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The Sobey Art Award Gala, Ottawa

Hamilton-born, Paris-based contemporary artist Kapwani Kiwanga – who creates sound, performance, sculpture and performance works – recently took home the 2018 Sobey Art Award and its accompanying $100,000 prize. The Sobey award, established in 2002 to recognize and promote Canadian talent, is considered by many to be the country’s top contemporary-art award. It was given out in Ottawa on Nov. 14 at a splashy party for 700 art-minded citizens at the National Gallery of Canada, where Kiwanga’s work is on display alongside that of the other shortlisted creators: Jordan Bennett, who represents the Atlantic region; Jon Rafman, from Quebec; Joi T. Arcand, who represents the Prairies and the North and Jeneen Frei Njootli from the West Coast and Yukon. (Each was awarded $25,000.) Rob Sobey, who chairs the Sobey Art Foundation, handed out the award. Also attending were his father, noted philanthropist Donald Sobey and a founder of the Sobey Foundation, which funds, among a myriad of causes, international art residencies for three nominees from the long list. The 2018 Sobey Art Award exhibition is on display at the National Gallery through Feb. 10.

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Rob Sobey with 2018 SAA finalists Jeneen Frei Njootli, Joi T. Arcand, Jordan Bennett, Kapwani Kiwanga and Jon Rafman.

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Artists Bridget Moser and Angella Parsons.

BMO 1st ART! Invitational Student Art Competition, Nov. 14, Toronto

That same evening in Toronto, works by talented postsecondary students from across Canada were celebrated by eye-on-the-future curators, gallerists and collectors at the 16th-annual BMO 1st ART! Invitational Student Art Competition. Work of the 13 short-listed artists (each a regional winner representing their province or territory) was displayed at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery at University of Toronto. Clara Couzino from Concordia University was this year’s national winner, taking home the top prize of $15,000 for her work comprised of painted objects, shelves and string titled Objectifier l’écriture.

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Alice Adelkind and finalist Gregory Morgan.

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Clara Couzino.

The Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage Gala and Ensemble Studio Competition, Toronto

A couple of weeks earlier, the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio Competition, the hallmark happening at the company’s annual Centre Stage Gala, took place on Nov 1. Of the 123 hopefuls who applied from across the country, eight finalists gathered in Toronto for the big opera showdown. Arias by Bellini, Verdi and other greats were performed, and in the end it was Matthew Cairns of St. Catharines, Ont., who took the top prize of $5,000, supported this year by lawyer Justin Linden, chair of the COC’s board of directors. After the competition, a group of the COC’s devoted patrons joined competition finalists on the main stage for a black-tie dinner, where members of the COC Ensemble Studio performed between courses. Funds raised from the event support the Ensemble Studio, a training program considered the best in Canada for the next generation of opera professionals.

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Justin Linden.

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Lisa Balfour Bowen.

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