2026 | Madeleine Careau, CEO Montreal Symphony Orchestra
With a fifty-year career in arts administration, culminating in over two decades as CEO of the 
Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO), Madeleine Careau has put an indelible stamp on the听performing arts in Quebec and Canada.听Her role at the MSO was the result of many years of work across cultural fields in Quebec, including selling tickets for听Les Grands Ballets Canadiens while she was in college, working in听communications with the Orchestre symphonique de Qu茅bec,听supporting Quebec culture by serving as Chief of Staff for the Minister of Cultural Affairs from 1983 to 1985, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Quebec Prime Minister Pierre Marc Johnson for three months, just to name a few.
With her expertise in managing large cultural enterprises and connections across diverse cultural realms, it is not surprising that in fall 1999 the Montreal Symphony Orchestra approached her to serve as its CEO, a position she held 2000 to 2024.听Ms. Careau has been recognized with numerous honours for her many contributions to arts and culture in Quebec. She is a role model and a source of inspiration for those following in her footsteps.
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2025 | Jocelyne M. Guilbault, ethnomusicologist
Jocelyne M. Guilbault has had a groundbreaking career in ethnomusicology and popular music studies. She has played a crucial role in contextualizing and deepening the study of the popular forms and their roles in society, with special emphasis on the music of the Caribbean.
From her early field work in the Caribbean and then a teaching career that led her to University of California, Berkeley, Guilbault has focused on the intersections of music, anthropology, cultural studies and history. She is known for confronting questions of identity and appropriation, and the ways that issues of race, ethnicity and gender can attach themselves to music.
Listen to her speech at the 2025 Spring Music Convocation.
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2024
听| Joan Ivory, philanthropist
Joan Ivory, a Montreal-born philanthropist and long-time supporter of the arts, began making financial contributions to 黑料网爆吃瓜 when she graduated with her bachelor's degree in听economics and sociology in 1954. Her passion for arts and culture led her to earn a diploma from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts school in 1955 and she afterwards continued to maintain a strong relationship with the institution through funding raising and administrative leadership.听听
A member of the Schulich School of Music Faculty Advisory Board since 1998, Ivory supported initiatives to enrich the student experience, everything from student travel and study grants, to support for the Marvin Duchow Music Library and spearheading the New Instruments Fund.听听
Among many other awards for her service, Ivory has received the E.P. Taylor Award (2008), which recognizes outstanding fundraising efforts, and the Distinguished Service Award (2016).听
at the 2024 Fall Music Convocation ceremony.听
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2024 | Louis Lortie, pianist
A Montreal native, Louis Lortie is a celebrated mentor, dedicated advocate of music education, and world-renowned musician.听听
Lortie made his debut with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montr茅al at the age of thirteen. Now, he is considered one of the leading pianists of his generation and has captivated audiences with his exceptional technical prowess and artistic sensitivity. Louis Lortie has been a highly sought after musician on five continents for over thirty years. He has produced more than 45 recordings and in 2022 generated more than 6 million streams.听听
Beyond his solo career, Lortie is also an esteemed chamber musician, known for his collaborative spirit and musical depth. As a passionate advocate for music education, he frequently engages in teaching and mentoring activities, inspiring the next generation of pianists.听
at the 2024 Spring Music convocation ceremony.
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2023 | Elizabeth Wirth, philanthropist
A successful businessperson, committed volunteer, and generous philanthropist, Elizabeth Wirth is a respected and inspiring role model.
Members of the Schulich community know Ms. Wirth from her active involvement with our School. She became the chair of Schulich鈥檚 Faculty Advisory Board in 2008. She and her family also played a central role in the creation of state-of-the-art music facilities on our campus, including the Wirth Opera Studio the Music Multimedia Room control room. Ms. Wirth also rarely misses a chance to support our students. In addition to founding the Wirth Vocal Prize, she is a regular guest at our students鈥� concerts 鈥� encouraging them to keep working and to reach their full potential as musicians.
Ms. Wirth鈥檚 passion for music is contagious, and we feel it every time we are in her presence. We are grateful she鈥檚 such an integral part of our School.
at the 2023 Music convocation ceremony.
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2023 | Alexina Louie, composer
One of Canada鈥檚 most celebrated and frequently performed composers, Vancouver-born Alexina Louie has written for many of the country鈥檚 leading soloists, 
chamber ensembles, new music groups, and orchestras. She has composed in various musical genres, including ballet, opera, and scores for film and television.
Her orchestral works have been performed by leading international ensembles, and her music has been selected for production by the National Ballet of Canada.
In addition to her life as a composer, Ms. Louie is one of the most active advocates of contemporary music in Canada. She has served on many boards including the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada, the Governor General鈥檚 Awards for the Performing Arts, and Esprit Orchestra.
at the installation ceremony of Professor H. Deep Saini as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of 黑料网爆吃瓜.
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2019 | Pat Metheny, guitarist
Since beginning his international career in 1974, guitarist Pat Metheny has garnered widespread critical acclaim, demonstrated astonishing versatility as an artist, and has consistently been at the forefront of music technology.
His list of awards and honours includes 20 Grammy Award wins in 12 separate categories听鈥� the only musical artist to ever achieve this feat. A NEA Jazz Master, Metheny has also been inducted into both the Down Beat Hall of Fame and听the Missouri Music Hall of Fame, and was elected into the Royal Swedish Academy of Music in 2018.
On a local level, Montreal鈥檚 love for Metheny showed during the ceremony through the audience鈥檚 enthusiastic applause and cheers of support. The guitarist is no stranger to the city, having performed at almost every iteration of the Festival international de Jazz de Montreal since its inception, in addition to stops on tour at other times of the year. The last time many attendees saw Pat Methey onstage, he was likely sporting a patent striped shirt and hollow body guitar instead of academic dress and a diploma鈥攁s such, Spring Convocation was a unique opportunity to celebrate the legendary artist and welcome him as a 黑料网爆吃瓜 graduate. Read more
at the 2019 Music convocation ceremony.
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2018 | Zarin Mehta, music business manager
Zarin Mehta has led some of the greatest musical institutions in North America. His passion for the music business began in Montreal where he was managing director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montr茅al from 1981 to 1990. He then went to Chicago to become executive director and later president and CEO of the prestigious Ravinia Festival. In 2000 he was appointed Executive Director, and later President of the legendary New York Philharmonic. After leaving New York in 2012, Mr. Mehta became Co-Executive Director of the Green Music Center, at Sonoma State University in California.
Here at 黑料网爆吃瓜, we are particularly grateful to Zarin Mehta for his time at the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal. Under his dynamic leadership in the 1980鈥檚, the orchestra gained international renown and attracted a generation of talented musicians, some of whom still teach at the University. The 黑料网爆吃瓜-OSM connection continues to be a source of strength for both institutions and is a pillar of our city鈥檚 extraordinary cultural life.
Mr. Mehta has been awarded several academic distinctions, including an honorary doctorate from l鈥橴niversit茅 de Montr茅al and the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Institution of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He is a member of the Order of Canada.
at the 2018 Music convocation ceremony.
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2017 | Beverley Diamond, ethnomusicologist
An award-winning researcher and one of Canada鈥檚 leading ethnomusicologists, Beverly Diamond鈥檚 scholarship examines the relationship between music and issues of identity, rights, and social change in indigenous musical cultures in Canada and Scandinavia. Her research has ranged from studies of Inuit and First Nations song traditions to expressive culture in relation to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools in Canada, exploring issues of feminist musicology, indigenous modernity, and the construction of social meaning via audio technologies. Dr. Diamond was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 2008, named a member of the Order of Canada in 2013, and in 2014 awarded the Gold Medal by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She has held the Canada Research Chair in Ethnomusicology and is Professor Emerita at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
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2017 | Yannick N茅zet-S茅guin, conductor
Montreal-born Yannick N茅zet-S茅guin is one of the foremost conductors of our time. Currently the principle conductor and artistic director of the Orchestre M茅tropolitain, he also leads the Philadelphia Orchestra and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 2020 will succeed James Levine as the third music director of the Metropolitan Opera. N茅zet-S茅guin has conducted with the Berlin Philharmoniker, the Wiener Philharmoniker, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, has made appearances at the BBC Proms, the Salzburg Festival, Teatro alla Scala, Covent Garden, and the Wiener Staatsoper, and has made several recordings with Deutsche Grammophon. In addition to his honorary degree from 黑料网爆吃瓜, N茅zet-S茅guin holds honorary degrees from the Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al, the Curtis Institute, and Westminster Choir College, and was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2012, and Officer of the Order of Qu茅bec in 2015.
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2016 |听, musicologist
Susan McClary is one of the world鈥檚 leading feminist musicologists, with research focused on the criticism of classical and contemporary music and its place within larger cultural and societal contexts. Professor McClary first came to fame with the publication of Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality which is considered a founding document of 鈥渘ew musicology鈥� 鈥� the idea that music is not a self-contained aesthetic but is directly connected to societal constructs and practices. Professor McClary also has close ties to the Schulich School of Music having taught here for three years beginning in 1991, and being the recipient of many university-wide teaching awards. In 1995, she was the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship which celebrates and inspires the creative potential of individuals across numerous fields of human endeavor.
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2015 |听, guitar manufacturer
Robert Godin began his career working in his aunt鈥檚 Montreal guitar repair shop. The teenage Beatles fan began experimenting with customized guitar modifications, and soon his innovations attracted nationwide interest. In 1972, demand for his work was so great that Godin repurposed an old window-manufacturing factory. That Baie d鈥橴rf茅-based business, Godin Guitars, now sells 200,000 hand-finished instruments each year to clients that include Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, John McLaughlin and Leonard Cohen.
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2015 |听, philanthropist
Constance Pathy is the president of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and a passionate believer in the transformative power of the arts. After studying international law in her native Netherlands, she studied cello and viola da gamba at 黑料网爆吃瓜 and began to establish herself as not only a musician, but as a leading figure in Quebec鈥檚 cultural scene. She has served on the Faculty Advisory Board of the Schulich School of Music since 1991 and is a generous supporter of the 黑料网爆吃瓜 International String Quartet Academy, which brings some of the world鈥檚 finest professional and student string quartets to Montreal each August.
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