Photo by courtesy of/courtoisie du Gala Dynastie, by/par Manoucheka Lacherie. Left to right/De gauche à droite : Wesli, Zach Zoya, Jay Jay

Gala Dynastie announces winners of 2023 edition

Story by Eric Parazelli | Monday April 3rd, 2023

The seventh annual edition of the Gala Dynastie – Soirée Culture, was held on March 1, 2023, at Place des Arts’ Théâtre Maisonneuve in Montréal. Fourteen awards were handed out during the event, which celebrates artists from Black communities who contribute to the richness and diversity of Québec’s cultural scene.

Comedian Preach was the host of the Gala, the theme of which, this year, was “I Am Power.” The night saw several high-profile artists offer performances that set the tone for the celebration: Kim Richardson shared the stage with Kayiri and the Deevine choir, and Aiza, King Shadrock, Sunny Boisvert, DJ Mohtorious, and Wesli also tore the roof off of the sold-out venue. This was to the delight of the attendees, among whom was SOCAN Creative and Partnerships Executive Sara Dendane.

Among the award winners, several SOCAN members were recognized in the music categories:

Music Video of the Year
Jay Jay—Bloc Boy

World Music Artist or Group of the Year
Wesli

Anglophone Artist or Group of the Year
Zach Zoya

Francophone Artist or Group of the Year
Corneille

Artist or Group Having Achieved Outstanding Success Internationally
Skiifall

Musical Breakthrough of the Year
Magi Merlin

Visit the Gala Dynastie website for the complete list of nominations. You can experience the Gala Dynastie on the Natyf TV website.

Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard

SOCAN re-launches in-person “Song Camp Mondays” in Toronto

Story by Howard Druckman | Saturday April 15th, 2023

SOCAN is re-launching its in-person “Song Camp Mondays” initiative, whereby SOCAN members can apply to participate in a three-person, one-day writing session in the Sound Lounge at the SOCAN Toronto office.

Three applicants, who must be SOCAN members, will be selected by Toronto-based executives from our Membership Department’s Creative team, once a week, to come in for a co-writing session. SOCAN members can apply now. Submissions are open to all SOCAN songwriter members, regardless of musical genre, skill level, geographical location, or whether the applicant has a publisher or not.

“Song Camp Mondays” are designed to help Canadian songwriters build their relationships, gain experience collaborating, and advance their craft by bringing the song camp experience to as many SOCAN writers as possible.

“Song Camp Mondays” will take place weekly at SOCAN’s Toronto office, starting April 17, 2023. Each session will run from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Sound Lounge. There will be a break for lunch at 1:00 p.m., which includes a brief “SOCAN 101” session to explain how to register the song, and other ways to get paid. The Sound Lounge is well equipped with gear, but participants will bring their own instrument(s) and gear of choice for songwriting.

Participating songwriters must be willing to split ownership of the newly created song in equal shares – regardless of the individual parties’ contributions to the final work. They must also be prepared to work collaboratively and co-operatively, and come into the session with an open mind, willing to work with their two co-writers regardless of genre and skill level. Of course, if participants are enjoying the co-writing process, they’re free to continue the co-writing relationship after the session.

SOCAN members can apply only once for “Song Camp Mondays” in any given calendar year, and their applications will be retained on file, to be randomly chosen to participate at any point in the future.

Please note that SOCAN will not provide any payment for travel or lodgings to successful applicants for “Song Camp Mondays.”

Photo by courtesy of / courtoisie de the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

SOCAN mourns the loss of composer Jocelyn Morlock

Story by SOCAN | Wednesday March 29th, 2023

SOCAN is mourning the loss of Vancouver-based composer and teacher Jocelyn Morlock, whose death, at the age of 53, was confirmed on March 28, 2023, in a press release from the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) School of Music, where she taught. No cause of death has been released yet, and no plans for a memorial have been made public yet. Canadian new classical music listeners, and especially Vancouver’s classical music community, are grieving, as Morlock is being remembered for her kindness, love of nature, teaching skills, and expressive music.

Recognized in Canada and internationally, Morlock was especially well-known and beloved in Vancouver, where she was the Composer in Residence for the Music on Main concert series from 2012-2014, and for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra from 2014-2019. In 2016, she earned the Mayor’s Arts Award for Music in Vancouver. Her symphonic piece My Name is Amanda Todd – inspired by the online-bullied Canadian teen who took her own life – won the 2018 JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year. The same year, she earned SOCAN’s Jan V. Matejcek Award, our annual prize for new classical music. Her compositions have been performed by, among others, the Vancouver Cantata Singers; the Pacific Baroque Orchestra; the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra; the Saskatoon Symphony; and the Niagara Symphony.

Morlock’s music could be heartfelt and intense, deeply engaged with nature, or light and humourous. Among her influences, she listed “birds, insomnia, nature, fear, other people’s music and art, nocturnal wandering thoughts, lucid dreaming, death, and the liminal times and experiences before and after death.”

Born in St. Boniface, MB, Morlock became interested in music when her grandmother bought an upright piano for the family. She was instantly fascinated, and took piano lessons from a young age. After high school, Morlock studied piano performance at Brandon University, and then attended graduate school at UBC in Vancouver, where she eventually became an instructor. Her compositions have since become part of the fabric of new classical music in Vancouver, and across Canada.

SOCAN extends its condolences to Morlock’s family, friends, and listeners, whether in Vancouver, across Canada, or around the world.

Jocelyn Morlock, Solace

Click on the image to play the video of Jocelyn Morlock’s “Solace”