Here and There (2003) was recently awarded the first prize at the 5th Concorso Internazionale di Composizione Musicale Elettronica Pierre Schaeffer (Pierre Schaeffer International Computer Music Competition) (Pescara, Italy, 2005).

The Orford Arts Centre (Québec) announces its new Sound Creation Workshop as part of the international Music Academy. Held from June 26 to July 8, 2006 the workshop, directed by Yves Daoust, is open to sound creators of all styles. This summer Yves Daoust has invited guest “teachers” John Oswald, Åke Parmerud, Alexandre Burton, Louis Dufort, and flutist Robert Aitken. There will be a public evening concert on July 6 (Piché, Oswald, Parmerud, Dufort), and a half-concert on July 7.

The 9th Opus Prizes winners were announced yesterday, January 22, 2006, in Montréal. The “Concert of the Year – actuelle and electroacoustic musics” category goes to the Theresa Transistor quartet (Christian Bouchard, Christian Calon, Mario Gauthier, Monique Jean) while the “Disc of the Year — Musique actuelle, Electroacoustics” is Trilogie d’ondes by Gilles Gobeil.

Robert Normandeau’s music for theatre won the prize for best sound design at the 12th “Soirée des masques” (the annual awards of the Association québécoise du théâtre) on December 18, 2005. The jury selected Normandeau’s music composed for the play La cloche de verre (The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath), directed by Brigitte Haentjens.

Gilles Gobeil was a member of the jury of the 6th CIMESP 2005, São Paulo (Brazil). While in Brazil he gave a conference and a master class, and presented Ombres, espaces, silences… in concert at the UNASP (Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo) on October 31.

Many electrocd.com artists are nominated for the 9th Opus Prizes, awarded since 1996 by the Conseil québécois de la musique. The concert Pulsar *1, unveiling the musics from Puzzles by Robert Normandeau, is nominated for “Concert of the Year – Musique actuelle, Electroacoustics,” as well as the Theresa Transistor quartet (Christian Bouchard, Christian Calon, Mario Gauthier, Monique Jean), presented during the Akousma concert series. Estrapade by morceaux_de_machines, Trilogie d’ondes by Gilles Gobeil, and Puzzles by Robert Normandeau are nominated for “Disc of the Year — Musique actuelle, Electroacoustics.” Finally, Frank Zappa: 10 ans après (Frank Zappa: Ten Years After) directed by Réjean Beaucage, is nominated for “Book of the Year.” Winners will be announced on January 22, 2006.