Bekah Simms

Simms was born and raised in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador, where she studied at the nearby Memorial University of Newfoundland with composer Andrew Staniland.{{Cite web |last=Wall |first=Lukas |date=2019-02-02 |title=N.L. composer Bekah Simms nominated for classical Juno Award |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/bekah-simms-juno-nominated-1.5002877 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2019-07-13 |website=CBC News}} At Memorial University, she received a Bachelor of Music in music theory and composition in addition to a Bachelor of Music Education.{{Cite web |title=Bekah Simms, Composer |url=http://bekahsimms.com/index.php?id=biography.html |access-date=2019-07-14 |website=bekahsimms.com}} She also holds Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Toronto{{Cite web |last=Sweet |first=Barb |date=2019-01-31 |title=Mount Pearl native gains Juno nod |url=https://www.saltwire.com/newfoundland-labrador/lifestyles/mount-pearl-native-gains-juno-nod-280315/ |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=SaltWire |language=en}} where her teachers included Gary Kulesha, Christos Hatzis, and Norbert Palej. Her thesis work, Foreverdark, was subsequently performed by Esprit Orchestra.{{Citation |title=The Musical Mind #25: Bekah Simms and Amahl Arulanandam |date=2019-03-29 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9HB6-mTM0o |access-date=2019-07-14}} Additional studies with acousmatic composer Martin Bédard in Montreal were facilitated through the PIVOT mentorship program, jointly run by the Canadian Music Centre, Canadian League of Composers, and Continuum Contemporary Music.{{Cite web |date=2017-02-28 |title=PIVOT showcase concert to be presented by Continuum Contemporary Music |url=https://www.composition.org/news/pivot-showcase-concert-to-be-presented-by-continuum-contemporary-music/ |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=Canadian League of Composers |language=en-CA}}

Simms has received over 30 composition awards, prizes, and competitive selections. This includes the 2019 Barlow Prize,{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Prize Recipients |url=https://barlow.byu.edu/prize-winner/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2019-08-05 |website=Brigham Young University College of Fine Arts and Communications}} the 2017 Toronto Emerging Composer Award,{{Cite web |date=2017-02-03 |title=Bekah Simms wins the 2017 CMC Toronto Emerging Composer Award |url=https://www.musiccentre.ca/fr/node/144864 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908165944/https://www.musiccentre.ca/fr/node/144864 |archive-date=2019-09-08 |access-date= |website=Canadian Music Centre |language= }} the 2018 Karen Kieser Prize in Canadian Music,{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=January 22, 2019 |title=Karen Kieser Prize Concert Programme |url=https://music.utoronto.ca/docs/prog_nmf_jan22_karen_kieser.pdf |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date= |website=University of Toronto Faculty of Music}} and the inclusion of her work in the official Canadian Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music's World Music Days in 2016, 2019, and 2021.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Simms, Bekah |url=https://www.iscm.org/catalogue/composers/simms-bekah |url-access=subscription |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2019-07-13 |website=ISCM Catalogue}} She was a nominee for the 2022 Gaudeamus Award.{{Cite web |title=Gaudeamus Award 2022 nominees |url=https://gaudeamus.nl/en/nieuws/gaudeamus-award-2022-nominees/ |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=Gaudeamus Muziekweek |language=en-US}}

Simms released her debut album, impurity chains, in September 2018 to positive reviews.{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Scott A. |date=2018-09-07 |title=Bekah Simms: Impurity Chains |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/bekah_simms-impurity_chains |access-date=2019-07-14 |website=Exclaim! |language=en-ca}}{{Cite magazine |last=Pearce |first=Monica |date=Winter 2018 |title=Bekah Simms. Impurity Chains. |url=https://www.musicworks.ca/reviews/recordings/bekah-simms-impurity-chains |website=Musicworks |issue=132 |access-date=2019-07-14}} The composition Granitic was subsequently nominated for a 2019 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year,{{Cite web |title=2019 Classical Composition of the Year {{!}} Bekah Simms |url=https://junoawards.ca/nomination/2019-classical-composition-of-the-year-bekah-simms/ |access-date=2019-07-14 |website=The Juno Awards}} and her composition Everything Is... Distorted was nominated for a 2020 Juno Award for Classical Composition of the year.{{Cite web |title=2020 Juno Award Nominees (Full List) |url=https://junoawards.ca/2020-juno-award-nominees/ |access-date=2020-01-29 |website=The Juno Awards |language=en-US |archive-date=2020-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408174820/https://junoawards.ca/2020-juno-award-nominees/ |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |title=Past Nominees + Winners |url=https://junoawards.ca/awards/past-winners-nominees/?tag_search_val=Bekah+Simms |access-date=2023-10-01 |website=The JUNO Awards |language=en-US}} Her second full-length album, Bestiaries (2022), received critical acclaim including inclusion on several year-end best-of lists.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-31 |title=Best Albums of 2022 (Part 2) |url=https://5against4.com/2022/12/31/best-albums-of-2022-part-2/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=5:4 |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2022-12-16 |title=ACL 2022 ~ Top Ten Experimental |url=https://acloserlisten.com/2022/12/16/acl-2022-top-ten-experimental/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=a closer listen |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-12-31 |title=Best Albums of 2022 (According to Trinket Trance) |url=https://irregulardreamscanada.wordpress.com/2022/12/31/best-albums-of-2022-according-to-trinket-trance/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=Irregular Dreams |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2022-10-26 |title=The Best Contemporary Classical on Bandcamp: October 2022 |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-contemporary-classical/the-best-contemporary-classical-on-bandcamp-october-2022 |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=Bandcamp Daily}}{{Cite web |title=textura |url=https://www.textura.org/archives/s/simms_bestiaries.htm? |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=www.textura.org}} In 2023, she received her third Juno nomination in the same category for "Bestiary I & II," which she won.{{Cite web |title=2023 Classical Composition of the Year {{!}} Bekah Simms {{!}} |url=https://junoawards.ca/nomination/2023-classical-composition-of-the-year-bekah-simms/ |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=The JUNO Awards |language=en-US}}

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Category:1990 births

Category:Living people

Category:Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni

Category:University of Toronto alumni

Category:21st-century Canadian composers

Category:People from Mount Pearl

Category:Canadian women composers

Category:21st-century Canadian women musicians

Category:Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year winners