For Immediate Release
September 15, 2004

Galaxie supports Banff Centre music program with Rising Stars Award

With the support of The Banff Centre and Galaxie, CBC’s Continuous Music Network, Toronto-based pianist Marianna Humetska has been able to advance to the next stage in her career. With a recent Galaxie Rising Stars Award, Humetska participated in a 2004 summer residency at The Banff Centre and performed with the Banff Festival Orchestra — highlighted by her performance of Gary Kulesha’s Partita for Piano and String Orchestra, conducted by the composer.

A 2003 graduate of the Glenn Gould School at the University of Toronto, and currently on the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Humetska was able to apply her time at The Banff Centre to recording, performing, and attending master classes with visiting artists including pianist Julian Martin. Her summer performance schedule included the Kulesha concert, presented as part of the 2004 Banff Summer Arts Festival, and a performance in August at Calgary’s Cantos Music Foundation.

“This was the first time in my life I was able to record a CD with such professionals,” Humetska says. “It was also important to me to be able to work with the other artists at The Banff Centre, to meet people and listen to them.”

Partnering with The Banff Centre for the third consecutive year, Galaxie’s Rising Stars Award is presented to an emerging Canadian artist performing in the Centre’s Summer Music Program, one of many awards the network presents in conjunction with more than 60 music industry partners across Canada to talented up-and-coming artists.

“This is our way of promoting musical diversity in our country and spotlighting the stars of tomorrow,” says Jean-Richard Lefebvre, manager of partnerships, development and French programming at the network. “We’re very passionate about encouraging Canadian artists on the rise,” To date, more than 250 artists and groups have benefited from the Rising Stars Program, including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Amir Amiri, and Rod Thomas Squance.

Galaxie is the most listened to continuous music network in the country with more than 4 million subscribers and 45 music channels uninterrupted by ads or talk, and programmed by music experts. Galaxie’s programming offers a mix of classic hits, contemporary chart toppers, and new music available via satellite, digital cable, and telecom.

For a complete list of Rising Stars Partners and winners, or for more information, see: www.galaxie.ca

For more information on The Banff Centre’s Music & Sound programs, see: www.banffcentre.ca/music/

For a high resolution, downloadable photo, see: www.banffcentre.ca/communications/images/people/

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