Claude Nobs 1936-2013

The founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, who was slated to be on the upcoming Tenth Glenn Gould Prize Jury, has died after a recent skiing accident that left him in a coma.  

"The musical world has lost a giant.  Claude Nobs made an incalculable contribution to our cultural life, not only by creating one of the greatest festivals, but also by creating opportunities for young artists, and a forum for a richly diverse range of musicians to come together, discover each other and influence each other's styles and development.  We mourn not only the loss of a Glenn Gould Prize juror, but also a great creative force." - Brian Levine, Executive Director of The Glenn Gould Foundation

Legendary producer and close friend of M. Nobs, Quincy Jones pays heartfelt tribute on his website saying, "Our decades long friendship was born of a mutual love of music and life, filled with endless hours of laughter and suitcases of Balik Salmon, and I will miss him like the brother that he was to me. If God created a better friend than Claude Nobs, he or she must have kept them for him/herself."  

Our sincerest condolences to family, friends and colleagues of M. Claude Nobs and his team at the Montreux Jazz Festival.  

Deepa Mehta, Alan Rickman, and Patti Smith among Jurors for the Tenth Glenn Gould Prize

Laureate to be announced February 21

Toronto, ON (December 12, 2012) – The Glenn Gould Foundation announced the international jury panel for the Tenth Glenn Gould Prize which includes: screenwriter and director Deepa Mehta (Canada); founder and general manager of the Montreux Jazz Festival Claude Nobs (Switzerland); actor and director Alan Rickman (UK); singer-songwriter, poet and artist Patti Smith (United States); and entrepreneur, arts philanthropist and longtime advisor to the London Symphony Orchestra Sir David Tang (Hong Kong) and one of opera’s leading tenors, Rolando Villazón (Mexico/France).  The winner of the Tenth Glenn Gould Prize will be announced at a news conference on Thursday, February 21, 2013 at Toronto’s Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.

L-R: Sir David Tang, Alan Rickman, Deepa Mehta, Patti Smith, Claude Nobs, Rolando Villazón

“The jury’s formidable task is to select a laureate whose life’s work manifests the values of innovation, inspiration and transformation,” said Brian Levine, Executive Director of The Glenn Gould Foundation.  “We anticipate lively and insightful debate from this illustrious and eclectic group as they work through the list of nominees from around the globe.”  Nominees hail from a broad spectrum of creative disciplines including music, theatre, writing, film, video, radio, television, recording, technology, architecture and design.  The jury will be chaired by distinguished Canadian musician, educator and technologist, Paul Hoffert, C.M. 

Click here to read the full press release.

Update on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 01:00PM by GGF

We have learned with much sadness that M. Claude Nobs suffered a traumatic ski-accident during the Christmas holidays, and he will no longer be able to participate on the Tenth Prize Jury.  We wish him a full recovery.  

Submission: "Glenn Gould plays Bach" by Jevgenij Goldin

Jevgenij Goldin
Glenn Gould plays Bach
Oil on canvas, 40x40 cm

I'm one of the many people around the world who admires the work of Glenn Gould.  I was impressed by Glenn Gould playing The French Suites of J.S. Bach and was inspired to create this painting.  As a painter who works mainly in the abstract style, this work is my subjective impression of Gould's interpretation of Bach's music.  

Jevgenij Goldin was born in Moscow in the former USSR and later settled in Hannover, Germany.  He has been passionate about painting since his childhood.  Over the years, he trained himself in the visual arts while pursuing other careers including psychology, project-management and executive management.  In 2011, Goldin decided to dedicate all his time to painting. He currently lives and works between Moscow and Hannover. 

www.egoldin.com