Jean-François Denis: Electroacoustic Music Trailblazer
The 2026 Christopher J. Reed Award is presented to Jean-François Denis, co-founder of the record label empreintes DIGITALes, which is entirely devoted to electroacoustic music.
Contemporary Composer: Emily Doolittle
During the past three decades she has amassed a sizeable output that, taking in all the notable genres, is underpinned by the awareness of creativity from a non-human perspective matched by few, if any, of her peers.
The Classical Canon: What Would It Look Like If It Started Today?
The “classical canon” can be thought of as a kind of greatest hits collection of Western classical music. It’s those pieces and composers that you would encounter as a student, musician, or audience member, no matter where you are across the globe.
Tawnie Olson named composer-in-residence for Vancouver Chamber Choir
Congratulations to Tawnie Olson (YSM M.M. ’99, ISM A.D. ’00), who will be the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s Composer-in-Residence for the 2026-2027 season. The VCC will perform her music throughout the year, beginning with her Grace Cathedral Missa Brevis (2025) on the first concert of the season, and has commissioned a substantial new piece that they will premiere in May, 2027.
Composer & Musician David Occhipinti Talks About His New Album Looking Glass
Toronto guitarist and composer David Occhipinti is releasing a new album of original music on the Elastic Recordings/ Occdav Music label. Looking Glass, written for electric guitar and string trio, along with other guest artists, will drop on June 12, 2026.
Ruth Watson Henderson (1932 – 2026)
It is with the utmost sadness that the Elmer Iseler Singers acknowledge the passing of our dear friend and colleague, composer/pianist Ruth Watson Henderson. Ruth was a brilliant pianist, equally at home playing a piano concerto with orchestra as she was working with choirs, unfailingly kind and always generous in sharing her great talent.
Congratulations to All CMC Associate Composers and Centrediscs Artists Nominated for 2026 WCMAs!
Nominees for the 2026 Western Canadian Music Awards were announced on Wednesday, June 3, and they included CMC Associate Composers Emilie Cecilia LeBel, Jordan Nobles, Luis Ramirez, and Vincent Ho, as well as Centrediscs artists Duo Majoya (performing music by ACs Denis Bédard, Jacobus Kloppers, and Ruth Watson Henderson).
Renowned Cree cellist and composer Cris Derksen remembered as trailblazer, innovator
Cris Derksen from northern Alberta was known for blending classical music, Indigenous influences and electronic sounds.
Chantal Dumas (1959-2026)
The Canadian-based radio artist Chantal Dumas has died. She was known for tirelessly tweaking the radio waves with efforts towards community involvement, and experimentation. Dumas worked on radio and community stations in Montréal since 1984.
Brian Current & Emily Schimp Talk About Future Resonance Festival
From May 29 to 31, New Music Concerts will present the Future Resonance Festival in Toronto, with an additional event in Montréal on June 9. The focus is, as the name suggests, the future of classical/contemporary music, and the festival offers various approaches to examining that theme.
