azrieli Foundation has presented its three laureates at the 2022 Azrieli Music Prizes Gala at the Maison Symphonique de Montréal, with Alexandre Bloch conducting the Orchestre Métropolitain.

All three winners explore deep questions of the human condition in their music – amplifying stories and traditions that will resonate with us all.  Canadian-born Israeli composer Aharon Harlap won his 2022 Prize for a work entitled Out of the Depths have I cried unto Thee O’ Lord, a setting of five psalms for soprano and orchestra. The work represents an emotional journey that begins in despair, passing through hope to celebration. The jury describes the work in a media release as, “a beautiful, sophisticated, moving and sincere piece of music, written by a fantastic musician. It is a major work that reflects well on the state of Jewish Music.”
 
Iranian-Canadian composer Iman Habibi was awarded the Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music to write a 20-minute song cycle based on texts by Judeo-Persian poet Shahin Shirazi, sung in Farsi by a Persian soloist in a Persian style. The work will reflect the close historical ties between Persians and Jews since antiquity.
The jury described him as, “a truly authentic composer. His music is unique, original and fascinating. His proposal for a new song cycle exploring Judeo-Persian poetry offers an utterly unique contribution to the repertoire.”

The 2022 winner of the Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, Rita Ueda, will write a 25-minute double concerto for suona (Chinese double-reed horn), sho (Japanese mouth organ) and orchestra, incorporating native Canadian birdsongs. The piece will incorporate Japanese, Chinese and Western musical traditions.
The jury describes her proposal in a media release. “Rita Ueda brings rigour and care to her music. Her proposal is well-researched and interesting in the ways that it confronts tensions in and between cultures by viewing birdsong through an intercultural lens. It is a well-considered, generous and inte