CANADIAN MUSIC COMPETITIONS, INC.  (1970- )
MUS 257

Canadian Music Competitions, Inc. fonds.  - 1959-1994.  - 7 m of textual records.  - 3,505 photographs.  - 138 negatives.  - 2 slides.  - 19 audio tape reels.  - 4 videocassettes. 

Administrative history
An umbrella organization founded by Claude Deschamps, Hélène M. Stevens and Denyse Raymond to coordinate music competitions in each province of Canada and national finals.  The organization was born of the need to create national competitions in Canada to prepare young musicians for an international career.  The Quebec Music Festivals, founded in 1958, proved to be much too regional and in 1971, became a section of the Canadian Music Competitions, adopting the name Concours de musique du Québec.  The primary objective of the Canadian Music Competitions is to give talented young musicians visibility and to help them financially by granting bursaries.  Winners of the International Stepping Stones, the top competitive category, include Marc-André Hamelin, Angela Hewitt, André Laplante, Louis Lortie, Chantal Juillet, Desmond Hoebig, Bernard Jean, Michèle Boucher, Nicole Lorange and Liona Boyd. 

Scope and content
The fonds contains records pertaining to the organization's activities.  In addition to illustrating the organization of music competitions, the records provide information on numerous competitors and their performance.  The fonds also contains constitutional documents; organization charts and a history; correspondence; minutes and committee reports; financial statements; policies and regulations governing competitions; lists of members, competitors, bursary winners and donors; competition results; promotional material and press clippings; photographs of competitors and competition-related events; sound and video recordings of gala concerts. 

Immediate source of acquisition:  acquired from the Canadian Music Competitions in 1994. 

Restrictions:  employee files. 

Finding aids:  provisional description. 

Accruals:  further accessions expected.