Known as the biggest prize in Canada for collaborative emerging artists in classical music, Ellis is allocating $50,000 of his award to establish a larger $1,000,000 Mécénat Musica endowment for his organization, Orchestre de l’Agora.
Ellis founded Orchestre de l’Agora in 2013 with as an orchestra whose mission is to reinvent the role of classical musicians in society by giving them the power to collectively increase their impact on the world through their talent and commitment.
Ellis has conducted several other Mécénat Musica grant recipients including Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Les Violons du Roy, Orchestre classique de Montréal and I Musici de Montréal.
On top of that, he has performed with Mécénat Musica’s artist-in-residence Karina Gauvin and created a composition alongside composer-in-residence Mattias Maute.
As a cultural program created by donors for donors, Mécénat Musica is focused on giving sustainable support to health, music and culture.
During the pandemic, the program has had the opportunity to distribute around $2 million to support organizations and concerts, many of which were aimed to help the social and mental health of people within Québec and Ontario communities.
Nicolas Ellis is the fourth recipient of the Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer since pianist Phil Chiu was awarded in 2015.
Look for our exclusive profile of Nicolas Ellis by Sylvia L’Ecuyer in the summer 2021 issue of Opera Canada.
