Adrian Berry and Sami Anguaya receive Faculty's top honours
The Faculty of Music is pleased to announce that Sami Anguaya and Adrian Berry are the winners of the Tecumseh Sherman Rogers and William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Awards, respectively. These awards, both established in 2005, are the largest given by the Faculty of Music with a prize of $25,000.00 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.
Sami Anguaya
Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award
Composer, singer, and songwriter Sami Anguaya is a two-time graduate in composition from the University of Toronto. This year, Sami was the composer-in-residence for the University of Toronto Wind Ensemble and has been commissioned numerous times over his young career. As a Kichwa-Canadian composer, Sami has great interest in meaningfully bridging Indigenous Kichwa music elements with Western art music. In the future, Sami hopes to record a new composition with an all Kichwa ensemble in Otavalo, Ecuador that fuses a choir with a traditional flauta ensemble. Sami is also currently working on a new piece for the Toronto Chamber chorus Sehnsucht which will premiere in August 2022.
Hear Sami’s music on SoundCloud.
Adrian Berry
William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award
Music Technology and Digital Media graduate Adrian Berry works across performance, composition, music production, videography, and visual programming. Prior to moving to Toronto from the United States to study, Adrian toured North America and Europe as a saxophonist and vocalist in the rock and punk scenes. Since 2021, Adrian has been a research assistant for the arts-based participatory research project Sustainable pARTnerships: Collaboration and Reciprocity in Creative Cities, which commissions GTA-based artists to create original works about life as arts workers and imagined post-pandemic futures. Adrian’s thesis project, the multimedia Gold Cove ∈ RITUAL, exemplifies their creative output, blurring the disciplinary lines between music video production, ethnofiction, and cinematic storytelling.
Visit Adrian’s website or Instagram @hello_gold_cove to explore more of their work.
We are very pleased to announce three additional graduates are receiving smaller awards. Congratulations to:
- Laurel Forshaw – Ph.D. in Music Education;
- Alexandra Hetherington – Master of Music in Opera;
- Ines Wong – Bachelor of Music, Comprehensive Studies
“Congratulations to all the recipients of our graduating awards. In all candidates, we saw clear evidence of an emerging professional career, and we hope that this endorsement will facilitate their continued success and achievement. We look forward to following their careers and wish them well on their next chapter.” – Prof. Ryan McClelland, Associate Dean, Academic & Student Affairs
Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award
2021 – Katharine Petkovski (MMus Composition 2021, BMus 2019)
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
2021 – Carol Mak (BMus 2021)
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)
The Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award was established by Dr. John B. Lawson, and the William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award was established by Dr. William Waters.
TORONTO
The University of Toronto is a world-renowned university in a celebrated city where knowledge meets achievement, history meets future and ambitions meets inspiration. Leading academics and employers from around the world have rated the University of Toronto as #1 in Canada and among the best in the world. Our undergraduate students have an exceptional range, choice and depth of study; they can choose from 700 academic programs, learn from the best minds, get involved with research, and take advantage of smaller learning communities across our three campuses, which span the Greater Toronto Area. Each campus offers a wealth of opportunities across multiple disciplines. To the west, the University of Toronto Mississauga combines advanced research with an intimate academic experience. The University of Toronto’s St. George campus features diverse college communities within Toronto’s vibrant downtown core. And to the east, the University of Toronto Scarborough leads community-engaged research, hands-on learning and co-op programs both locally and internationally. Working with faculty and other students in close-knit communities, our students tailor their experiences to their interests and develop passions that help them make their mark on the world.
TORONTO MUSIC
Home to Canada's largest number of musicians and venues, Toronto is a creative and business hub for music in Canada.
While in Toronto, plan on attending a performance of the Canadian Opera Company or the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Check out Toronto Life and Toronto (the official website of Tourism Toronto) for current shows, concerts and events.
There's music around every corner.
OUR U of T
We are very proud to be part of U of T—a vibrant university community located in an amazing city with global reach.
U of T is a leader in research and teaching, an intellectual environment unmatched in depth and breadth.
We live here.
U of T MUSIC
The Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto brings together creative and motivated students with outstanding educators. With extensive curricula in fields such as classical and jazz performance, music education, composition, music history, music theory, and ethnomusicology, the Faculty of Music also offers courses that explore music’s intersections with health sciences, technology, and humanities.
Our commitment to artistic and academic achievement, the vast possibilities of the University of Toronto campus, and the vibrant and diverse cultural life of Toronto provide an exciting and inspiring learning environment.
HEAR
Our season is well underway and there is so much to choose from.
Visit our online calendar often for concerts and events and subscribe to our YouTube channel for exciting premieres, livestreams and performances from our archives.