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| Leonard Cohen wins Glenn Gould Prize A prestigious jury of artists, including Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan and British actor Stephen Fry, met at Massey College Thursday to decide who out of more than 60 international candidates should receive the so-called "Nobel Prize of the arts." The jury unanimously chose Canadian poet, novelist and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen to be the ninth Glenn Gould Prize laureate. "It is a great honour, sweetened by my love of the work of Glenn Gould, and our collective appreciation of his invigorating and enduring presence in the world of music and imagination, " Cohen, 76, said in a written statement. The award is handed out every other year to a living artist who has made a unique lifetime contribution. that has "enriched the human condition through the arts and manifests the values of innovation, inspiration and transformation, " a press release says. The Montreal-born Cohen did not attend the Friday announcement but all of the jury members were present at the Royal Conservatory of Music, including Chinese singer and UN Goodwill Ambassador Dadawa and recording industry executive Costa Pilavachi. "I'm quite bewildered. I thought we had agreed that Justin Bieber was getting it, " Fry quipped. "Seriously, I was 10 years old when Songs of Leonard Cohen came out . . . We all agreed that one of the most remarkable things about his extraordinary art is how it has become richer and deeper and more extraordinary every decade." Cohen is one of the most covered artists alive; Hallelujah has been covered by more than 150 artists including Willie Nelson and Bono. Cohen was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, the year that brought him back to the stage for the first time in 15 years. Before he began recording music in the late 1960s, he was recognized for his collections of poetry and his novels. "We all felt very passionate about it, " Egoyan said of the jury's decision. "He's had a huge influence on my work." Egoyan used one of Cohen's best-known songs, Everybody Knows, as the centerpiece of his 1994 film, Exotica. "When I was making that film, we didn't have the budget. I remember contacting Universal and realizing that we couldn't afford it. Thanks to the personal intervention of Mr. Cohen, we were able to use that song. It was really generous of him." Gary Graffman, celebrated pianist and author, told the 200 people assembled at the press conference that he is the only jury member who knew Gould. They spent some time together in Berlin in the 1950s. "I know he would've been delighted by this choice, " the 82-year-old said. "(Cohen) was uncompromising as Glenn Gould was." Cohen will receive $50, 000 and will designate a young artist to receive the City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protege Prize of $15, 000. Past laureates include cellist Yo-Yo Ma, jazz musician Oscar Peterson and Dr. Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema, Venezuela's free music education program for at-risk youth. A pilot project based on El Sistema is launching in Toronto this fall. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Jazz News :: home page |