More than 40 SOCAN #ComposersWhoScore have been nominated for nine musical honours in the 2019 edition of the LEO Awards, which celebrate excellence each year in British Columbia film and television. The awards, sponsored in part by SOCAN, will be presented May 26, 2019, at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver – the second of three award ceremonies evenings, with the first on May 25 at the Sheraton, and the gala final on June 1 at the Vancouver Hyatt Regency.

SOCAN congratulates all of the nominees:

Best Musical Score Motion Picture
Andrew Harris, Anthem of a Teenage Prophet|
Randy Raine-Reusch, Bella Ciao!
Kinnie Starr, Edge of the Knife (Sgaawaay K’uuna)
Schaun Tozer, Rabbit
Wayne Lavallee, Red Snow
Christopher Arruda, Woodland

Best Musical Score Television Movie
Hamish Thomson, Christmas Pen Pals
Matthew Rogers, Falling For You
Mark Lazeski, No One Would Tell
Peter Allen, Truly Madly Sweetly

Best Musical Score Short Drama
Scott Thompson, A Typical Fairytale
Bryant Olender, Exhibit Man
Dave Chick (BMI), Extra-Ordinary Amy
Michael Neilson, Giltrude’s Dwelling
Matthew Rogers, Girl on A Bus
Sean William (N/A), Small Fish

Best Musical Score Dramatic Series
Hamish Thomson, Chesapeake Shores – “Before A Following Sea”
Dan Mangan, Unspeakable – “Heat Treatment”
Rich Walters, Van Helsing – “Birth Ritual”

Best Musical Score Feature Length Documentary
Mark Lazeski, Ben Hulse, Design Canada
Daryl Bennett, I Am MLK Jr.
Michael Richard Plowman, Letter from Masanjia
Kenton Gilchrist, Safety to Nome
Grant Baldwin, This Mountain Life

Best Musical Score Short Documentary
Andrew Harris, After the Sirens
David F. Ramos, Purple Horse
Jordan Soles, Speedway!
Daryl Bennett, The Bailey Experience

Best Musical Score Documentary Series
Greg Fisher, Derek Treffry, Border Security: America’s Front Line – “Episode 207”
Christopher Nickel, Highway Thru Hell – “Above And Beyond”
Christopher Nickel, Wild Bear Rescue – “Wild, Wild Grizzly”

Best Musical Score Animation Program or Series
Matt Davis, 16 Hudson – “Monkey King”
David Parfit, Marc Junker, Esluna: The First Monolith
Mehdi Farshidfar, Second Home – “Journey”

Best Music Video
“Chains” by Dear Rouge – Martin Glegg, Kristoff Duxbury – Producers
“Glass” by Jo Passed – John Mutter – Producer
“Going Late” by Humans – Peter Ricq, Devin Karringten – Producers
“I Can’t Be You” by Chersea – Paul Bourque – Producer
“Murphy’s Law” by Chersea – Paul Bourque – Producer
“UnAmerican” by Said The Whale – Johnny Jansen – Producer

For more information and a complete list of winners visit the awards website.



SOCAN presented pop duo Darcys with a No. 1 Song Award on Apr. 24, 2019, for “Just Here with My Friends” (featuring Leah Fay) topping the CBC Music Top 20 on Aug. 23, 2018.

SOCAN’s Melissa Cameron-Passley and Aidan D’Aoust presented the honour to Darcys’ Jason Couse and Wes Marskell, who co-wrote and co-performed the song with Leah Fay of July Talk. The song is self-published by Darcys, and co-published with July Talk Music Inc.

SOCAN congratulates Darcys and Leah Fay on their achievement!



The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) is partnering with Canadian Music Week (CMW) to celebrate the induction of musician, songwriter, producer, and industry advocate Eddie Schwartz to the Hall of Fame.  Music industry veteran and CSHF founder Frank Davies will present Schwartz with his songwriter induction during CMW’s 2019 Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards Gala Dinner on May 9, at Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto.

“The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is a testament to the astonishing cultural contribution that Canadian music creators have made at home and around the world. I’m humbled, honoured, and grateful to have my life’s work recognized and included in its legacy,” says Schwartz.

“We’re excited to celebrate one of our own, a founder of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and one of the most successful songwriters to come out of Canada,” says Vanessa Thomas, Executive Director of the CSHF. “Eddie pursues everything from his heart, whether it’s advocating for the rights of music creators, or pouring his talent into songwriting. His passion and commitment to the music industry has inspired countless artists around him, as well as the next generation of music trailblazers.”

“We’ve always recognized the vital role the creative community plays in the music industry; songwriting has been a key component of Canadian Music Week for over 30 years,” says Neill Dixon, President of CMW. “With the addition of the CSHF induction to the annual Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards Gala, it takes our partnership with SOCAN to a new level. We’re extremely pleased to highlight talented creator, and it’s an honour to celebrate Eddie Schwartz’s induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.”

After CMW, music fans from across Canada, and around the world, can see inductees celebrated through exhibitions at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, in Calgary. As the physical home of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the National Music Centre will continue to honour new inductees through on-site exhibitions, featuring stories, photos, artifacts, and memorabilia.