OMNI Music Competition

Listed by Young Talent

A huge BRAVO to the winners and all the participants!

For the fifth year in a row, 184 young Canadian musicians aged 7 to 17 showcased the full extent of their talent at our OMNI Music Competition! Among the 40 finalists, 34 young musicians stood out in their respective categories, and shared a total of $29,000 in scholarships. Their perseverance, determination and passion for music have been rewarded!

The OM is delighted to announce that the winner of this 5th edition of the Competition is violinist Justin Saulnier, who was awarded the Grand Prix François Schubert.

Originally from Orleans, Ontario, Justin Saulnier is currently studying with Andrew Wan at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. He has been concertmaster for the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra, the Ottawa Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada on their 2022 summer tour.

But whether or not they received a scholarship, each of the young people who took part in the competition emerged with a rich experience that we hope will encourage them to continue playing their instrument!

About the OMNI Competition

The OMNI Competition aims to inspire young people to practice their instruments by giving them the opportunity to grow and excel through a gratifying process that can have a decisive impact on their musical future. Young performers between the ages of 7 and 17 will show their talent in a safe setting that favours each participant’s growth and musical development and contact between musicians who share the same passion.

The participants’ performances were broadcast on the OM YouTube channel during the first round of the competition on May 5, 6 and 7. Watch the performances again by clicking here!

STRING CATEGORY

First places: 3 Canimex prizes worth $1,000

Jessie Sun, violin (Montreal, QC)
Canimex prizes: 15 to 17 years old

EX AEQUO : Ève-Léa Carrier, violin (Lévis, QC) / Michael Sun, violin (Montréal, QC)
Canimex Award: ages 12 to 14 (two $500 scholarships)

Noreen Irish de Asis, cello (Montreal, QC)
Canimex Award: 7 to 11 years old

Second place in the 15 to 17 years category: Hélène Brodeur and François Lafortune scholarship, worth $500

Aurélie Quimper-Bouchard, violin (Rimouski, QC)

Second and third place: 3 Wilder & Davis gift certificates, valued at $450

Serina Lee, cello (Greenfield Park, QC)
Wilder & Davis Prize Study: ages 15 to 17

Ren Karlicek, violin (Montreal, QC)
Wilder & Davis Prize Study: ages 7 to 11

Alice Yang, violin (North York, ON)
Wilder & Davis Prize Study: ages 7 to 11

WIND CATEGORY

First places: 3 Stingray Rising Star Prizes worth $1,000

Cyrille Angers, flute (Québec, QC)
Stingray Rising Star Award: ages 15 to 17

Étienne Isabel, flute (Montreal, QC)
Stingray Rising Star Award: ages 12 to 14

Élias Brindamour, trumpet (Trois-Rivières, QC)
Stingray Rising Star Award: ages 7 to 11

Second places: 3 Twigg Musique & Yamaha Canada prizes

Guillaume D’Aragon, French horn (Montreal, QC)
Twigg Musique & Yamaha Award: ages 15 to 17
500 gift certificate to Twigg Musique or $1,000 rebate on a Yamaha 7000 to 9000 series professional instrument

Cyrille Dudan, trumpet (Montreal, QC)
Twigg Musique & Yamaha prize: ages 12 to 14
350 gift certificate from Twigg Musique or $500 rebate on the purchase of a Yamaha 4000 to 9000 series intermediate or professional instrument.

Matthias Sutton, clarinet (Montreal, QC)
Twigg Musique & Yamaha Prize: ages 7 to 11
Gift certificate valued at $250 from Twigg Musique or $200 off a Yamaha 200 or 300 series student instrument

Lise Beauchamp Memorial Scholarship: $800 value

Zuxuan Liu, oboe (Montreal, QC)
Lise Beauchamp Memorial Scholarship

OTHER PRIZES

Orchestre Métropolitain Team Prize: 3 scholarships of $350 each

Anne-Renée Bouchard, flute (Laval, QC)
Orchestre Métropolitain Team Prize – ages 15 to 17

Alexandra Ma, piano (North York, ON)
Orchestre Métropolitain Team Prize – ages 12 to 14

Torrence Wei, cello (Montreal, QC)
Orchestre Métropolitain Team Award – ages 7 to 11

Orchestre Métropolitain Volunteer Favourite Prize: 4 scholarships of $300 each

Louis-Jacob Chandonnet, harp (Trois-Rivières, QC)
OM Volunteers’ Favourite Award

Ren Karlicek, violin (Montreal, QC)
OM Volunteer Favourite Award

Ethan Yang, piano (Montreal, QC)
OM Volunteer Favourite Award

Grégoire Abadie, piano (Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC)
OM Volunteers’ Favourite Award

Crescendo* Prizes

The Crescendo Prizes, worth $100 each, are designed to encourage young people of all ages to persevere with their instrument at the beginning of their musical career. The Crescendo Prizes were awarded at the end of the first stage of the Competition by the members of the jury to 10 young people in the Participatory section whose talent and potential caught their attention:

Piano: Irene Huang, Camille Latorre, Emily Pan
Strings: Xavier Bélisle, violin; Vincent Paquin, violin; Curtis Yu, cello
Winds : Romain Grisel, clarinet; Françoise Noël, clarinet
Percussion, harp and guitar: Albin Turgeon-Rondeau, guitar; Amélie Lou Marandola, xylophone.

* The creation of the Crescendo Prizes is made possible by a generous donation from Mrs. Élise Leroux, in memory of Mrs. Hélène Verville.

Tracks

Official partner of the 2023 OMNI Competition

OMNI Competition partners

2022 Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the fourth OMNI Competition!

The 25 young performers stood out in their respective categories (strings, winds and piano) and shared scholarships totalling more than $22,000.

GRAND PRIZES

Emad Zolfaghari, viola (Oakville, ON)
François Schubert Grand Prize
$5,000 scholarship to the winner of the Age 15-17 category

Megan Lo, piano (Richmond Hill, ON)
Hydro-Québec Prize
$2,000 scholarship to the winner of the Age 12-14 category

Iza Kamnitzer, violin (Montréal, QC)
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Prize
$2,000 scholarship to the winner of the Age 7-11 category

INSTITUTIONAL PRIZES

Henri Roy, violin (Lac Beauport, QC)
Orchestre Métropolitain Team Prize—Strings
$350 scholarship

Heidi Robichaud, saxophone alto (Saint-Marcellin, QC)
Orchestre Métropolitain Team Prize—Winds
$350 scholarship

Grégoire Abadie, piano (St-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC)
Orchestre Métropolitain Team Prize—Piano
$350 scholarship

Catherine Dong, piano (Montréal, QC)
Coopérative des professeurs de musique Prize
$500 gift certificate awarded to a Coopérative des professeurs de musique student

STRINGS CATEGORY

Kim Carrier, violin (Lévis, QC)
Canimex Prize | Age 7 to 11
$1,000 scholarship

Émile Quimper-Bouchard, cello (Rimouski, QC)
Canimex Prize | Age 12 to 14
$1,000 scholarship

Gabriel Dodin, violin (Montréal, QC)
Canimex Prize | Age 15 to 17
$1,000 scholarship

Salma Khakimov, violin (Toronto, ON)
Wilder & Davis Study Prize | Age 7 to 11
Wilder & Davis gift certificate and accessories worth $250

Jessie Sun, violin (Montréal, QC)
Wilder & Davis Study Prize | Age 12 to 14
Wilder & Davis gift certificate and accessories worth $250

Serina Lee, cello (Greenfield Park, QC)
Wilder & Davis Study Prize | Age 15 to 17
Wilder & Davis gift certificate and accessories worth $250

WINDS CATEGORY

Matthias Sutton, clarinet (Montréal, QC)
Étoiles Stingray Prize | Age 7 to 11
$1,000 scholarship

Cyrille Dudan, trumpet (Montréal, QC)
Étoiles Stingray Prize | Age 12 to 14
$1,000 scholarship

Alexis Bernier, flute (Sherbrooke, QC)
Étoiles Stingray Prize | Age 15 to 17
$1,000 scholarship

Tara Marceau, French Horn (Chicoutimi, QC)
Twigg Musique & Yamaha Prize | Age 7 to 11
$250 Twigg Musique gift certificate OR $200 discount on a Yamaha 200 or 300 Series student instrument

Anouk Marceau, recorder (Chicoutimi, QC)
Twigg Musique & Yamaha Prize | Age 12 to 14
$350 Twigg Musique gift certificate OR $500 discount on a Yamaha 4000 to 9000 Series intermediate or professional instrument

Jin Dong Zhao, flute (Montréal, QC)
Twigg Musique & Yamaha Prize | Age 15 to 17
$1,000 discount on a Yamaha 7000 to 9000 Series professional instrument or a $500 Twigg Musique gift certificate

PIANO CATEGORY

Yixuan Miao (Brossard, QC)
Bolduc Pianos Prize | Age 7 to 11
$1,000 scholarship

Ethan Yang (Montréal, QC)
Bolduc Pianos Prize | Age 12 to 14
$1,000 scholarship

Kevin Wang (Mississauga, ON)
Bolduc Pianos Prize | Age 15 to 17
$1,000 scholarship

Jason Li (Montréal, QC)
Josée Tremblay Prize | Age 7 to 11
$250 scholarship

Valérie Tam (Toronto, ON)
Hélène Brodeur and François Lafortune Prize | Age 12 to 14
$500 scholarship

Wan Lin Song (Longueuil, QC)
Forget-Choiselat Prize | Age 15 to 17
$500 scholarship

NEW : Crescendo Prize
The Crescendo Prizes have been made possible due to a generous donation from Élise Leroux in the memory of Hélène Verville.

Created this year, the Crescendo Awards, worth $100 each, aim to encourage young people of all ages to persevere in the practice of their instrument at the beginning of their musical career. The Crescendo Awards were presented at the end of the first stage of the Competition by members of the jury to 10 young people who were not selected to go on to the finals of the Competition but whose talent nevertheless drew their attention:

Piano: Leonardo Feng, Kento Richard and Lilliana Tong

Strings: Aiden Gao, violin; Aiden Liu, violin; Melinda Liu, violin; Torrence Wei, cello

Winds: Aube Geoffray, flute; Françoise Noël, clarinet; Simone Noël, bassoon

Participation and Audience Choice Prizes
Each participant receives a participation prize and constructive comments from a jury formed of OM musicians and collaborators. In addition, when the first round of the competition is posted for viewing, an Audience Choice prize is awarded in each instrument category to the participant receiving the most votes.

NEW
The Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur will invite selected prize winners to perform in a series of concerts as part of its 2022-2023 season.