Vancouver composer Jocelyn Morlock has received the Jan V. Matejcek New Classical Music Award.

The prize for a top composer in contemporary-classical music was handed out on June 18 as part of the 2018 SOCAN Awards.

Morlock is composer-in-residence at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and her music is recorded on 24 CDs, including her own CDs, Halcyon, and Cobalt. The latter's title track, a concerto for two violins and orchestra, won the 2015 Western Canadian Music Award for best classical composition. She's cocurating the 2019 New Music festival with new VSO maestro Otto Tausk, featuring world premieres by composer Emily Doolittle and by Montreal sensation Nicole Lizée, who will craft a piece for VSO percussionist Vern Griffiths. Morlock also won a 2018 JUNO for classical composition of the year for My Name is Amanda Todd.

"I am proud to join my fellow Vancouverites Jordan Nobles, Jeffrey Ryan, and Stephen Chatman in winning the Jan V. Matejcek award, and delighted that the West Coast has been hitting above its weight in terms of composer recognition over the past several years!" Morlock said in a press statement reacting to the award.

The 29th annual SOCAN Awards honours artists across all music genres, this year honouring Vancouverite Sarah McLachlan with the SOCAN Global Inspiration Award for her accomplishments as a singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and advocate for women.