Now in its 49th season,Toronto’s New Music Concerts (NMC) remains one of the main presenters of contemporary concert music in Toronto, with a long and diverse legacy of bringing first performances of significant new works to Toronto audiences, covering compositions from a wide range of styles, written by living composers from around the world, including Canada.
"The recent announcement of composer Alexina Louie as the winner of the 2019 Molson Prize in the Arts, the first time the $50,000 prize has been awarded to a female composer, signalled something of a sea change in the world of Canadian music that’s been developing gradually. The prize was presented to Louie by the [...]
"Has anyone even heard of such a thing? An entire concert devoted to the piano music of a living Canadian composer? Well, they had in Calgary last month, when the Honens Piano Festival titled one of its featured events Alexina Louie at 70. Aside from the indelicacy of referring to the Toronto composer’s age, it [...]
"Much has already been penned in celebration of the remarkable career of the late Neil Crory (1950–2019). The tributes often focus on Crory’s enthusiasm for and support of classical singers in Canada. And indeed Crory’s influence in the musical community was far reaching. Surprisingly little has been mentioned thus far, though, about his strong support [...]
"Esprit Orchestra’s thirty-seventh concert season begins with a dizzying hit to the head! Founding Music Director & Conductor, Alex Pauk has programmed a captivating subscription concert series to be performed in the acoustically renowned Koerner Hall. The main concert series includes no less than four World Premieres by composers Brian Harman, Adam Scime, Christopher Goddard, [...]
The Canada Council Molson Prizes The Molson Prizes are awarded to two people—one in the arts and one in the social sciences or humanities—who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding achievements. These prizes are funded by an endowment from the Molson Foundation and are administered in collaboration with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council [...]
"When Louise Bessette takes her place among the recipients of the 2019 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, it will be to accept her Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award for excellence in classical music. And perhaps unofficially, Bessette will also be lauded for her skills in diplomatic relations between Canada’s living composers and their audiences worldwide. “I [...]