The Canadian University Music Society is pleased to announce that Simone Willmann is the recipient of the 2025 George Proctor Prize for her presentation entitled “Positioning Honesty, Positioning Scholars: Praxis of Acknowledging to Create Care-Centered Academic Practices.”
The George Proctor Prize is awarded to the best paper presented at the annual conference of the Canadian University Music Society by a graduate student noted for the originality of their research.
Simone Willmann is a scholar, conductor, and musician whose academic excellence and care-centered research have been recognized with some of Canada’s most prestigious student research grants, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Scholarship (SSHRC CGS-D) and the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship. Currently pursuing her PhD in Musicology at the University of Alberta, she has presented her research internationally to a wide variety of audiences. Simone’s research interests focus on music and elitism, and the impacts of social structures and class hierarchies within music performance spaces and institutions. Beyond her scholarship, she is a dedicated conductor and performer who thrives on fostering collaboration and inspiring others through music and community engagement. Simone continues to perform and collaborate across Western Canada and serves as Music Director for the Badlands Passion Play, presenting their 30th Anniversary shows this past summer.