BREAKING NEWS — Rebecca Wishnia, a violinist and critic based in San Francisco, is the inaugural winner of the William Littler Prize for Music Criticism. Established in 2024, the honor will be awarded annually by the Music Critics Association of North America (MCANA) in recognition of excellence in writing by younger critics in the areas of concert music and opera.
The prize is named for, and supported by, William Littler, who wrote for the Toronto Star from 1966 to 2022 and is a longtime member of MCANA.
The winning entry for 2024, a review of a concert by violinist Shunske Sato and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra under Richard Egarr, was published April 15, 2024, in San Francisco Classical Voice (SFCV), an online platform to which Wishnia is a regular contributor.
The jury comprised three former presidents of MCANA — Barbara Jepson, Nancy Malitz, Donald Rosenberg — and Littler. Current MCANA president Arthur Kaptainis served as nonvoting chairman.
“Music critics are not always unanimous in their opinions,” Kaptainis said. “But in this case there was a consensus on the special quality of Rebecca Wishnia’s work.”
Among the virtues cited were fluid writing style, musical knowledge, reasoned argument, and apt touches of humor. Jurors were particularly impressed by how Wishnia communicated the insights of a performing musician in a manner that made them relevant and accessible to the general classical listener.
“Above all, it should be stressed that the overall caliber of entries was high,” said Kaptainis. “The future of music criticism is rosier than is sometimes assumed.”
As Littler noted, “the difference between ‘reviewing’ and ‘criticism’ is that a critic contextualizes a performance. Rebecca Wishnia does this particularly well. She can cite chapter and verse to support her argument, rather than falling back on subjective generalizations.”
Wishnia contributes to the San Francisco Chronicle and to San Francisco Classical Voice in addition to writing notes and essays for concerts and recordings. Raised by two cellists, she performs with ensembles across California, including the Berkeley Symphony, California Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, Santa Cruz Symphony, Opera San José, and Pocket Opera.
“I’m grateful to be the inaugural recipient of this generous award, and honored to join an association whose membership includes so many journalists I admire,” Wishnia said. “Through MCANA, I look forward to meeting and corresponding with others doing this important work.”
The William Littler Prize for Music Criticism is open to writers aged 40 and under who are based in North America. Included in the prize are a cash award of US$1,000 and membership in the Music Critics Association of North America, an organization dedicated to the promotion of high standards of music criticism and public engagement with classical music.
More information about MCANA and the William Littler Prize for Music Criticism is available at mcana.org.
