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Canadian classical music

Music of Canada
Maritime Provinces (NL, NS, PE, NB) North (NU, NT, YT)
Prairie Provinces (AB, MB, SK) First Nations (Inuit, Dene, Innu)
Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec
Genres: Celtic – Classical – Folk – Hip hop – Jazz – Pop – Rock
Timeline and Samples
Awards Junos, Hall of Fame, ECMAs, WCMAs, CASBYs, CRMAs, CCMAs, MMVAs
Charts Jam!, Chart, Exclaim!
Festivals CMW, NXNE
Print media CM, CMN, Chart, Exclaim!, The Record, RPM
Music television Much, MMM, CMT
National anthem "O Canada"
Local music
Cape Breton


The term classical music in this article refers to the western or European classical music tradition. Canada’s multi-cultural population includes a majority of people of European descent, especially among its earliest settlers. Therefore, the nation’s most established music schools and ensembles specialize in the western tradition, which includes a range of styles from the Medieval era up to the present. Canada’s cultural mosaic has also lead to the continuation of other classical music styles within its ethnic communities. Examples of these include Indian classical music and Chinese classical music. The focus of this article will be the western classical tradition.

Western classical music is an international phenomenon and has continued to experience growth in Canada since its emergence as a nation in 1867. Since that time, the young country has produced composers of its own that have contributed to contemporary classical music literature and it has also produced musicians and ensembles that are internationally renown for their performance and interpretation of classical works. Canada also attracts classical musicians from around the globe to perform and to become employed within its borders. Similarly, Canadian musicians are involved in ensembles and musical institutions throughout the world.

Canada has an international reputation for its classicial musicians, ensembles, and music schools. The country is fortunate to have a large number of fine teachers and training institutions, as well as a high level of public interest in classical music and education. Due to a lack of political will, however, Canadian orchestras and performing ensembles continue to suffer from a deficit of financial resources. Nevertheless, Canada has produced a number of internationally renown musicians and ensembles and has attracted some of the world's greatest musicians, conductors, and teachers to work within its musical community.

Table of contents

Challenges to the Industry

Professional opera companies and orchestras are not naturally suited to the country of Canada. This is because of the fact that staging professional opera and orchestral performances is an extremely expensive undertaking. To hire 40 to 50 musicians or more (plus support staff) on a 52-week contract, which will include performance and rehearsals, combined with expenses of renting concert hall space and the required advertising and promotion costs ultimately guarantee that the venture will lose money even with completely sold out shows. Classical music organizations are more likely to flourish in nations that have a denser population, such as European nations or south of the Canadian border. Even in Europe the classical music industry is completely underwritten by the state, while in the United States it would not exist without corporate sponsorship. Canada does not have very many large cities, and its cities are spread thousands of kilometers apart. These factors, combined with a Canadian climate that demands first priority over aesthetic endeavors, have presented challenges to the Canadian classical music industry.

Financial support for the Arts

Arts organizations in Canada are usually expected to raise 50% of their funding through ticket sales and/or fundraising campaigns that they organize and execute themselves. Another 25% is traditionally covered by corporate sponsorship. The remaining 25% is typically provided by three separate levels of government: federal, provincial and municipal. Canadian arts organizations are constantly lobbying all three levels of government for a more prominent place in their budgets and must therefore compete with other public concerns such as health care and education.

Orchestras and ensembles

Joseph Rescigno conducting the Orchestre Métropolitain

Symphony orchestras:

Baroque orchestras and chamber ensembles:

Opera and vocal

Victor Braun as Duke Bluebeard in the 1993 Canadian Opera Company's production of Bluebeard's Castle.
Opera baritone Gino Quilico

Opera singers

Pianists

Violinists

Canadian violinists:

Non-Canadian violinists within the Canadian music community:

Violists

Rivka Golani, Canadian violist

Cellists

Organists

Organ builders

Guitarists

Liona Boyd. guitarist
R. Nathaniel Dett (1882–1943), African-Canadian composer, pianist and conductor

Composers

Conductors

Canadian and non-Canadian conductors of instrumental and vocal ensembles in Canada:

  • Mario Bernardi (Canadian Opera Company, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, CBC Radio Orchestra)
  • Charles Dutoit (Montreal Symphony Orchestra)
  • Rosemary Thomson (Calgary Philharmonic, Canadian Opera Company)
  • John Eliot Gardiner (CBC Radio Orchestra)
  • Otto Klemperer (Montreal Symphony Orchestra)
  • Zubin Mehta (Montreal Symphony Orchestra)
  • Noel Edison (Toronto Mendelssohn Choir)
  • William Eddins (Edmonton Symphony Orchestra)
  • Luigi von Kunits (New Symphony Orchestra, precursor of the Toronto Symphony)
  • Sir Ernest MacMillan (Toronto Symphony)
  • Walter Susskind (Toronto Symphony)
  • Seiji Ozawa (Toronto Symphony)
  • Karel Ancerl (Toronto Symphony)
  • Sir Andrew Davis (Toronto Symphony)
  • Gunther Herbig (Toronto Symphony)
  • Jukka-Pekka Saraste (Toronto Symphony)
  • Peter Oundjian (Toronto Symphony)
  • Raffi Armenian (Canadian Chamber Ensemble)
  • Kazuyoshi Akiyama (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)
  • Sergiu Comissiona (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)
  • Bramwell Tovey (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)
  • Pinchas Zukerman (National Arts Centre Orchestra)
  • Trevor Pinnock (National Arts Centre Orchestra)
  • Kent Nagano (Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal)
  • Jacques Lacombe (Montreal Symphony)
  • Wilfrid Pelletier (Quebec Symphony Orchestra)
  • Yuli Turovsky (I Musici de Montréal)
  • Kerry Stratton (Toronto Philharmonia)
  • James W. Wright (Vancouver Opera)
  • Dwight Bennett (Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Symphony, Royal Opera Canada)
  • Boris Brott (Symphony Nova Scotia, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra)
  • Douglas Sanford (Saskatoon Symphony, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra)

Classical record labels

  • Acoma Company [4]
  • Analekta [5]
  • CBC Records [6]
  • Phoenix Records [7]

Classical radio stations

Since its establishment in 1971, the MAPL System has had a huge influence on the inclusion of Canadian artists on Canadian radio. It has proven to be highly effective in promoting Canadian musicians and musical groups. Previous to the MAPL system, Canadian music was regarded with indifference on Canadian radio.

  • CBBS 90.1 FM (Sudbury, ON)
  • CBON20 89.3 FM (Thunder Bay, ON)
  • CBR 102.1 FM (Calgary, AB)
  • CFMX 103.1 FM (Cobourg, ON)
  • CJRB 1220 AM (Boissevain, MB)
  • CKUA Radio Network
  • CBC Radio Two
  • CJRT – 91.1 FM
  • CLASSICAL 96.3 FM
  • CBC Radio Two

Classical music publications

Musical schools

The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Awards and competitions

  • Glenn Gould Prize
  • Banff International String Quartet Competition
  • Montreal International Music Competition/Concours international de musique de Montréal
  • Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition for the Performance of Canadian Music/Concours national de musique Eckhardt-Gramatté
  • John Robb Organ Competition/Concours d'orgue John-Robb
  • Canadian Kiwanis Festival
  • Opera Canada Awards (The Rubbies)
  • The 1985 International Bach Piano Competition/Concours International Bach de Piano 1985
  • Juno Awards

Classical music venues

Some of the major concert halls that are home to a professional performing group:

See also

  • Angèle Dubeau
  • André Gagnon
  • Jorane
  • Yannick Nézet-Séguin

External links

  • opera.ca An association of many Canadian opera companies.







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