(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music is thrilled to announce that its releases received three nominations at the prestigious Music Nova Scotia Music & Industry Awards. Leading the nominations are two remarkable albums from our label: Catharsis by David Potvin and Zombie Blizzard by Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, both recognized in the Classical Recording of the Year category. Additionally, Defiant Dances by Symphony Nova Scotia, a release under Leaf Music Distribution, has also received a nomination in the same category. Congratulations!
We are equally proud to acknowledge the exceptional work of Cassie Mann, Leaf Music’s video & marketing associate, nominated for Musician of the Year, and Brad Reid, Leaf Music’s digital marketing coordinator, whose album The Bridge has been nominated for Traditional Recording of the Year. Their contributions to our team and the broader Nova Scotia music community have been invaluable.
As we anticipate the Music Nova Scotia Awards in November, Leaf Music is dedicated to supporting and celebrating the creativity of Nova Scotia’s classical recording artists, composers and industry in our region. We’re honoured to work with these nominated artists, among many others, who are passionate and dedicated to their craft.
Charlottetown, January 23, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Leaf Music is thrilled to announce that its releases received an impressive 12 nominations at the prestigious East Coast Music Awards (ECMA). The nominees were officially unveiled today in Charlottetown, setting the stage for an exciting celebration of East Coast music excellence.
Leaf Music, known for its dedication to promoting exceptional Canadian talent, is overjoyed to see its artists and their outstanding work recognized at the ECMA nominations announcement. The East Coast Music Awards, a highlight of the East Coast Music Week events, will take place in Charlottetown from May 1 to May 5, 2024.
The Leaf Music nominees are:
Choral Recording of the Year:
“L’appel” Choeur Louisbourg, directed by Monique Richard; composed by Jean-François Mallet
“In the Crystalline Vault of Heaven” by Luminos Ensemble, directed by Margot Rejskind and composed by Derek Charke
Classical Composition of the Year:
“Blackwood Sketches” by Andrew Staniland, recorded by Kate Read
“Folk Suite” by Jason Noble, recorded by Lara Deutsch and Adam Cicchillitti
“Etiquette,” by Monica Pearce, recorded by Essential Opera
Classical Recording of the Year:
“After” by Kate Read
“Ovation” by Tutta Musica and conducted by Tony Delgado
“I and Thou” by VC2 Cello Duo
Leaf Music is equally proud of the Leaf Music Distribution artists and releases that have garnered ECMA nominations.
African Canadian Artist of the Year:
Jah’Mila
Choral Recording of the Year:
“Winter Awakening” by Halifax Gay Men’s Chorus and directed by Bryan Crocker; composed by Robbie Smith, arranged by Erica Phare-Bergh
“Truly Home” by Polaris of Choirs for Change and directed by Ryan Henwood; composed by Robbie Smith, arranged by Frances Farrell
“Painter of Wintertime” by Nova Voce and co-directed by Bryan Crocker and Bill Perrot; composed by Robbie Smith, arranged by Frances Farrell
In addition to these nominations, Leaf Music would like to acknowledge the outstanding work of our former associate producer, Ben Barton Creelman, who contributed to many of these nominated releases. We congratulate him on his well-deserved nomination for Audio Engineer of the Year. Also, our digital marketing coordinator, Brad Reid, is also an ECMA-nominated fiddler. Brad’s 2023 album, The Bridge, received a nomination in the Roots / Traditional Recording of the Year category. Congratulations!
As the anticipation builds for the East Coast Music Awards in May, Leaf Music is grateful for the artists, composers, performers, and all those who have contributed to these exceptional recordings. These nominations are a testament to the passion and creativity that thrive within Atlantic Canada’s music community.
Stay tuned for updates, and join us in celebrating the remarkable talent showcased at the East Coast Music Awards. For more information about Leaf Music and our artists, visit www.leaf-music.ca.
Media Contact:
Peggy Walt Publicist, Leaf Music peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 476-1096 (cell) (902) 422-5403 (office)
About Leaf Music:
Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It makes and distributes high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada.
Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. We are also a leading provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services, and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada.
Halifax, NS; March 9, 2021 – Calgary based professional choir, Luminous Voices are thrilled to be nominated for a JUNO award. Announced earlier today during the official press conference, the ensemble received their first JUNO nomination for Classical Album of the Year: Vocalor Choral for their album, Sea Dreams. This celebration is just in time for the announcement of their upcoming album, Artem Vedel, set to be released May 7, 2021 through Halifax-based label Leaf Music.
“We are thrilled and deeply honoured to be nominated in this very special 50th anniversary year of the JUNOS!! To be recognized among other vocal/choral luminaries during this difficult COVID-19 year means the world to us.” – Dr. Timothy Shantz, Founder & Artistic Director
Sea Dreams features the work of the same title by Canadian composer Peter-Anthony Togni. “Sea Dreams” is written for double mixed choirs and two flutes and features two top Canadian flutists Sara Hahn-Scinocco and Sarah MacDonald. The piece was commissioned by Luminous Voices and Sara Hahn-Scinocco with the support from the Canada Council for the Arts and Paul and Elwyn Brown, and was premiered on February 25, 2018 at the Bella Concert Hall, Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts, Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta.
“Sea Dreams is a work that reflects my relationship to the ocean and my thoughts about a journey of faith, a journey full of questions, fears, longings, hopes, dreams, and the gifts of disappointment,” says Halifax-based composer Peter-Anthony Togni. “Each choir represents a ship on the water. Getting into a boat or on a ship is a kind of leap of faith: we can only pray and trust that the journey will be successful.”
Sea Dreams also includes other works by Togni, including Totus Tuus, Requiem et Lux, Earth Voices, Psaume 98, and more. Guest artists include bass clarinetist Jeff Reilly, soprano Katie Partridge, and tenor Oliver Munar.
Charke-Cormier Duo “Ex Tempore” named Classical Composition
of the Year award at 2019 East Coast Music Awards
May 4, 2019 (Charlottetown, PE) – Derek Charke and Eugene Cormier, members of the Charke Cormier Duo accepted the East Coast Music Award for Classical Composition of the Year this evening at the East Coast Music Awards’ “Classical Stage” at Trinity United Church in Charlottetown, PE for their work “Ex Tempore.”
The work appears on an album by the same name released on the Leaf Music label on May 4, 2018. The work, for flute and guitar, includes improvised passages so no two performances are exactly alike. Hear the album…
Derek Charke (flute / composer) and Eugene Cormier (guitar / arranger) are professors at Acadia University’s school of music. In 2018, the group’s recording of Celso Machado’s “Sambossa” from Musiques Populaires Brésiliennes earned a coveted position on Spotify’s Top 50 Classical Picks playlist, helping the group generate buzz across North America, Europe, Brazil and Mexico and over 35,000 on-demand audio streams of the work on the Spotify platform alone.
“The track Ex Tempore, composed by Charke, is a composed/improvised work for bass flute and guitar that lives up to its title. Note-bending during lengthy dramatic extended-technique bass flute phrases is heard against the guitar-driven rhythm and tonality, all in a spontaneous yet controlled direction, until the final satisfying guitar tone fades.”Read more…
– Tiina Kiik, The Whole Note Magazine, Aug. 2018
Leaf Music is an independent recording label with an emphasis on high quality classical recordings by Atlantic Canadian artists and composers. The label is based in Halifax Nova Scotia and was established in 2012 by Fredericton-born music producer Jeremy VanSlyke.
-30-
About Leaf Music
Leaf Music is the first integrated recording label in Atlantic Canada with a focus on the production of high quality classical recordings. The label’s catalog is distributed worldwide by Naxos of America.
