Twelve-year-old Mission musician and composer Rafael Brisebois took first place and won a gold medal in the 12-and-under category playing violin in the strings division of the 2017 Vancouver International Music Competition.
Brisebois took top spot among 13 talented finalists who came from several different countries to participate in the competition.
In addition to the gold medal, Brisebois was also awarded for Outstanding Performance of a Canadian Composition and given a $100 cash prize by the Canadian Music Centre.
Mission locals may recognize Brisebois from his various performances around town, most recently at the Roots and Blues Fall Festival at Fraser River Heritage Park.
Brisebois is a violinist with Calvin Dyck’s Abbotsford Youth Orchestra and also an accomplished pianist and composer.
He started his studies with Laura Webster of Music Language Studios in Mission at age four and began violin studies with Mission violinist Antje Neumann at age seven.