Canada’s Concours Musical International de Montréal Wins Opus Award

The Opus Awards was presented at the 25th Prix Opus Gala by the Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM), a Canadian organization that recognizes contributions to the Québec music scene. Awarded each year since 1996, the Opus Awards acknowledge excellence in the province's concert music community.

The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) won the special prize for Music Event of the Year for its Piano 2021 edition, which was initially scheduled for 2020 but was held virtually the following year.

CMIM is considered one of the most prestigious performance competitions in the world. Supporting those pursuing international performance careers, it is a platform for the world’s finest young singers, violinists, and pianists to become top professionals. In 2019, VC Young Artist Hao Zhou was awarded first prize at the competition's violin edition.  

The competition was formed in 2001 and has since been held annually, alternating between the three instrumental and vocal sections every three years.

Their Piano 2021 edition offered a digital stage for participating young pianists who had been isolated and unable to perform live for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A total of 26 pianists of 11 different nationalities participated through video performances from 16 cities internationally. The recitals were broadcast across Asia, Europe, and America, and gained over three million views in mere weeks. 

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have felt the strong support of our administrators, our sponsors, our donors, our volunteers, and our artistic partners,” said CMIM’s executive and artistic director, Christiane LeBlanc in the press release. “This recognition from the CQM is a welcome addition to the extraordinary endorsement we feel to pursue our mission.”

Spring 2022 will see CMIM held live with their Voice Edition from May 31 to June 9. Until then, Piano 2021’s recitals are still available on the CMIM Website.