Deadline for nominations:  April 30^th, 2023

Purpose of the Award:  To recognize, on an annual basis, a mature scholar who has established a nation-wide profile in the field of research into Canadian music, its composers, and its performers. Canadian music is understood to include art music (vocal, instrumental, electroacoustic), folk, jazz, and popular (all genres).  The winner’s dissemination of research results will have demonstrably increased aural and cultural understanding of Canadian music among other musical scholars, performers, and composers. It will also, whether directly or indirectly, have led to increased understanding of Canadian music among the general public for music, or among members of a younger generation of future audiences and musicians. The winner’s work may have accomplished the latter either directly (through talks and publications aimed specifically at general audiences or young people), or indirectly (through the talks and publications of later researchers who have been inspired by, and built upon, the winner’s contributions).

Eligibility for nomination:  Scholars associated with universities, colleges or research institutes, as well as independent scholars, who have disseminated, on a national as well as local level, the results of a program of sustained research related to Canadian music and its composers, are eligible for the annual SOCAN Foundation/MusCan Award of Excellence for the Advancement of Research in Canadian Music. Current staff and board members of the SOCAN Foundation and the Canadian University Music Society (MusCan) are not eligible for the award. Nominees must be available to attend the awards ceremony.

Who may nominate:  An individual or a group may submit nominations for this award. Self-nominations are not eligible.  Nominations not selected for the award in one year may be reentered in the next year’s competition by means of written notice to the Chair of the Jury by the nominator, with the applicant’s approval (as per item 4 under “How to nominate”, below).  New (updated) materials may be submitted; if none are received, application materials will be considered as received in the previous year’s competition.  An application may only stand unaltered for two consecutive competitions.

How to nominate:  The materials submitted in support of the nomination are to aid the jury in recognizing the nominee’s contributions and the value of these contributions. The following items must be provided:

1. An introductory letter (up to two pages) describing why the nominee is deserving of this award

Upon review of the initial letter of introduction, the prize chair may request the following items from the nominators or nominee:

• A curriculum vitae or a biography that includes a reverse-chronological list of the nominee’s contributions on topics related to Canadian composers of music, and their works. Listed will be titles of published articles, chapters and books, conference papers, invited public lectures and talks, invited scholarly program notes for concerts and recordings, published reviews of concerts and recordings, workshops and other means of disseminating research results. Each title must include the date, place, occasion, name of publisher or organizer of the event. As applicable, publications, talks, workshops, etc. for both professional, scholarly audiences, and general or young people’s audiences, may be included.
• No less than two, and no more than three, additional letters of support for the nomination, from persons connected with at least two different institutions (other than the nominating institution).
• A letter signed by the nominee certifying that s/he agrees to be nominated and, in the event of winning the award, (i) is willing and able to attend the award presentation, to take place at MusCan’s annual conference, hosted by Laval University from May 17^th-21^st, 2023, or at MusCan’s Annual General Meeting online (date TBA), and (ii) agrees to provide and permit the publication of biographical data within a joint SOCAN Foundation/MusCan press release announcing the award winner. Note: When requesting this letter, nominators may wish to inform nominees that travel and accommodation costs to attend the award presentation would be subsidized, up to $500.

If nominating more than one candidate, nominators must create a separate package for each nominee.

For further information and to submit all nomination material, please submit by e-mail to

Jon-Tomas Godin, Chair, SOCAN Foundation/ MusCan Award of Excellence for the Advancement of Research in Canadian Music at godinj@brandonu.ca.

Please use the subject heading “SOCAN Foundation/ MusCan Award of Excellence for the Advancement of Research in Canadian Music” in all your communications regarding this award.

The jury reserves the right not to make the award in a year where there are no suitable nominations.