The Art Song Foundation of Canada has grown out of the Canadian Aldeburgh Foundation, which was established in 1975 under the patronage of Sir Peter Pears by Françoise and Marshall Sutton and a group of like-minded friends and donors. It was created to provide travel bursaries for young musicians accepted into the Britten-Pears Young Artists’ Programme in Aldeburgh, England.
In its 40-year history, the Canadian Aldeburgh Foundation provided nearly $390,000 to 340 young Canadian musicians. Several of these bursary recipients have gone on to illustrious international careers on the recital and opera stages of the world. They include:
Colin Ainsworth
Measha Brueggergosman
Layla Claire
Michael Colvin
Vasil Garvanliev
Karina Gauvin
Wallis Giunta
Adrianne Pieczonka
David Pomeroy
Michael Schade
Curtis Sullivan
Catherine Robbin
Daniel Taylor
John Tessier
James Westman
Monica Whicher
Lawrence Wiliford
From the beginning, art song was always dearest to the hearts of the founders and donors. In the summer of 2015, this led to the decision to recast the Canadian Aldeburgh Foundation as the Art Song Foundation of Canada and to focus its support on singers and collaborative pianists accepted into any art-song program in the world.
Art Song Foundation, you are to be highly commended for the work you are accomplishing. Your support of the best of Canada’s rising star musicians is absolutely critical in these times. It seems that we were saying that decades ago and yet, today, it is all the more true! Only together can we continue to ensure that the future of our country is strong when its citizens hear and want to hear more artful singing from our finest musicians.