The Bragg Women Music Opportunities Fund was established in 2017 by John Bragg, 换妻探花 alumnus and past Chancellor, and his wife Judy, also a 换妻探花 graduate.
The fund honours five women in the Bragg family who made significant contributions to music education including:
- Zillah Bragg
- Sylvia Bragg
- Kathleen (Bragg) Sherman (Class of 1952)
- Carolyn (Bragg) Glennie (Class of 1958)
- Lorraine (Bragg) Moore (Class of 1970)
The Bragg Fund provides funding in three main areas:
- The fund supports the visit of an artist-in-residence of national or international stature every year. The residency may include concerts, master classes, workshops, and mentoring of students.
- The fund supports student summer programs and touring opportunities, including summer programs in music.
- The fund supports music technology purchases, including advanced music-related software and hardware which will allow students to explore new ways of creating, recording, developing, and sharing their musical ideas.
鈥淢usic and music education have always played an important role in my family. I am pleased to recognize Bragg Women in my family who have made lasting contributions to music education.鈥
鈥 John Bragg ('62, '63, LLD '93)
Bragg Artist-in-Residence
Acclaimed UK baritone and composer will join us as our sixth Bragg Artist-in-Residence from January 29 to February 1, 2025. The residency will include public talks, workshops and class visits, a master class, and concludes with a concert with pianist Stephen Runge.
Bragg Artist Biography
Roderick Williams is one of the most sought after baritones of his generation. He performs a wide repertoire from baroque to contemporary music, in the opera house, on the concert platform and is in demand as a recitalist worldwide.
He enjoys relationships with all the major UK opera houses and has sung opera world premieres by David Sawer, Sally Beamish, Michael van der Aa, Robert Saxton and Alexander Knaifel. Recent and future engagements include The Traveller / Death in Venice for Welsh National Opera, the title role in Eugene Onegin and Yeletsky / Pique Dame for Garsington, Papageno for Covent Garden, Sharpless / Madame Butterfly for ENO and van de Aa鈥檚 Upload with Cologne Opera, Bregenz Festival and the Dutch National Opera.
Roderick sings regularly with all the BBC orchestras and all the major UK orchestras, as well as the Berlin, London and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Cincinnati Symphony, London Symphony and Bach Collegium Japan amongst others. His many festival appearances include the BBC Proms (including the Last Night in 2014), Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Bath, Aldeburgh and Melbourne Festivals.
Roderick Williams has an extensive discography. He is a composer and has had works premiered at the Wigmore and Barbican Halls, the Purcell Room and live on national radio. In December 2016 he won the prize for best choral composition at the British Composer Awards. From 2022/23 season he takes the position of Composer in Association of the BBC Singers.
He performed the three Schubert song cycles around the UK culminating in performances at the Wigmore Hall and has subsequently recorded them for Chandos. Future releases include more Schubert, Schumann in English as well as works by Vaughan Williams.
He was Artistic Director of Leeds Lieder in April 2016, is Artist in Residence for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra from 2020/21 for two seasons and won the RPS Singer of the Year award in May 2016. He was awarded an OBE in June 2017 and sang at the Coronation Service of King Charles III in May 2023 as well as composed a choral work for the event.
Bragg Artist Residency public events
As part of the 2024-25 Bragg Artist Residency, Roderick Williams will take part in several public events:
Bragg Artist Colloquium Musicum: 鈥My Life in Music.鈥 A biographical chat/interview with Bragg Artist Roderick Williams Brunton, 4:00 p.m.
鈥淎 Portfolio Career: Being a Professional Freelance Musician鈥 鈥 Bragg Artist Roderick Williams discusses his multi-faceted career and working life. Brunton, 7:30 p.m.
Bragg Artist-in-Residence Guest Recital: A Recital of English Song, with Bragg Artist Roderick Williams and pianist Dr. Stephen Runge. Brunton, 7:30 p.m.
Previous Bragg Artists-in-Residence
, Saxophonist and Broadcaster, 2023-2024
, composer, 2022-2023
, collaborative pianist and scholar, 2021-2022
, pianist, 2019-20
, soprano, 2018-19
Bragg Summer Programs and Touring Awards
Each year the Bragg fund invites applications from students to support high-level off-campus training and mentorship opportunities. In many cases, these will be programs with a competitive application process. The fund assists with program fees, travel and accommodation, and other costs. In addition, the fund supports performance tours of student musicians.
Supported programs may include, for example:
- summer programs
- summer opera program
- an independent mentorship with a film composer or conductor in a major urban centre
- a summer program in music theory or musicology
Supported touring programs may include, for example:
- an opera workshop, band, or choir tour of regional schools
- a solo or chamber ensemble tour (e.g., a student brass quintet)
2024 Bragg Summer Program and Touring Applications
- (required for these applications)
Applications for the 2024 round of funding are due by 4 p.m. on Monday, March 4, 2024. Completed applications should be e-mailed to Dr. Kevin Morse (kmorse@mta.ca) as a single PDF.
Note that a faculty signature is required for both applications. Faculty may either sign the final PDF electronically or may submit the PDF on behalf of the student along with a short e-mail indicating their support.
Students may find it helpful to consult this from the Eastman School of Music.
Please contact Dr. Morse (kmorse@mta.ca) with questions.