Singer/songwriter Kyrie Kristmanson is the 2009 recipient of the Ontario Arts Council’s Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award for her Song X. Nominations for the 2009 Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award were received from the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals’ “Songs from the Heart” jury. In this year's “Songs from the Heart” competition there were 300 songs entered by 192 different songwriters.
About Kyrie Kristmanson
- Kyrie Kristmanson grew up in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and London, England, studying voice, guitar and trumpet.
- When she was 15, she was selected to play at the Winnipeg Folk Festival's youth stage.
- She writes songs in English and French in a unique style that is a vocal-driven fusion of folk, jazz and alternative rock. She plays the same nylon-string guitar she received for her ninth birthday.
- In October 2008, Kyrie's sold-out Paris debut was followed by other dates in Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and at the Printemps de Bourges festival.
- Since then she has performed at the Ottawa and Montreal jazz festivals, the Edmonton, Regina, Shelter Valley and Ness Creek folk festivals, the Montreal Fringe Festival, and many others
- In 2008, she was selected to perform at the Canadian Music Café at the Toronto International Film Festival.
- Listen to Kyrie at http://www.myspace.com/kyriekristmanson
Jury
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The jury of singer-songwriters was composed of Dave Angell (Thunder Bay), Sarah DeCarlo (Peterborough), Mike Ford (Toronto), Mélissa Laveaux (Ottawa) and last year’s winner Chris MacLean (Chelsea). According to the jury, Song X was one of the most original songs in the competition and had a great musical structure.
About the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award
- The annual $1000 Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award supports and promotes the work of Ontario-resident emerging singer-songwriters in the genres of roots, traditional, folk and country music.
- It was established at the Ontario Arts Council in 2003 by Colleen’s sister, Shirley Richardson, and singer-songwriter Laura Bird. The Ontario Arts Council administers The Colleen Peterson Songwriting Fund and the selection process.
- Previous winners of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award include Chris MacLean (2008), Brooke Miller (2007), Andy Sheppard (2006), Lori Cullen and Brian MacMillan (2005), David Gillis (2004), and evalyn parry (2003).
- To learn more about OAC, visit www.arts.on.ca and about OCFF at www.ocff.ca
Media Inquiries
Kirsten Gunter
Director of Communications
Ontario Arts Council
416-969-7403 / 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7403
kgunter@arts.on.ca
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