David Potvin wins 45th E-Gré National Music Competition in Piano

The 45th Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition (E-Gré) for the performance of Canadian and contemporary music is pleased to announce its 2022 prize winners:

• 1st Prize: David Potvin
• 2nd Prize: Gabrielle Gagnon-Picard
• 3rd Prize: Edward Enman
• City of Brandon Prize for the Best Performance of the Commissioned Work: David Potvin
• Finalist Prizes (in alphabetical order): Risa Tonita, Paul Williamson, Andrew Zhou

On April 23, 2022, six of Canada’s best emerging pianists performed live-streamed recitals for the 45th Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition (E-Gré) in Piano.

The E-Gré Competition began in 1976 and is the most important annual Canadian and contemporary music competition. This year organizers were able to hold the competition in person in Brandon after being required to host the two previous editions of the EGré Competion online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All six competitors performed one final recital, and each program was required to include at least 50 per cent Canadian music, as well as this year’s commissioned work: Growing Forgiveness by Cris Derksen.

First-place winner David Potvin received a cash award of $6,000 and will embark on a cross-Canada tour in October and November 2022.

Second-prize winner Gabrielle Gagnon-Picard received a cash prize of $2,500, and third-prize winner Edward Enman received the Q Country 91.5, 94.7 Star FM & Westman Communications Group Prize of $1,500 cash. The City of Brandon Prize of $1,000 for the best performance of the 2022 commissioned piece was awarded to Potvin. The remaining competing finalists each received a $1,000 cash prize.

The jurors for this year’s competition were Jane Hayes, Jani Parsons, and Vicky Chow. The jury chair was President and CEO of the Canadian Music Centre, Glenn Hodgins.

“This competition has been a wonderful opportunity to share my passion for Canadian music. I am thrilled and honoured to have won the 45th Eckhardt-Grammaté competition, it is without a doubt the highlight of my career so far. I am also grateful for the opportunities

that the organizers of this competition give to pianists such as myself to perform. I look forward to presenting the repertoire that has become dear to me on tour across the country,” Potvin said.

The 2022 E-Gré Competition gratefully acknowledges the support of Brandon University School of Music, Canada Council for the Arts, Manitoba Arts Council, SOCAN Foundation, the City of Brandon, Westman Communications Group, the Canadian Music Centre, RBC and many corporate and private donors.

David Potvin

Montreal based pianist David Potvin has received various performance awards, including prizes at the 2018 Shean and 2017 Stepping Stone competitions. In 2020 he received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Toronto, where he studied with acclaimed pedagogue Marietta Orlov and won the DMA recital competition. David maintains an interest in a variety of repertoire. Recently, he organized a recital in collaboration with the Canadian Music Centre celebrating the works of Quebec composer Jacques Hétu. His 2021 recital with violinist Martin Beaver included the world premiere of Stewart Grant’s Violin Sonata. Currently, he is collaborating with composer Edward Enman on a recording of the composer’s four-hand piano pieces. A passionate music educator, David teaches piano in both of Canada’s official languages and is a member of the Royal Conservatory of Music’s college of examiners. In his spare time, he enjoys watching soccer, cooking, and exploring Montreal.

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