Canadian Broadcaster and Writer Eric Friesen Elected Chairman of Honens

Veteran Canadian broadcaster and writer Eric Friesen has been elected Chairman of the Honens International Piano Competition Foundation's Board of Directors. He succeeds Heather Bourne, who served as Chairman since 2007. Friesen, who joined the Honens Board in 2009, has spent much of his life as a network classical music host, producer and executive for CBC Radio and Minnesota Public Radio. He is also a well-known writer and speaker on music and culture.

"Eric Friesen carries on the extraordinary work of Honens volunteers who have helped put Calgary and Canada on the map for culture," said Stephen McHolm, Honens' President & Artistic Director. "Eric's integrity and commitment to artistic excellence will surely advance Honens to its next chapter on the national and international stage."

Friesen is one of 12 Directors elected to the Honens Board, which also includes Past Chairman Heather Bourne, Vice Chairman Craig Hoskins (Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP), Treasurer Deborah Ambrose and Secretary Dereck Jones (Principal, Daunais McKay Harms + Jones).

"Honens is an internationally applauded cultural success story, born of Calgary's entrepreneurial spirit, and now poised for even greater accomplishments in the years ahead," said Friesen. "Heather Bourne has been a dazzlingly inspirational Chairman, and I am honored to succeed her."

In 1991, philanthropist Esther Honens established The Esther Honens International Piano Competition Foundation in her hometown of Calgary, Canada, with a gift of $5 million. Honens discovers and launches the careers of Complete Artists-21stcentury pianists for 21st century audiences. Its triennial "Search for the Complete Artist" awards an emerging concert artist the largest prize of its kind-$100,000 CAN and an artistic and career development program valued at a half million dollars.

Eric Friesen is a veteran broadcaster, writer and speaker on music and culture. He spent much of his life as a network music host, producer and executive for CBC Radio and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), as well as a network executive for both organizations. For CBC he hosted programs such as Studio Sparks, In Performance, and Onstage at Glenn Gould Studio, as well as the celebrated documentary series, The Concerto According to Pinchas, The Concerto According to Manny and Peter and the Symphony. Since leaving the CBC in 2008, Friesen has been busy serving a wide variety of major cultural organizations in Canada. He is a regular contributor to NUVO magazine and Queen's Quarterly, and is a much sought-after public speaker on cultural issues. Friesen serves as director and advisor to a number of cultural and arts organizations, including Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall, Kingston WritersFest. He was elected Chairman of the Board of Calgary's Honens International Piano Competition Foundation in 2013.

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