Two NLers win big at Juno Awards in Edmonton
It was a night of firsts for two artists from Newfoundland and Labrador at Saturday night's Juno Opening Night Awards in Edmonton.
Florian Hoefner Trio won the award for Jazz Album of the Year for their album Desert Bloom.
The album, inspired by a nature documentary, was recorded virtually through the pandemic.
This is the second nomination for the group comprised of Hoefner, Nick Fraser and Andrew Downing.
Hoefner, who was born in Germany, said in his acceptance speech the award means a lot to him, as he's only been a Canadian for four years.
"I would like to dedicate this award to my family. It's not easy," said Hoefner before walking off the stage with his statue.
Mount Pearl native Bekah Simms won the award for classical composer of the year, for her work Bestiary I & II, in her third nomination.
Simms now lives in Glasgow, working as a lecturer in composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Simms says the work was written for a small orchestra and a soprano soloist, inspired by one her favourite albums as a teenager, Ys by American artist Joanna Newsom.
In an interview before the awards, Simms said this honour isn't just for her, but for the talented musicians who played on the piece.
There were a total of seven Juno nominees from Newfoundland and Labrador this year.
The Juno Awards continue Monday night with a televised gala starting at 9:30 p.m. NL, where St. John's teacher Susan Evoy is nominated for the MusiCounts teacher of the year award.
