Gerry Porter Award Fund
Gerald C. Porter (1962-2016) was a talented visual artist, designer, and humorist who made an indelible impact on the arts scene of St. John’s, Newfoundland, his hometown. Gerry loved boundary-pushing music and was part of the planning for this award. Following his death from brain cancer, an outpouring of generosity from the community fully endowed the fund within a few months. The first award was given in 2018.
The Gerry Porter Award for Creative Improvised Music consists of $1000.00, and is intended for an individual, group or organization based in Newfoundland and Labrador that produces or supports challenging music created by the will and spirit of the practitioner, known as creative improvised music. All genres of music are eligible, as long as they meet the key criteria of creative improvisation.
The award recipient is announced on the main stage during the Sound Symposium Festival, held in St. John’s every two years.
Winners of the Gerry Porter Award for Creative Improvised Music that were given out on July 21, 2022 at the Sound Symposium at the LSPU Hall. Due to COVID-related delays, an award was not given out in 2020 as intended, so there were two prizes to give out this year. Both winners received a cash award of $1000.
“Tiber Reardon is a multi-instrumentalist sound designer based in St. John’s, NL. He creates evocative, ambient soundscapes that elicit a feeling, mood, or image, often all at once. He is an active collaborator with many artists in the music and visual arts community.”
“Big Space is an instrumental jazz-band trio from Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. Featuring guitarist Grant King, bassist Ian Murphy, and drummer Ashley Chalmers, the band plays an original mix of modern jazz with other genres like post-rock, math rock, and progressive rock. Improvisation is a key part of their sound, and the trio is al about taking chances and catching moments of inspiration.”
For information on past recipients, and to see Gerry’s work, please visit gporter.net