Polaris 2011: Gala goings-on
Behind the scenes at last night's 2011 Polaris gala at the Masonic Temple – the sights, the sounds, and all the quotable quotes in between!
We believe music can move people, shift and reflect culture, and bring us together. This is where we share winner announcements, Long/Short Lists, festival news, artist interviews, and behind-the-scenes updates from the Polaris season.
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A toast to the hosts!
As the clock ticks down to tonight's gala, Polaris 2011 hosts Grant Lawrence and Damian Abraham get ready for the big show!
Hot wax and golden tickets!
Get a free split 7-inch vinyl single with the purchase of any Short List album!
How to sneak into the gala (well, kinda)…
Sure, the gala is invite-only – but this year, there are ways for a select few to get the exclusive chance to check out the big show!
Shape-shifting the Short List
The Polaris Short List gets a MAKEOVER – courtesy of two innovative Toronto electro artists.
Print perfect: Introducing the Polaris 2011 posters
Pre-order your favourite Polaris poster now!
Screen and be seen: The HP Polaris 2011 Screening Party!
The gala is invite-only. But the Drake Hotel, HP, and MusiCounts are teaming up to bring you the second annual Polaris screening party!
Blowing his own horn: Colin Stetson at The Drake
He can't be at the gala, but catch Colin Stetson live this Friday at the Drake Hotel!
The Gala! Who's playing? Who's hosting? Who's judging?
On September 19, 2011 at 8 pm, the gala will be exclusively broadcast to North America by SiriusXM Canada on Sirius channel 152, and to the world on CBC Radio 3 live from the home of MTV Canada, The Concert Hall at Toronto's Masonic Temple. It will be webcast live on MuchMusic.com and broadcast on MuchMusic, Saturday, Sept. 24 at 10 pm and midnight EST.
Behind the Scenes: Polaris discussion list
Most familiar with the Polaris Music Prize will know that a jury of over 200 music writers, broadcasters, and bloggers is indispensible to the process that determines the award.
But what many may not know is that before the jurors make their five-album selections for the Long List and subsequent Short List, they spend much of the year discussing their picks and pans on an e-mail listserv that’s open only to jury members.
For a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the sort of exchange that goes on online between Polaris jurors, we turned to two jurors with very different opinions on the Short List: Veteran juror <a href="https://radiofreecanuckistan.blogspot.com/">Michael Barclay</a>, co-author of Canrock history <a href="https://www.ecwpress.com/havenot"><i>Have Not Been the Same</i></a>, came out strongly in favour of the Short List when it was first announced, while <a href="https://nxew.ca/">NxEW.ca</a> blogger Justin Beach (who's been on the jury for the past two years) offered up more of a shrug…
