Composer Katharine Petkovski and singer-songwriter Carol Mak receive faculty's top honours
Each June the Faculty of Music is thrilled to announce the Graduating Award recipients – this year offering our congratulations to composer Katharine Petkovski and singer-songwriter Carol Mak, winners of the 2021 Tecumseh Sherman Rogers and William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Awards respectively. The awards, both established in 2005, are the largest given by the Faculty of Music with a prize of $25,000 each. The competitive application process includes a student submission outlining future plans and how the award will assist with career development, and letters of recommendation from faculty members.
Katharine Petkovski
Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award
Composer, pianist and producer Katharine Petkovski is a two-time graduate in composition from the University of Toronto. Earlier this year Katharine won the Faculty of Music’s inaugural Piano Trio Composition Competition for her Piano Trio No. 1. She has received commissions from Exultate Chamber Singers and RESOUND Choir, and has had her compositions premiered by Toronto’s Odin Quartet and Bedford Trio. Her work ranges from film soundtracks and web series to choral and orchestral compositions. Katharine’s passion for multimedia projects is most recently expressed in her score for short documentary With Love from Munera (2020) screened at both the Inside Out and TIFF Next Wave Film Festivals.
Watch the girl who collected the bones of the deer (for string quartet, 2021) premiered by Odin Quartet.
Visit Katharine online at katharinepetkovski.com
Carol Mak
William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award
Singer-songwriter, composer and sound designer Carol Mak is graduating from the University of Toronto with studies in voice, composition, and music technology. With this dynamic mix of talents, Carol has released numerous recordings, composed for a wide range of contexts from string trio to games, and performed throughout Toronto. Over the years Carol has received numerous accolades for her many interests from being a finalist in the 2016 Pierre Burton Writing Competition (formal essay category) to her recent appearance as a finalist and winner of “Best Lyrics” at the 2020 Fairchild SongQuest Competition.
Watch “Quarantine and Chill,” a love song inspired by the events of 2020, the debut collaboration of Carol’s songwriting duo with Kyle Wong, that won the IMSTA Summer of Songs festival in June 2020.
Follow Carol on Instagram @carolmakmusic and subscribe to Carol K. Mak on YouTube
We are very pleased to announce four additional graduates are receiving awards, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 each. Congratulations to:
- Mason Victoria, Master of Music, Music Technology and Digital Media;
- Emily Bosenius, Bachelor of Music Performance in Violin;
- Stephane Martin Demers, Bachelor of Music, Comprehensive Studies; and
- Anika-France Forget, Bachelor of Music Performance in Voice
(pictured clockwise from bottom right)
“The two main awards – thanks to the exemplary stewardship and support of long-time friends of the Faculty, John Lawson and Bill Waters – go to graduating students who are deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of music. Each year, as we consider candidates for these prestigious awards, we are inspired by the quality and diversity of our applicants. This year our two recipients, Katharine Petkovski and Carol Mak, will join the company of some of our most distinguished alumni. We were also able to recognize with additional graduating awards four excellent candidates: Mason Victoria, Emily Bosenius, Anika-France Forget, and Stephane Martin Demers. These awardees and the overall applicant pool showcase the extraordinary success and scope of U of T Music. Congratulations to our award winners and to all our 2020-2021 graduates. Represent us well.”
– Don McLean, Dean and Professor, Faculty of Music
In recognizing the extraordinary challenges of the past year, U of T President Meric Gertler had this to say about the Class of 2021:
“These are truly unprecedented times and U of T students have repeatedly shown their strength of character and unwavering commitment – both in their studies and in their communities. They are a source of inspiration for all of us. I am delighted to celebrate this important milestone in their lives and I look forward to seeing what they will accomplish next.”
We couldn’t agree more! Congratulations to all of this year’s graduating award winners and to the Class of 2021.
Tune in to the University of Toronto's Spring Convocation and Virtual Ceremony 2021 on Wednesday, June 23 at 12 pm EDT.
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List of previous recipients:
Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award
2020 – Andrew Ascenzo (DMA 2020, MMus 2011, BMusPerf Cello 2009)
2019 – Parisa Sabet (DMA Composition 2019, MMus 2014)
2018 – Joel Allison (MMus Opera 2018)
2017 – Younggun Kim (DMA Piano Performance 2017)
2016 – Emily D’Angelo (BMusPerf Voice 2016)
2015 – Charles Sy (MMus Opera 2015, BMusPerf Voice 2013)
2014 – Alexandra Smither (BMusPerf Voice 2014)
2013 – Andrew Haji (MMus Opera 2013, BMusPerf Voice 2011)
2012 – Riho Maimets (MMus Composition 2012)
2011 – Leslie Ann Bradley (MMus Voice Performance 2011, OpDip 2002, BMusPerf Voice 2000)
2010 – Lindsay Barrett (OpDip 2010) 2009 – Christopher Ku (MA Music 2009, BMus 2007)
2008 – Lucille Mok (BMus 2008) 2007 – Christopher Donnelly (MMus 2007 Jazz Piano, BMusPerf Jazz Piano 2005)
2006 – Ryan Jackson (BMusPerf Organ 2006)
William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award
2020 – Kai Leung (BMus Composition 2020)
2019 – Bekah Simms (DMA Composition 2019, MMus 2015)
2018 – Elaine Choi (DMA Choral Conducting 2018, MMus Choral Conducting 2010, BMus 2008)
2017 – Matthew Emery (MMus Composition 2017)
2016 – Bianca Chambul (BMusPerf Bassoon 2016)
2015 – Michael Bridge (BMusPerf Accordion 2015)
2014 – David Zucchi (BMusPerf Saxophone 2014)
2013 – Matt Woroshyl (BMusPerf Jazz Saxophone 2013)
2012 – Coco Chen (BMusPerf Violin 2012)
2011 – Laura Silberberg (MMus Composition 2010, BMus 2008)
2010 – Alex Goodman (BMusPerf Jazz Guitar 2010)
2009 – Lauren Sweetman (MA Music Ethnomusicology 2009, BMus 2007)
2008 – Katarzyna Sadej (MMus Voice Performance 2008)
2007 – Stephen Hegedus (MMus Voice Performance 2007, BMusPerf Voice 2005)
2006 – Sarah Nematallah (BMusPerf Violin 2006)
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