TELUS Newcomer Artist Award Winner

Toronto Arts Foundation announces that Bruno Capinan, a singer-songwriter, is the recipient of the second TELUS Newcomer Artist Award. Bruno Capinan receives $10,000 for his artistic achievement and significant contribution to the community.

TORONTO - Toronto Arts Foundation announces that Bruno Capinan, a singer-songwriter, is the recipient of the second TELUS Newcomer Artist Award. Bruno Capinan receives $10,000 for his artistic achievement and significant contribution to the community.  The TELUS Newcomer Artist Award celebrates newcomer artists in the City of Toronto who have an outstanding body of work and make a significant contribution in the community. The award is administered by Neighbourhood Arts Network, an initiative of the Toronto Arts Foundation. Through its research, Toronto Arts Foundation identified a great need to support newcomer artists in Toronto. This award, sponsored by TELUS, is an exceptional way to celebrate their accomplishments.

Bruno Capinan is a Brazilian singer and songwriter who also wears the hats of poet, visual artist, and radio announcer. Since his arrival in Toronto six years ago, Capinan has been an active member of Toronto’s artistic community, collaborating with artists of various disciplines and cultural backgrounds, who have also served as inspiration for his own creative process. One of his latest collaborations was Make It, a musical showcase that was part of Harbourfront Centre’s China Now Festival. Collaborating with the Chan brothers, this live remix of Eastern and Western musical traditions included Capinan’s Brazilian-influenced music as well as some of his recent visual art creations. Bruno continues to develop his music career by working with Maracatu SoundSystem, a musical ensemble that fuses traditional Brazilian rhythms with an eclectic Torontonian approach. He is currently planning an independent release of his second album.

“Interacting with someone new is what inspires me the most,” said Capinan. “Just watching people, listen[ing] to a random conversation on the public transit can spark a new line for a new song. The human condition and its fragility are in the core of my work as an artist.”

“As the Neighbourhood Arts Network we feel it is important to recognize the invaluable contribution of newcomer artists in the community engaged arts sector in Toronto,” said Ella Cooper, Manager, Neighbourhood Arts Network. “We are really proud to celebrate these newcomer artists in this way.”

The finalists for the award included Naomi Abiola, Carlos Delgado, Sunny Drake, Maziar Heidari and Ghazal Partou.  To learn more about all of the finalists please visit the Neighbourhood Arts Network at: www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org. For more information about this Vision Award partnership please contact Francesca Perez, Community Investment Manager at francesca@torontoarts.org, or by phone at 416 392 6802 x 204.

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The Toronto Arts Foundation
The Toronto Arts Foundation is a charitable organization that provides the opportunity for individuals, private and public foundations, corporations and government agencies to invest in and strengthen the arts in Toronto.   We are powered by a vision: Creative City: Block by Block, a commitment to connect every Toronto neighbourhood to the transformative social and economic benefits of the arts. Through sponsorships, legacy gifts and donations to our Creative City Funds, Toronto Arts Foundation gives voice to the arts, shines the spotlight on Toronto’s exceptional talent, and connects communities to the arts. To learn more about the Toronto Arts Foundation, please visit our website at www.torontoartsfoundation.org

The Neighbourhood Arts Network
The Neighbourhood Arts Network is a strategic initiative of Toronto Arts Foundation. With over 1,000 members to date, we create online resources, partnerships and professional development events that help community engaged artists and organizations do what they do best: enrich Toronto and transform it into a more vibrant and livable city. For more information please visit: www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org.

 

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is Canada’s fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $11.7 billion of annual revenue and 13.4 million customer connections, including 7.9 million wireless subscribers, 3.2 million wireline network access lines, 1.4 million Internet subscribers and 865,000 TELUS TV customers. TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video, and is Canada's largest healthcare IT provider.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $350 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 5.4 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.