Leonard Cohen is the recipient of this year’s Glenn Gould Prize, which gets awarded May 14 at a gala concert at Massey Hall.
To lead up to the event in a public way on May 11 and 12, the Glenn Gould Foundation wants to populate downtown streetcorners and music-friendly outdoor nooks and crannies with Leonard Cohen-loving buskers.
Ok, “busking is not permitted,” they say, but what’s a streetcorner singer/guitarist supposed to do if passersby want to show material appreciation? (The Foundation is making up for its injunction by offering each artist or group a $150 honorarium.)
The organization expects each participant to have a repertoire of two to four covers of Cohen songs, to be played over 10-minute sets. Two artists or groups will alternate over a 4-hour time slot.
The deadline to apply for an audition slot is 1 p.m. on Monday. The details are here.
For more about the prize and the gala concert, click here.
In other Leonard Cohen news, the Guardian yesterday ran an interesting feature on Leonard Cohen’s series of unfortunate adventures with ex-lover/manager Kelley Smith. Check it out here.
England’s Sorrelli Strings, who specialize in weddings and other special occasions, have not applied yet:
John Terauds