February 2, 2020: Canadian Art Song Project (co-directed by Lawrence Wiliford) receives first JUNO nomination

Canadian Art Song Project (CASP) is proud to announce that Healey Willan: Summer Night and other songs for voice and piano has been nominated for a 2020 JUNO award as best choral / vocal solo recording. This is the first JUNO nomination for the organization since its founding in 2011 by artistic directors Lawrence Wiliford and Steven Philcox. The named artists for the nomination are baritone Peter Barrett, soprano Martha Guth, mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, and pianist Helen Becqué.

Devoted entirely to Healey Willan’s vocal solo song compositions, Summer Night features some of the composer’s most well-known and often performed songs, but also includes formerly unpublished gems that have been edited and published by CASP and recorded here for the first time.

Lawrence Wiliford, co-artistic director of Canadian Art Song Project, hopes this nomination will  spur interest in the rich body of art song literature in the Canadian canon: “Willan always held his songs in high regard and believed that they deserved more attention. We can only imagine that this nomination will help reignite interest in his significant repertoire for solo voice and piano.”