Mezzo-Soprano Kristin Hoff and pianist Meagan Milatz have been announced as the winners of the 2025-2028 Mécénat Musica: Prix Goyer for Collaborative Emerging Artist. The prize comes with a purse of $125,000 for each artist, totalling $250,000.
For collaborative emerging artists, the Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer is the biggest prize in Canada, and counts as one of the largest in the world of classical music. The award is named after the late Jean-Pierre Goyer, a former federal cabinet minister, and chairman of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
He was also chairman of the Orchestre Métropolitain, and responsible for hiring a 25 year-old emerging conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin as its conductor.
Previous recipients of the Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer Collaborative Emerging Artist recipients include Francis Choinière, choral conductor 2023-24; Nicolas Ellis, conductor 2021-22; Lara Deutsch, flute 2019-20; Marc Djokic, violin 2017-18; and Philip Chiu, piano 2015-16.
Meagan Milatz was born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, where she first studied piano. She would go on to study at McGill University in Montreal.
She is the founder, artistic and executive director of HausMusique chamber music concerts. HausMusique presents chamber music concert in the elegant Art Deco space on the 9th floor of the Eaton Centre.
Meagan has performed as a soloist across Canada, including appearances with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Regina Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke and the McGill Symphony Orchestra, among others.
She routinely performs with artists like Stefan Dohr, Principal Horn of the Berlin Philharmonic, Andrew Wan, concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and many others.
Meagan received the Prix Opus “Discovery of the Year” in 2024.
Kristin Hoff is Executive Director of Mini-Opéra Santé and co-founding Artistic and General Director of the Montreal contemporary opera creation company Musique 3 Femmes, a company that commissions, develops and produces operas by female and non-binary creators. Musique 3 Femmes has so far commissioned 11 new operas, and presented 65 concerts and workshops across 14 cities, including Montréal, Berlin, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, and in eight Canadian provinces. The company has trained more than 200 student hires.
She is also executive director of Mini-Opéras Santé, a company that brings opera to the people via duos of singers who perform on the sidewalks, in back streets and parks in underserved neighbourhoods.
As a vocalist, Kristin has performed at Carnegie Hall, with the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Symphony Orchestra, Mark Morris Dance Company, Ensemble Caprice, Caramoor Festival, and New York Festival of Song, among others.
Mécénat Musica is a cultural program with a unique model. It was created by donors for other donors, creating a sustainable source of funding to support music and culture. The program has so far amassed more than $100,000,000 of in perpetuity capital for 50 Québec cultural organizations. The Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer is one of its many prizes and programs.
Congratulations to both deserving artists!
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