Some people look forward to the Oscars. Others, the Emmys. But for hardcore Canadian music fans, The Polaris Music Prize is where it's at!
We've previously covered the shortlist nomination. But just this week, the names of the Grand Jury were released to the public. These are the music critics, industry insiders and members of the media who will be deciding where the $20,000 grand prize will fall. In an exclusive interview with E! Online, Polaris Music Prize founder Steve Jordan explains how the Grand Jury was selected.
"The prime consideration is that none of the shortlisted titles have significantly less or significantly more representation in that room," he says. "The most important thing is that each one of those titles has a very passionate voice defending them. Beyond that, we get into regions, media types, male/female, French/English and all of those other considerations."
Keep reading for the complete list of the Grand Jury...
The Grand Jury for 2009 is:
- Bryan Acker (Herohill)
- Stuart Derdeyn (The Province)
- Mary Dickie (ELLE)
- Brad Frenette (National Post)
- Nicholas Jennings (freelance)
- Robert Mersereau (CBC TV)
- Brendan Murphy (Hour)
- Mia Parang (MusiquePlus)
- Ben Rayner (The Toronto Star)
- Brad Wheeler (The Globe and Mail)
- Lisa Wilton (Calgary Sun)
The Polaris Music Prize was founded in 2006. The shortlisted albums for 2009 were announced in July and the gala and grand prize announcement will be taking place on September 21st in The Concert Hall at the iconic Masonic Temple in Toronto.