Three faculty of music professors nominated for awards
The 2026 JUNO Awards nominees were announced, and three Mt.A Faculty of Music professors are among the list. Amy Brandon, Katherine Dowling, and Adam Cicchillitti will be headed to the awards at TD Coliseum in Hamilton on March 29.
For her album Cloud Path, Brandon is nominated for Classical Composition of the Year. Brandon works particularly in experimental and contemporary classical movement and stated that it has been “a privilege to work at Mount Allison in the Faculty of Music, which so deeply supports the arts.” In regards to her nomination, Brandon said she is, “very honoured to be nominated for a JUNO award alongside my brilliant colleagues Adam Cicchillitti and Katherine Dowling.”
Cicchilllitti is nominated for Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble) after his guitar group, CC Duo collaborated with a Montreal ensemble called Collectif9. The album features two guitarists and 11 other strings. Cicchillitti currently works at Mt.A as a lecturer of guitar, where he began “the guitar studio from scratch because there were no students” when he arrived. Dowling is the final professor nominated for Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artists) with her album Awake and Dreaming. This is Dowling’s first year at Mt.A, where she teaches classical piano in the music department.
Through professors’ ability to both research and teach, these professors have been able to continue their music career while working at Mt.A. Professors in the music department can perform tasks that “make up a performing career, such as recording albums, going on tour, playing with other musicians outside of the Mount Allison community, performing,” said Dowling.
In terms of continuing their careers, the JUNO nominations bring recognition, with Dowling saying, “legitimacy has been conferred on my work, […] and I’ll be able to share this music with maybe a broader community of listeners.”. Not only does it highlight their music, but classical music as a genre. Cicchillitti said this nomination shows, “that classical music is a living thing and so the [JUNOs] are putting an emphasis on that,” making him, “very hopeful for the kind of future we’re going for.”
For students who are pursuing music, these Cicchillitti and Dowling professors had two different pieces of advice. Cicchillitti encourages students to “build that network right from the beginning because music school is a network,” and explains how his own network has helped continue his music career. He met his album’s producer while studying a bachelor’s degree at McGill University in 2007. Dowling’s advice is “to always be listening.” Not just to the music one is playing, but “listening to what’s going on in your community or go for a walk in nature and listen, or go to lots of concerts and listen. To be really open to other experiences, whether they’re musical or in life.”