Janice Isabel Jackson Awarded 2018 Friends of Canadian Music Award

Janice Jackson with emerging composer Sophie Dupuis. Photo credit: Canadian League of Composers

On August 19 Janice Isabel Jackson was presented with the Friends of Canadian Music Award, during the Opera From Scratch gala concert at St. Matthews United Church in Halifax.

Janice is a vocalist, contemporary music specialist, producer, vocal instructor, and coach who has performed around the world in concerts and contemporary music festivals. 

She’s also Artistic Director of Vocalypse, where she most recently presented the week-long workshop Opera From Scratch, which paired six composers and six singers to develop six 10-minute operas for solo voice and piano, with a theme of Nova Scotia cultural or historical significance.

Janice has been recognized for her contribution to Nova Scotian culture by The Honorable Myra A. Freeman, Lieutenant Governor, as well as receiving an Established Artist Award through Arts Nova Scotia.

She’s received grants through Arts Nova Scotia and the Canada Council as well as Talent Trust scholarships. 

Left to right: James Rolfe, Richard Gibson, Janice Jackson, and Barbara Pritchard)
Photo credit: Canadian League of Composers

The Canadian League of Composers (CLC) and the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) jointly administer and present the Friends of Canadian Music Award annually. The award honours people who have shown an exceptional commitment to Canadian composers and their music on a national scale.

The award is split, with half for the established recipient and half for an emerging composer or composition student, who is chosen by the recipient. Janice shares the 2018 Friends of Canadian Music Award with composer Sophie Dupuis.

To learn more about Janice and sample audio and video, visit her website at janicejackson.ca.

Janice Jackson and Vocalypse Productions Present Opera from Scratch 2018

Janice Jackson, singer of new classical music and Artistic Director of Vocalypse Productions, will teach two masterclasses in Opera from Scratch, which runs from August 12 - 19.

Janice is a Talent Trust scholarship recipient who’s a soprano, contemporary music specialist, producer, and vocal instructor and coach.

She’s sung over 200 world premieres, many works written specifically for her, and performed with contemporary music ensembles and in concert halls around the world – Beijing, Paris, Vienna, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Torino, Toronto, Montreal, New York, Berlin, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and more.

Opera From Scratch is a week-long workshop that pairs six composers and six singers to develop six 10-minute operas for solo voice and piano, with a theme of Nova Scotia cultural or historical significance.

The workshop is a collaborative process where the composers and singers are exposed to each others’ methods, resulting in a better understanding of the depth of thought, creativity, and effort that goes into creating even a short work.

To date Opera From Scratch is proud to have premiered 37 new mini operas by composers from around the world. This year the talented group of composers and singers hail from Canada, the US, and Sweden.

Public Events take place at the Central Library, the Dalhousie Art Centre, and Saint Matthews Church.

Masterclasses: MacAloney Room 406 - Dalhousie Arts Centre

Three exciting masterclasses highlight the evolution of each mini opera as the workshop unfolds.

Monday, August 13th at 5pm - Jason Davis

Tuesday, August 14th at 5pm - Janice Isabel Jackson

Wednesday, August 15th at 5pm - Janice Isabel Jackson

Paul O'Regan Hall at the Halifax Central Library

Monday, August 13, 2:00 p.m. - What’s Opera Doc?

Tuesday, August 14, 2:00 p.m. - The Art of Opera

Thursday, August 16,  2:00 p.m. - Making Opera in the 21^st Century

Friday, August 17, 10:00 a.m. - Final Masterclass

Friday, August 17, 2:00 p.m. - Contemporary Opera Off the Hook

Opera From Scratch Gala Concert

Sunday, August 19th, 3:00 p.m.

Saint Matthews Church

1479 Barrington Street Halifax, Nova Scotia

For more information visit the Vocalypse website. 

Vocalypse presents: Opera From Scratch!

Janice Jackson, 

Vocalypse Director, Soprano and 1986 NSTT Portia White Award winner 

“A life-changing experience!”

“I reconnected to my singing soul at Opera From Scratch.”

“...to witness a work moving from the page to the stage was extraordinary.”

6 Composers + 8 Singers + 8 Mentors = 6 New Mini Operas

Public Events Include:

Writing Opera: Naked and Afraid

Opera: From the Dramaturge Perspective

Contemporary Opera: Off the Hook

For the full line up CLICK HERE

YOU ALSO DON'T WANT TO MISS:

Opera From Scratch Gala Concert

Sunday, August 24, 2014, at 3:00 PM

Saint Matthew’s United Church

1479 Barrington St., Halifax

Admission by Donation

Six Brand New Mini-Operas Featuring Nova Scotian Themes

Composers and Singers from Nova Scotia, Canada and the USA

Read about Opera From Scratch here

Follow OFS on Facebook: here

Read about our participants here