SOCAN Foundation is pleased to announce the winner of the inaugural Lori Davies Composition Award for Excellence in Dance, Opera or Music Theatre is Éric Champagne.
The $5,000 prize celebrates his opera, Yourcenar : Une île de passions. Composed by Champagne and with libretto by Hélène Dorion and Marie-Claire Blais, the committee unanimously selected this as the winner.
Committee chair, celebrated composer, and husband of the prize’s late namesake, Victor Davies, compiled the following remarks to express why Champagne was selected for the first Lori Davies Composition Award.
“Selected from diverse entries in opera, dance, and music theatre, and featuring a chamber orchestra, six soloists, and a Greek chorus of twelve representing the Fates, Champagne’s score elevates the emotional depth of the libretto, orchestrating musical motifs that unify the work into a compelling whole.
Penned by renowned Quebec poets Hélène Dorion and Marie-Claire Blais, the libretto draws inspiration from Greek tragedies, exploring timeless themes of love, life, death, friendship, art, and history. Inspired by the life of the Franco-American writer Marguerite Yourcenar, author of Mémoires d’Hadrien and the first woman elected to the Académie Française. At the heart of the story is Marguerite, a writer and daughter of a famed antiquities expert, who shares a complex relationship with her assistant and lover, Grace. Set against the historical backdrop of World War II through the civil rights era, Marguerite’s journey of love, betrayal, and self-discovery unfolds in Paris and Maine. After Grace’s passing, Marguerite finds a new companionship with Jerry, a photographer with ulterior motives, ultimately leading her back to solitude and a renewed commitment to life.”
The opera was co-commissioned by the Festival d’Opéra de Québec, the Opéra de Montréal and the Violons du Roy. It was created during the summer of 2022 at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City.
The committee praised Champagne’s orchestration and vocal writing for capturing the nuanced emotions of the characters, crafting an immersive experience of musical and thematic resonance.