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Philip Glass named winner of $100k Glenn Gould Prize

Philip Glass, pictured in March 2015. Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images

TORONTO – American composer Philip Glass has won the Glenn Gould Prize, worth $100,000.

This is the 11th instalment of the biennial prize, which honours living laureates from a variety of creative disciplines for their body of work.

Jury members, who named Glass as the winner at an event today in Toronto, say they considered about 80 candidates and wanted to “find a laureate whose work elevated the human condition.”

Actress-filmmaker Sarah Polley, singer Petula Clark and author Michael Ondaatje were among the jury members for this year’s award.

Music producer Bob Ezrin chaired the international jury, which also included former governor general Adrienne Clarkson and soprano Deborah Voigt.

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Previous winners of the award include Robert Lepage, Leonard Cohen, Yo-Yo Ma and Oscar Peterson.

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Glass, 78, has won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA and has earned three Oscar nominations.

“It is for me a special honour as I am one of the many musicians who have been inspired by [Gould],” said Glass in a statement.
“[His] name is associated with a lifetime of excellence in music interpretation and performance.  Also I am aware that this award places me in the company of some of the most celebrated names in the broad spectrum of the music of our time. It is, therefore, with great pleasure that I accept this award.”

Glass receives a cash prize in addition to the Glenn Gould Prize statue by artist Ruth Abernethy. He will also chooses a young artist to be the recipient of the Glenn Gould Protégé Prize.

Gould, who died in 1982, was a widely acclaimed classical pianist.

– with files by Global News

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