U of T Nabs Record Number of Juno Nominations

Sophie Milman was the sole U of T student to garner a Juno Award – but she was not the only University of Toronto winner. (It was a record year for U of T nominations, with university members accruing 15 nods in seven categories.) Christos Hatzis, a professor of composition, won Classical Composition of the Year for his work Constantinople. (The recording features the Gryphon Trio, the Faculty of Music’s resident ensemble. Two of its members, pianist Jamie Parker and violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon, are U of T faculty.) This is the second Juno for Hatzis, an accomplished composer whose work is inspired by early Christian spirituality, his own Byzantine heritage and various non-classical music genres. Hatzis is now writing the music for Pauline, an opera based on the life of poet, writer and actress Pauline Johnson. The libretto is being written by author Margaret Atwood (BA 1961 Victoria).

Classical soprano and 1998 Faculty of Music grad Measha Brueggergosman won a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance. It was presented for Surprise, her solo album recorded for the elite Deutsche Grammophon label. Brueggergosman has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, and some of her prestigious concert engagements include Carnegie Hall and a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II.