Toronto, December 3, 2012 – The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) and Choirs Ontario today announced Jamie Hillman as this year’s recipient of the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting. The Leslie Bell Prize will be presented to Mr. Hillman at the Chatham Kent Children’s Chorus Christmas concert on Sunday,December 16, at 6 p.m. at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Chatham, Ontario.

Quick Facts

• Jamie Hillman is a conductor who has directed numerous ensembles including the Chatham-Kent Treble Choir, Rosa Cantorum Women’s Choir (Rosebud, Alta.), Boston University Concert Chorus, Boston University Women’s Chorale, Prairie Masterworks Chorale & Orchestra (Three Hills, Alta.), Worcester Children’s Chorus (Worchester, Mass.), and the Manado State University Choir (Indonesia). 
• His choral compositions have been performed by ensembles including the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, Boston Children’s Chorus, Les Choristes (University of Western Ontario), Oakville Children’s Choir, and numerous other school, church, and community choirs. His popular Christmas carol, Who Would Have Thought?, was recently published by Cypress Choral Music (Vancouver, B.C.). He is also a tenor soloist who has performed with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and the Windsor Classic Chorale & Classic Players.
• Mr. Hillman has been an instructor for the Thames Institute of the Arts at St. Clair College in Chatham, and has served as Director of Music at Grace Lutheran Church in Mitchell and Co-Director of Music at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Chatham. Jamie Hillman is a voice and piano examiner for Conservatory Canada, and has adjudicated and guest conducted at festivals in Canada, the U.S. and southeast Asia.
• He holds an ARCT diploma (Piano Performance) from the Royal Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor of Music degree (Honours Music Education) from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master of Music (Choral Conducting and Literature) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree (Conducting) from Boston University, where he has been named a Boston University Prison Arts Scholar.

Quotes

In choosing Jamie, the jury noted that: 
“Jamie showed skilled and artistic conducting technique. His supportive and encouraging communication with the choir produced a relaxed yet focused performance.”

Learn More

• The $10,000 Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting is awarded every two years to an emerging professional conductor who works with a professional, semi-professional or community choir.
• The Leslie Bell Singers and friends of the late Dr. Leslie Bell established the Leslie Bell Scholarship Fund in 1973.
• The Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting is made possible by a financial contribution from the Leslie Bell Scholarship Fund and the Ontario Arts Council. The Leslie Bell Scholarship Fund is administered by the Ontario Arts Council. The jury process is administered by Choirs Ontario.

For further information

Kirsten Gunter 
Director of Communications 
Ontario Arts Council 
416-969-7403 | 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7403

Elizabeth Shannon, Executive Director
Choirs Ontario 
416-923-1144