Director, Producer, Writer, Juror for the 14th Glenn Gould Prize

All of us at The Glenn Gould Foundation were shocked and saddened to learn of the recent death of Charles Officer.

Charles was a wonderfully energetic and thoughtful member of the 2022 Glenn Gould Prize Jury, which chose Gustavo Dudamel as our most recent laureate.

Bob Ezrin, the distinguished Canadian music producer and chair of the jury, had suggested Charles for the jury, and he immediately impressed us all with his wit, his dedication to the arts, and his values as a practicing artist and as a passionately engaged human being.

Charles was generous with his insights and wisdoms throughout the laureate selection process. He lit up the sequestered room during our deliberations with his kindness and his humour. By the end of the Glenn Gould Prize celebration, when Dudamel’s name was announced, Charles had become a friend to everyone associated with the foundation.

Canada and the Afro-Canadian community have lost an indispensable and passionately strong voice.

We send our deepest and heart-felt condolences to Charles’s family, and to the artistic community as a whole at this terrible loss.