Marcus Award Winners Announced

The Council of Canadian Bassoonists is delighted to announce the winners of our two annual scholarships for young Canadian bassoonists – The Frank Marcus Awards

Legendary Canadian Bassoon guru Frank Marcus

Renowned throughout North America for fifty years of brilliant repairs and guidance to countless bassoonists, Frank Marcus is the most respected bassoon technician of our time.

The Marcus Awards were adjudicated by a distinguished jury:

Suzanne Nelsen, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Vincent Ellin, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra [retired]
Michael Hope, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Nicolas Richard, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Marcus Awards were curated by Council member Emily Gibb

Congratulations to Kelton Hopper and Cian Bryson!

Kelton Hopper is a Toronto-based bassoonist, highly dedicated to learning, collaborating, and creating compelling music. At the University of Toronto, Kelton is currently completing his Bachelor of Music in Performance under the tutelage of Eric Hall.

In his early career, Kelton has shown great promise by receiving numerous scholarships and grants for performance within his education. As of 2024, he has performed with the National Academy Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, among others. Kelton has learned from artists which include Sophie Dervaux, Daniel Matsukawa, Carlo Colombo, and Drew Pattison. Supplemental to his studies, Kelton enjoys exploring other performance genres such as Jazz, Contemporary, and doubling on the Contrabassoon.

Kelton enjoys finding new ways to enrich his love for music by learning from non-musical activities. In his free time he likes cooking, staying active, and learning about world history. Kelton has an extensive athletic history of Triathlon, Competitive Swimming, and Velodrome Cycling. The dedication it takes to have a better backstroke form is the same dedication it takes to renew scales!

“I am beyond grateful to be the recipient of the 2024 Frank Marcus Award presented by the Council of Canadian Bassoonists. This opportunity motivates me to continue learning and working hard in my studies. I aspire to support future bassoonists, just as my mentors, peers, and musical communities have supported me.”

Cian Bryson, from Toronto, Ontario, is completing his Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto studying with Eric Hall, and is currently studying as an exchange student at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, under Jaakko Luoma. He began playing bassoon in 2014 and since then has won numerous scholarships and awards, such as the 2024 Stingray Rising Star Award and the University of Toronto’s President’s Scholar of Excellence. Cian has also performed as soloist with the Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Cian has attended festivals including Round Top Festival Institute, Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, and Eastern Music Festival, and has performed with the Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble, Eastern Festival Orchestra and Young Artist Orchestras, and the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, among others. Cian has played under conductors including Gustavo Gimeno, Gerard Schwarz, Cristian Măcelaru, and Robert Spano and has performed in masterclasses with Sophie Dervaux, Benjamin Kamins, Carlo Colombo, William Short, Daniel Matsukawa.

When not working on reeds or practicing, Cian enjoys cooking, tending to his houseplants, and learning about contemporary classical music.

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