Glenn Gould Foundation


The Glenn Gould Foundation is a registered Canadian charitable organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Friends, colleagues and admirers of the celebrated Canadian pianist Glenn Gould established the Foundation in 1983 after his death on October 4, 1982 at age 50. Its directors and supporters include many prominent Canadian and International cultural leaders and patrons, as well as Gould's personal friends.
The Foundation encourages others to develop projects that celebrate Glenn Gould and the field of music and communications. In this way, the Foundation has been associated with numerous broadcasts, publications, exhibitions, and conferences in Canada and abroad.

History

The Glenn Gould Memorial Foundation, as it was called in the first couple of years, was established in October 1983 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to honor and perpetuate the memory of Glenn Gould. The foundation’s initial focus was on the explosion of worldwide interest in Gould’s life, work and ideas.
The foundation’s earliest project was the creation of the Glenn Gould Prize, which was administered by the Canada Council for the Arts until 2000. The first major task was to raise money and establish an endowment large enough to support awarding the Glenn Gould Prize every three years.
In 1985, the Foundation created the international Friends of Glenn Gould society and its two related publications, GlennGould, a semi-annual magazine and The Gould Standard, a quarterly newsletter. GlennGould published 13 volumes and ceased publication in Fall 2008. The Gould Standard is no longer published.
The first symposium was held in Montreal in 1987.
In 1992, the Foundation produced its first major international conference titled Music & Communication in the 21st Century: Variations on Themes of Glenn Gould, to mark the sixtieth birthday of Gould and the tenth anniversary of his death. Delegates and specialists from several countries met to carry forward Gould's ideas and investigations into the nature of music and its transmission. The five-day program covered themes that included Music as a Language of the 21st Century; Music and Creativity; The Technology of Future Musical Communication; and Music as an Instrument of Change in the 21st Century.
Papers and records of the foundation, from its inception up to 1994 are held in the Library and Archives Canada, under the archival number MUS 236.
The Glenn Gould Gathering, held September 22–26, 1999 in Toronto, was a conference of delegates from 19 countries, and included a gala dinner celebrating Gould’s birthday; the presentation of the sixth Glenn Gould Prize to Yo-Yo Ma and the Glenn Gould Protégé Prize to Wu Man; and a nationally telecast unveiling of Gould's sculpture created by Ruth Abernethy.
The Year of Glenn Gould ran from September 25, 2007 to September 24, 2008 and marked the 75th birthday of Glenn Gould, the 25th anniversary of his death, and ended with the 25th anniversary of the Foundation. It was celebrated worldwide with events throughout the year.

U.S Foundation

The Glenn Gould Foundation, Inc. was established in 2009 in the USA, with a parallel mission. Donations made to the Glenn Gould Foundation, Inc. receive a tax receipt in US dollars.

Glenn Gould Prize

Created by the Glenn Gould Foundation, the Glenn Gould Prize is an international lifetime achievement award in the arts and communications. It is awarded every three years to a living individual, in recognition of his/her contributions to music and communication.
An international jury of distinguished musicians, journalists, arts patrons, and music aficionados selects the prize Laureate.
Laureates receive a cash award of C$50,000 and are charged with selecting the recipient of the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize.
A prize presentation ceremony and gala concert are held in Toronto in celebration.
A portrait of each Laureate is added to a permanent collection of photographs, on display in the lower lobby of the Glenn Gould Studio at the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto.
Laureates
In 1993, the Foundation expanded the Glenn Gould Prize to include the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize. As part of the Glenn Gould Prize, each Laureate is asked to select an outstanding young musician with the promise of an exceptional lifetime contribution to the art, from anywhere in the world, to receive the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize.
The Protégé Prize, which is awarded in Toronto at the same time as the Glenn Gould Prize, is a cash award of C$15,000 funded by the City of Toronto, with which Gould is so strongly identified around the world.
Protégés
An international jury of distinguished musicians, journalists, arts patrons, and music aficionados meet in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to select the prize Laureate. Immediately after the jury vote, a press conference is held to announce the recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize.

Glenn Gould Prize Sculpture

Beginning in 1999, each Laureate and Protégé also receive the Glenn Gould Prize Sculpture, a miniature bronze sculpture of Glenn Gould created by Ontario sculptor, Ruth Abernethy.

Glenn Gould Prize Objets d'Art

From 1987 to 2002, the Glenn Gould Prize was accompanied by a work of art, created by a prominent Canadian artist commissioned by the Glenn Gould Foundation. All works of art associated with the Glenn Gould Prize were deposited in the name of each Laureate with the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec, where they are publicly displayed and toured by the museum, as a further expression of honour associated with the Glenn Gould Prize.
The Glenn Gould Prize Fund was established by the Glenn Gould Foundation and launched by a cornerstone contribution from the late Floyd S. Chalmers, C.C. The proceeds of the 1985 International Bach Competition, held in Toronto, were added to the prize fund. Other contributors include the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, the City of Toronto, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and a number of individuals and foundations. The fund was managed by the Canada Council for the Arts until 2000 and is today administered by the Glenn Gould Foundation.

Glenn Gould Prize Celebration of Music Week

On July 29, 2009, the Glenn Gould Foundation announced the Glenn Gould Prize Celebration of Music Week in celebration of the awarding of the Eighth Glenn Gould Prize to José Antonio Abreu.
The schedule of events is as follows: