Michael Bridge, accordionist and Rebanks Fellow at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is delighted to have received the Virginia Parker Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts – Conseil des arts du Canada.

The Virginia Parker Prize is awarded to a classical singer, instrumentalist or music conductor under the age of 32 who demonstrates outstanding talent, musicianship and artistic merit, and who makes a valuable contribution to artistic life in Canada and internationally.

“Michael Bridge is a distinguished musician, proficient on both the acoustic and digital accordion. He has achieved recognition through numerous competitions in Canada and internationally, and was named one of CBC’s 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30. Dr. Bridge holds a DMA in accordion performance from the University of Toronto and was a Rebanks Fellow at the Glenn Gould School. He performs 100 concerts annually, both as a soloist and as a member of Bridge & Wolak and Ladom Ensemble.”

“Dr. Bridge’s musical approach is a blend of seriousness and spontaneity, with a repertoire that spans classical, contemporary, jazz, folk music, and improvised silent film accompaniments on digital accordion. He has performed in every province and with major orchestras in Canada, the USA, Brazil and Poland—premiering over 60 new works.”