Walter MacNutt Prize – CMC Ontario

The Walter MacNutt Prize is awarded on a biennal basis. The prize recognizes a composer who is working in a community or liturgical context. The winner will create a new work for choir, art song, or keyboard improvisation that honours Walter’s warm, open, and generous spirit and his high regard for beauty, precision, and his audience, all of which radiated from his person and his music.

The Walter MacNutt prize is made possible due to the generous benefaction of Robert Maclennan.

About Walter MacNutt

Walter MacNutt was an organist, choirmaster, and composer and an Associate Composer member of the Canadian Music Centre. His compositions encompass both secular and sacred works. His early compositions include works for choir, voice, and orchestra. His later compositions were written mainly for use in the Anglican Church. Originally from Prince Edward Island, he studied at the Toronto Conservatory of Music, where he received the TCM’s Vogt Memorial and Marion Ferguson scholarships. Walter held posts as organist-choirmaster at Trinity Church (Barrie ON 1931-35), Holy Trinity Church (Toronto ON 1935-42), All Saints’ Church (Winnipeg MB 1946-49), All Saints’ Church in (Windsor ON 1949-53) and St. Thomas’ Church (Toronto 1953-77).

Eligibility

The application is open to all Canadian Citizens but composers should expect to attend the premiere in Toronto.

Proposal

Composers/improvisers are invited to submit a proposal for a piece for choir, voice and piano, or solo keyboard improvisation that engages with Walter MacNutt’s values outlined above. Applicants will be asked to provide two (2) representative works as examples demonstrating the artists experience writing/recording for their chosen ensemble.

Description: Describe the proposed piece or improvisation (500 words max)
Résumé or CV (PDF): The composer/improvisor should submit résumés or CVs detailing their musical experience
Support Material:
1. A score and/or links to archival audio or video recording of the representative works,
2. Performance or a demo recording from rehearsals (link to streaming audio/video) are preferred, MIDI recordings are acceptable.

Streaming audio/video files should be hosted on Soundcloud, Youtube, Vimeo, Bandcamp, or another reliable streaming site. Files must remain available until May 2025.

There is no application fee to apply.

Jury

Proposals will be evaluated on a competitive basis by a jury selected by the Canadian Music Centre. The Prize jury will be comprised of three members from the national music community who will offer their perspective on music composition, improvisation, performance, and community or liturgical contexts, among other topics.

Proposals will be assessed based on their artistic merit and the proposals engagement with the topic and music of MacNutt. The jury must also determine that an applicant will be able to carry out the project. Unsuccessful proposals will be encouraged to resubmit and, where possible, constructive feedback will be provided.

Jury results will be announced June 2025.

The decision of the jury is final and there is no procedure for appeal.

Prize and performance:

$3000 prize for a 6-minute work for chorus (with or without keyboard accompaniment), voice and piano, or a solo improvisation. An additional $1000 will be made available for the participating ensemble to perform the new work alongside a work of MacNutt’s. The premiere of this work and the performance of MacNutt’s music will take place at a CMC sponsored event in Spring 2026.

The score and/or recording must acknowledge the support of the Walter MacNutt Prize and the Canadian Music Centre in the liner/program notes.