Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of the Order of Ontario, has announced appointments to the 2019 and 2020 Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour.
Among the list of 47 honourees is the award-winning composer Barbara Croall. Classically trained, she is an alumnus of the Centre Acanthes (France), the Musikhochschule in Munich (Germany), The Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and the University of Toronto.
Best known for her work as a composer and musician, she is also the founder and director of ERGO Ensemble, which focuses on works by emerging composers, women composers, and composers of colour and Indigenous heritage. She also works regularly with Indigenous youth and Elders in schools, including LGBTQ2.
Most recently her work, Zasakwaa (There is a Heavy Frost), was performed by the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 2019 with Joanna G’froerer (flute) and mezzo-soprano Marion Newman.
Croall marks the second Indigenous musician to be honoured with the Order of Ontario. According to the National Arts Centre, she is a descendant of hereditary chiefs who signed the major treaties in Ontario and fought in the Indian Wars and War of 1812. Former composer and conductor John Kim Bell was the first Indigenous musician to be appointed in 2003.
“Let these appointees inspire you and encourage you to honour those around you by nominating them to be recognized by the province. We have much to be proud of,” said Dowdeswell in a press release statement.
Former Order of Ontario appointees include musicians Oskar Morawetz (1987), John Weinzweig 1988), Louis Applebaum (1989), Clara Bernhardt (1991), Boris Berlin (1992), Phil Nimmons (1994), Ezra Schabas (1996), Alexina Louie (2001), John Kim Bell (2003), Jeanne Lamon (2013), and Anton Kuerti (2015).
For the complete list of the 2019 appointees, see here. For 2020, see here.
Congrats to Barbara Croall!
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