Montreal’s electronic music and digital arts festival, MUTEK, has been awarded the 35th annual Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal.

The honour, which comes with $30,000 cash, was awarded to MUTEK for “the outstanding quality of its 2019 edition.” The festival’s 2019 programming included performances from Akufen, Andreas Tilliander, Beta Librae, Monolake, Project Pablo, Priori, Tim Hecker, and more.

Usually the Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal is held live with in-person attendees however, due to the ongoing pandemic, organizers opted to live stream the event from the Phi Centre. It is estimated that over 500 Montreal artists, citizens, elected officials, and partners attended the online broadcast.

MUTEK was started in 2000 by Alain Mongeau. It has since grown into a 6-day event in August that celebrates all forms of live electronic music and real-time audiovisual performance. The festival has also expanded into 5 satellite cities: Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, San Francisco, and Tokyo.

The 2020 edition of MUTEK was dubbed a hybrid edition and performances were made available online. The next edition of MUTEK is scheduled to run from August 24-29, 2021. Details will be made available at mutek.org.

The Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal is meant to recognize local artistic organizations “that demonstrates excellence and outstanding artistic vitality.” The award has been handed out since 1985 and past recipients include the Orchestre Métropolitain, MU, and the Cirque du Soleil.

Photo: Bruno Destombes