Oskar Morawetz



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Awards and Tributes

Awards

Although Morawetz was always proud of his achievements, he was never pretentious about the honours conferred upon him. Whenever he was invited to take a bow after a public performance of one of his compositions, he seemed almost embarrassed that the crowd should be applauding him so warmly. In his 70th year, he was awarded the first of many distinctive awards he was to receive. But although he proudly displayed his medals and trophies in his home, he never wore any of his medals in public.

Early in his career, Morawetz' compositions won various awards. His String Quartet No. 1 and Sonata Tragica were both given a CAPAC award. On three occasions, Morawetz was awarded a Canada Council Senior Arts Fellowship (1960, 1967, 1974) for his contribution to Canadian music. His Concerto No.1 for Piano and Orchestra was the award winning composition in the nation-wide competition sponsored by the Montreal symphony (1962). His Sinfonietta for Winds and Percussion was chosen as the winning composition of Critics' Award at the International Competition for Contemporary Music in Cava dei Tirreni, Italy (1966). In 1971, From the Diary of Anne Frank received a special award from the J.I. Segal Fund for Jewish Culture in Canada in Montreal for "the most important contribution to Jewish culture and music in Canada."

In 1987, Morawetz was part of the first group to receive the newly established Order of Ontario. Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander awarded him the honour for his "outstanding contribution to the world of music [which] has brought him international recognition and renown." Two years later in 1989, Morawetz became a Member of the Order of Canada for his "outstanding achievements and service".

SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) awarded Morawetz the Jan V. Matejcek Concert Music Award in 1994 for "a currently unsurpassed number of performances of a vast variety of works executed by world renowned conductors and performers both here in Canada and in the US as well as overseas". In 1999, this same organization bestowed the highest SOCAN honour upon Morawetz with the Wm. Harold Moon Award for "bringing international recognition to Canada through his work."

Morawetz' compositions have won two Juno awards. In 1989, his Harp Concerto won the Juno award for Best Classical Composition. In 2001, Morawetz won a second Juno award for his From the Diary of Anne Frank.

Morawetz also received a Tribute from the University of Toronto for 25 years of service, and an Honorary Diploma appointing Morawetz as a fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music in 1998.

On the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Morawetz received the 1992 Commemorative Medal. In 2002 he was awarded the Golden Jubilee Medal for those who "made a significant contribution to Canada, to their community or to their fellow Canadians". In 2009, Morawetz was recognized by the Czech community with the inaugural Commemorative Silver Medal of Jan Masaryk for "promoting the good name of the Czech Republic".

Morawetz' 1987 violin sonata, A Child's Cry From Izieu was re-discovered and given its première and recorded in 2007 on a CD of his complete violin/piano works. The CD won the 2008 West Coast Music Award for Outstanding Classical Recording, and the 2009 East Coast Music Award for Classical Recording of the Year. It also received a 2008 Juno nomination for Best Classical Composition.

Tributes

Several tributes and scholarships have been established in Morawetz' name to honour his lifetime achievements as a pianist, composer and teacher. The following is a list of these honours. Click on the link to the organization to make further enquiries about these tributes.

Ontario Arts Council, The Oskar Morawetz Award for Excellence in Music Performance
(established 2007)
This biennial, non-solicited award recognizes an outstanding Canadian performer in the field of classical music who may have reached a degree of international attention through appearances in other countries, and/or through broadcast and recordings.
+ Past recipients

University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, The Oskar Morawetz Entrance Scholarship in Music
(established 2004)
This scholarship is awarded annually to a top student entering their first year in a music program at the University of Toronto, and is renewable for a second year if good academic standing is maintained.
+ Past recipients

CAMMAC, The Oskar Morawetz Music Library
(established 2004)
The library in the new Lake MacDonald Music Centre was partially funded by a gift from the Morawetz family, and contains over 1000 scores and books about music donated from the archives of Oskar Morawetz.

Regent Park School of Music, Oskar Morawetz Music Scholarship for Piano Study
(established 2001)
The piano scholarship is awarded annually to a piano student showing great promise, and provides support for piano instruction for the following year.