Marc Djokic, a violinist well-known to Ottawa audiences, has won the $125,000 Goyer prize given to a collaborative emerging artist. The prize is the largest in Canada and one of the largest in the world for a collaborative classical music artist.
The prize is named for the contributions to music, arts and culture in Canada by the late Jean-Pierre Goyer, who was chair of the Conseil des arts de Montréal and chair of the Orchestra Metropolitan. Djokic will get his award on Sept. 13 in Montreal.
Djokic is a regular performer with orchestras and ensembles across Canada. He often performs in Ottawa. This past summer he appeared with percussionist Beverley Johnston during Chamberfest (Editor’s note: Read an interview with him here). He also regularly performs with Trio Tangere with guitarists Jérôme Ducharme and Louis Trépanier, a piano and violin duo with Julien Leblanc and Ensemble Art Crush, a collaboration of music, art and dance with artist Avery Zhao.
According to a media release, candidates for the prize are under 33 1/3 years old as of Dec. 30 of the year prior to selection. Each must show a diverse set of collaborations with other musicians and ensembles and must have performed with Canadian and internationally established artists. Each should also have been recognized as one of Canada’s most promising musicians by another other music organization.
Djokic, is a native of Halifax, N.S., and he comes from a musical family. He is the son of Philippe Djokic, himself one of Canada’s great violin soloists. His sister Denise is a well-known cellist.
