List of Canadian composers
Encyclopedia
This is a list of composers who are either native to the country of Canada
, are a citizen of that nation, or have spent a major portion of their career living and working in Canada. The list is arranged in alphabetical order:
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, are a citizen of that nation, or have spent a major portion of their career living and working in Canada. The list is arranged in alphabetical order:
A
- John AbramJohn AbramJohn Abram is an Anglo-Canadian composer best known for his work with electroacoustic music.Born in England, Abram became interested in music when he was six; he began composing in his teenage years...
(born 1959) - Murray AdaskinMurray Adaskin-External links:*...
(1906–2002) - Andrew AgerAndrew AgerAndrew Ager is a Canadian composer and organist.Born in Ottawa and raised in rural Nova Scotia, Ager studied composition and organ at Dalhousie University where he was a pupil of David MacDonald. While pursuing a Doctorate in composition at the University of Toronto, Ager was appointed organ...
(born 1962) - Kati AgócsKati AgócsKati Ilona Agócs is a composer of contemporary classical music and faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.-Early life:...
(born 1975) - Lucio AgostiniLucio AgostiniLucio Agostini was an Italian-born composer, arranger, and conductor who established his career in Canada.-Life:...
(1913–1996) - Robert AitkenRobert Aitken (composer)Robert Morris Aitken, is a Canadian composer and flautist. He began his career as a teenager playing in a number of orchestras, notably becoming the youngest principal flautist in the history of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in 1958 at the age if 19. In 1971 he abandoned ensemble performance...
(born 1939) - J. E. P. AldousJ. E. P. AldousJohn Edmund Paul Aldous was a Canadian organist, conductor, composer, and music educator of English birth. His compositional output includes many short pieces for piano, organ, choir, and voice...
(1853–1934) - Gaston AllaireGaston AllaireJoseph Georges-Émile Gaston Allaire was a Canadian musicologist, organist, pianist, composer, and music educator of American birth. His compositional output includes several preludes for organ, an organ work on French carols, some motets and other choral works, a communion service, a prelude and...
(born 1916) - Émilien AllardÉmilien AllardÉmilien Allard was a Canadian carillonneur, pianist, clarinetist, and composer. He composed more than 50 works for carillon and made more than 700 transcriptions of carillon music; many of which are still performed in Europe and North America. In 1958 he won the International Carillonneurs' Prize...
(1915–1977) - Joseph AllardJoseph Allard (fiddler)Joseph Allard was a Canadian fiddler and composer. He occasionally recorded under the pseudonym Maxime Toupin. Allard made many popular recordings, including Reel de l'Aveugle, Reel de Chateauguay, Reel de Jacques Cartier, and Reel du voyageur...
(1873–1947) - Peter AllenPeter Allen (composer)Peter Allen is a Canadian composer, organist, and keyboard player. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, his compositions encompass a broad repertoire from film scores and commercial jingles to sacred music and avant-garde electroacoustic music...
(born 1952) - Paul AmbrosePaul AmbrosePaul Ambrose was a Canadian organist, conductor, composer, and music educator who was primarily active in the United States. His compositional output includes more than 200 songs, choral pieces, and works for solo piano and organ. He is particularly remembered for his anthems which have been...
(1868–1941) - Robert AmbroseRobert Ambrose (composer)Robert Steele Ambrose was a Canadian organist and composer of English birth.-Life:Ambrose was born on March 7, 1824 to Charles Ambrose and Sophia Stoneham in Chelmsford, England. Robert's father was the organist at Chelmsford Cathedral, where Robert most likely received his early musical training...
(1824–1908) - W.H. AndersonW.H. AndersonWilliam Henry Anderson was a Canadian composer, choir director, tenor, and voice teacher of English birth. He produced a large amount of vocal music, including more than 150 songs and 40 anthems as well as a significant amount of carols and other choral works...
(1882–1955) - Samuel AndreyevSamuel AndreyevSamuel Andreyev is a Canadian composer and poet residing in France.- Career :...
(born 1981) - Humfrey AngerHumfrey AngerJoseph Humfrey Anger was a Canadian organist, pianist, conductor, composer, and music educator of English birth. His compositional output consists mainly of church music and works for solo piano and organ...
(1862–1913) - István AnhaltIstván AnhaltIstván Anhalt, is a Canadian composer.-Biography:Anhalt was born into a Jewish family in Budapest in 1919 and studied with Zoltan Kodaly before being conscripted into a forced labor camp during World War II...
(born 1919) - Paul AnkaPaul AnkaPaul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
(born 1941) - Louis ApplebaumLouis ApplebaumLouis Applebaum, was a Canadian composer, administrator, and conductor.He was born in Toronto, Ontario and studied at the Toronto Conservatory of Music with Leo Smith and the University of Toronto with Boris Berlin, Healey Willan and Ernest MacMillan...
(1918–2000) - Violet ArcherViolet ArcherViolet Archer, CM was a Canadian composer, teacher, pianist, organist, and percussionist. Born Violet Balestreri in Montreal, Quebec, her family changed their name to Archer. She died in Ottawa....
(1913–2000) - John ArpinJohn ArpinJohn Francis Oscar Arpin was a Canadian composer, recording artist and entertainer, best known for his work as a virtuoso ragtime pianist....
(1936–2007) - Raynald ArseneaultRaynald ArseneaultRaynald Arseneault was a Canadian composer and organist. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output consists of more than 50 works. His style was particularly influenced by Ivan Wyschnegradsky and Giacinto Scelsi; both of whom he met with in Europe during the 1970s...
(1945–1995)
B
- Michael Conway BakerMichael Conway BakerMichael Conway Baker is a Canadian composer and music educator of American birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1970 and has resided more or less continuously in the Vancouver area since....
(born 1937) - Gerald BalesGerald BalesGerald Albert Bales, CM was a Canadian organist and composer.Born in Toronto, Ontario, Bales studied at the Toronto Conservatory of Music from 1936 to 1940 where he was a pupil of Herbert A. Fricker , Albert Procter , Leo Smith , and Healey Willan...
(1919–2002) - Steve BarakattSteve BarakattSteve Barakatt is a Canadian composer, music producer, pianist, and singer. When he was only four, he fell under the spell of music and began piano lessons...
(born 1973) - Lesley BarberLesley BarberLesley Barber is a Canadian composer of music for film, theatre, chamber and orchestral ensembles and is also a conductor, pianist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist...
(born 1968) - Milton BarnesMilton Barnes (composer)Milton Barnes was a Canadian composer, conductor, and jazz drummer. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his music is noted for its frequent use of Jewish themes, its rejection of the avant garde in favor of tonality, and its blend of classical, jazz, and pop elements. His music has been...
(1931–2001) - Yank BarryYank BarryYank Barry was born Gerald Barry Falovitch on January 29, 1948 in Montreal, Quebec. The philanthropist along with his friend and partner Muhammad Ali have fed over 515,000,000 meals to the needy around the world over the last eighteen years....
(born 1948) - Joseph BeaulieuJoseph BeaulieuJoseph Beaulieu was a Canadian composer, folklorist, and music educator. He traveled extensively throughout Canada collecting folk songs, which he compiled in several published books. As a composer, his works reflect his strong interest in folk music in there structure and melody. He wrote over...
(1895–1965) - William BeauvaisWilliam BeauvaisWilliam Eugene Beauvais is a Canadian classical guitarist and composer who has performed in the United States, Europe, and across Canada....
(born 1956) - Christophe BeckChristophe BeckChristophe Beck , also credited as Chris Beck, is a Canadian television and film score composer....
(born 1972) - John BeckwithJohn Beckwith (composer)John Beckwith, CM is a Canadian composer, writer, pianist, teacher, and administrator.Born in Victoria, British Columbia, he studied piano with Alberto Guerrero at the Toronto Conservatory of Music in 1945. He received a Mus.B. in 1947 and a Mus.M. in 1961 from the University of Toronto...
(born 1927) - Denis BédardDenis BédardDenis Bédard is a Canadian composer of organ works and choral pieces...
(born 1950) - Norma BeecroftNorma BeecroftNorma Marian Beecroft is a Canadian composer, producer, broadcaster, and arts administrator. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, she twice won the Canada Council's Lynch-Staunton Award for composition...
(born 1934) - Jack BehrensJack BehrensJack Behrens is a Canadian composer, music educator, and writer of American birth. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his music has been performed throughout North America and on CBC Radio and radio stations in he United States...
(born 1935) - Marc BélangerMarc Bélanger (musician)Marc Bélanger is a Canadian violinist, violist, conductor, arranger, composer, and music educator.-Life and career:Born in Quebec City, Bélanger is the son of violinist and conductor Edwin Bélanger and the brother of musician Guy Bélanger. It is from his father that he received his initial musical...
(born 1940) - Gilles BellemareGilles BellemareGilles Bellemare was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He ran as a Liberal candidate in 1973 for the district of Rosemont and won with 51% of the vote. He was defeated in 1976 with 33% of the vote. He was succeeded by Parti Québécois candidate Gilbert Paquette.-Footnotes:...
(born 1952) - Herbert BelyeaHerbert BelyeaWarren Herbert "Herb" Belyea was a Canadian composer, choir conductor, poet, and music educator. As a composer he was commissioned to write works by the Manitoba Arts Council, the city of Winnipeg, and several choirs. Several of his compositions have been published by Frederick Harris Music. As a...
(1917–2001) - Boris BerlinBoris BerlinBoris Berlin was a Canadian pianist, music educator, arranger, and composer of Russian birth. He is primarily remembered for his work within the field of piano pedagogy, having published an extensive amount of material in that area and teaching a large number of notable pianists...
(1907–2001) - Conrad Bernier (1904–1988)
- Daniel BerthiaumeDaniel Berthiaume (singer, songwriter)Daniel Berthiaume was born in Montreal, Canada. He is a type-setter and multi instrumentalist and is characterized by his musical eclecticism. A aftered guitarist, he also plays keyboards and sings in a multitude of musical styles...
(born 1956) - Lorne BettsLorne BettsLorne Matheson Betts was a Canadian composer, conductor, organist, and music critic. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, many of his original scores and writings are part of the collection at the National Library of Canada...
(1918–1985) - Amin BhatiaAmin BhatiaAmin Bhatia is a recording artist, film and television music score composer and producer. In 1981 his compositions won the Roland Corporation International Synthesizer competition for two consecutive years. The judges included Oscar Peterson, synth veterans Robert Moog and Ralph Dyck, and Japanese...
(born 1961) - Jocelyne BinetJocelyne BinetJocelyne Binet was a Canadian composer, pianist, and music educator. She studied in Montreal and Paris, France, and returned to compose and teach music in Canada.-Biography:...
(1923–1968) - Keith BissellKeith BissellKeith Warren Bissell was a Canadian composer, conductor, and music educator. He was particularly known for his choral music, which often implemented elements of Canadian folk music. A passionate educator, he was a pupil of Carl Orff and was influential in popularizing the Orff Schulwerk...
(1912–1992) - Lloyd BlackmanLloyd Blackman (musician)Lloyd Edgar Blackman is a Canadian violinist, conductor, composer, and music educator.-Life and career:Born in Winnipeg, Blackman studied the violin in his native city with John Waterhouse and George Bornoff and music theory with W.H. Anderson. He earned a Licenciate from The Royal Conservatory of...
(born 1928) - Patricia Blomfield HoltPatricia Blomfield HoltPatricia Blomfield Holt was a Canadian composer, pianist, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Association of Canadian Women Composers, her compositions have been performed by notable musical ensembles throughout North America and Europe...
(1910–2003) - Linda BouchardLinda BouchardLinda Bouchard is a Canadian composer and conductor.-Biography:She was raised in Montreal. She has a BA in music and an MMus in composition . Her teachers were Harvey Sollberger , David Gilbert and Arthur Weisberg , and Henry Brant...
(born 1957) - Victor BouchardVictor BouchardVictor Bouchard, OC, CQ was a Canadian pianist and composer.Bouchard received his first musical trainin from 1941 to 1946 at the Collège de Lévis with Father Alphonse Tardif. The he studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec under Tardif , Hélène Landry and Françoise Aubut...
(1926–2011) - Adélard Joseph BoucherAdélard Joseph BoucherAdélard Joseph François-Arthur Boucher was a Canadian publisher, importer, choirmaster, organist, conductor, writer on music, composer and numismatist. In 1865 he founded the A.J. Boucher Co. in Montreal which published the works of Canadian and foreign composers until it closed in 1975...
(1835–1912) - Lydia BoucherLydia BoucherLydia Boucher was a Canadian composer, music educator, and nun. She was active as a composer from 1923–1971, producing several choral works and pieces for solo piano and organ. Most of her works are sacred and many of them were published by such companies as L'Édition Belgo-Canadienne, Musica...
(1890–1971) - Walter BoudreauWalter BoudreauWalter Boudreau is a Québécois composer, saxophonist and conductor. In 1969, he founded the group L'Infonie with Raoul Duguay, which dissolved in 1973. Since 1988, he has been the artistic director of the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec in Montreal...
(born 1947) - Ned BouhalassaNed BouhalassaNed Bouhalassa is a composer of film scores, television scores, and electroacoustic music. Bouhalassa is a Canadian citizen, and has been residing in Montreal since 1967....
(born 1962) - Denys BoulianeDenys BoulianeDenys Bouliane is a Canadian composer and conductor.-Biography:He is a graduate of Laval University . He studied music composition in the Neue Musik Theater class of Mauricio Kagel in Cologne followed by studies with György Ligeti until 1985...
(born 1955) - Pierre BrabantPierre BrabantPierre Brabant is a Canadian composer and pianist. He has appeared in concerts and recitals throughout Canada and performed numerous times on Canadian television and radio...
(born 1925) - Timothy Brady (born 1956)
- Henry BrantHenry BrantHenry Dreyfuss Brant was a Canadian-born American composer. An expert orchestrator with a flair for experimentation, many of Brant's works featured spatialization techniques.- Biography :...
(1913–2008) - Alexander BrottAlexander BrottAlexander Brott, , born Joël Brod, , was a Canadian conductor, composer, violinist and music teacher. His wife Lotte was an accomplished cellist...
(1915–2005) - Stephen BrownStephen Brown (composer)Stephen John Brown is a Canadian composer. He holds ARCT Diplomas in both Theory and Composition from the Royal Conservatory of Music and is an Associate of the Canadian Music Centre...
(born 1948) - Edwin Orion BrownellEdwin Orion BrownellEdwin Orion Brownell was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is a neo-classical composer and concert pianist whose original music has been described as highly melodic; a strong blues influence upon a solid classical foundation.-History:...
(born 1964) - Walter BuczynskiWalter BuczynskiWalter Joseph Buczynski is a Canadian composer, music educator, and pianist.Buczynski earned an associates degree from The Royal Conservatory of Music in 1951 and a Licentiate in 1953. While there he studied music composition with Godfrey Ridout and piano with Earle Moss...
(born 1933) - John BurgeJohn BurgeJohn David Bryson Burge is a Canadian composer, music educator, and pianist. He has won a number of awards for his compositions, including the Alberta Culture Award , the William Erving Fairclough Scholarship , second prize in the Ithaca College Choral Composition Contest and Festival , and five...
(born 1961) - John BurkeJohn Burke (composer)John Joseph Burke is a Canadian composer and music educator. As a composer he has written mainly works for chamber ensembles, and his music displays an acute sensitivity to instrumental balance and timbre...
(born 1951)
C
- Bruce CockburnBruce CockburnBruce Douglas Cockburn OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His most recent album was released in March 2011. He has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
(born 1945) - Howard CableHoward CableHoward Reid Cable is a conductor, arranger, music director, composer, and radio and television producer.-Biography:...
(born 1920) - Christian CalonChristian CalonChristian Calon is a French-born Canadian composer who is active in electroacoustic music. He has worked extensively in large computer-based studios in Canada and Europe and has received commissions from the Canada Council, the Groupe de Musique Expérimentale de Marseille, and the Ministère des...
(born 1950) - Allison CameronAllison Cameron (composer)Allison Cameron one of Canada's most notable composers of contemporary classical music. She is also a performer of free improvisation and experimental music....
(born 1963) - Bruce CarlsonBruce Carlson (composer)Bruce Carlson is a Canadian composer from Manitoba.Carlson graduated from the University of Waterloo, the University of Toronto and the University of Manitoba where he studied composition with Dr...
- Albertine Caron-LegrisAlbertine Caron-LegrisGaylord Caron-Legris was a Canadian pianist, composer, and music educator. Many of her manuscripts and personal papers are held in the collection at the Library and Archives Canada.-Life and career:...
(1906–1972) - Albert ChamberlandAlbert ChamberlandAlbert Chamberland was a Canadian violinist, composer, conductor, music producer, and music educator. As a violinist he was highly active as a chamber musician with a number of notable ensembles, including the Beethoven Trio with whom he made some early recordings for His Master's Voice during the...
(1886–1975) - Claude ChampagneClaude ChampagneClaude Champagne was a Canadian composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, he studied violin with Albert Chamberland, organ with Orpha-F. Deveaux, and piano with Romain-Octave Pelletier I and Alexis Contant at the Conservatoire national de musique. In 1921 he went straight to Paris to study music...
(1891–1965) - Alexander ChuhaldinAlexander ChuhaldinAlexander Gregorovitch Chuhaldin was a Russian violinist, conductor, composer, and music educator. He spent his early career working in his native country but after 1927 he was active in Canada. His compositional output includes over 30 works for string orchestra; many of which were published by...
(1892–1951) - Gustav CiamagaGustav CiamagaGustav Ciamaga was a Canadian composer, music educator, and writer. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, he was best known for his compositions of electronic music, although he produced several non-electronic works. His compositions have been...
(born 1930) - Chan Ka NinChan Ka NinChan Ka Nin is a Canadian composer and music educator of Chinese descent. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1971. He has been commissioned write works for such ensembles as the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Esprit Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra,...
(born 1949) - Derek CharkeDerek CharkeDerek Charke is a Canadian classical composer and flutist.-Life:Derek Charke’s music is recognized as an important and original contribution to the Canadian music scene. Derek’s compositions increasingly pair electroacoustic elements, many derived from environmental sounds, with acoustic instruments...
(born 1974) - Benoît CharestBenoît CharestBenoît Charest is a Canadian guitarist and film score composer from Quebec. He is best known for the soundtrack of the animated film Les Triplettes de Belleville , for which he won a César Award for Best Music Written for a Film as well as a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music...
(born 1964) - Stephen ChatmanStephen ChatmanStephen Chatman is an American composer residing in Canada.-Biography:Chatman was born in Faribault, Minnesota, and studied with Joseph R. Wood and Walter Aschaffenburg at the Oberlin Conservatory and with Ross Lee Finney, Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom, and Eugene Kurtz at the University of...
(born 1950) - Brian CherneyBrian CherneyBrian Cherney is a Canadian composer currently residing in Montreal, Quebec. He studied at the University of Toronto where he was a pupil of John Weinzweig, Samuel Dolin, and John Beckwith. In 1972 he joined Schulich School of Music of McGill University, where he has taught analysis and...
(born 1942) - Neil ChotemNeil ChotemNeil Chotem was a Canadian composer, arranger, conductor, pianist, and music educator. His compositional style is eclectic but conservative, and often incorporates elements of jazz and popular music...
(1920–2008) - Dolores ClamanDolores ClamanDolores Claman is a Canadian composer and pianist. She is best known for composing the theme song, known simply as The Hockey Theme, for Hockey Night in Canada, a song often regarded as Canada's second national anthem, which she composed in 1968, and for "A Place to Stand", the popular tune that...
(born 1927) - F. R. C. ClarkeF. R. C. ClarkeFrederick Robert Charles Clarke, known largely by his initials F. R. C. Clarke was a Canadian musician and composer who spent most of his musical career in Kingston, Ontario, Canada....
(1931–2009) - James P. ClarkeJames P. Clarke (composer)James P. Clarke was a Canadian composer. He was the first person to receive a bachelor's degree in music in North America. He is best known for his work Lays of the Maple Leaf .-Life:...
(1807/8–1877) - Stephen CodmanStephen CodmanStephen Codman was a Canadian composer of English descent. His known compositions all date from before 1835 and his output mainly consists of works for solo voice or vocal ensembles...
(c. 1796–1852) - Warren CohenWarren CohenWarren Cohen is a Canadian composer, conductor and pianist currently resident in Cave Creek, Arizona, USA, where he is the musical director of the Scottsdale-based MusicaNova, a collection of orchestras and ensembles that are identified by a mission statement - Musica Nova means new music - rather...
- Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
(born 1934) - Ron CollierRon CollierRon Collier, was a Canadian jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.Collier was born in Vancouver and attended Vancouver Tech. He studied music privately in Toronto with Gordon Delamont...
(1930–2003) - Alexis ContantAlexis ContantJoseph Pierre Alexis Contant was a Canadian composer, organist, pianist, and music educator. The first notable Canadian composer to be entirely trained in his native country, he stated "I write not for glory but rather to satisfy an irresistible need." Although he had considerable training as a...
(1858–1918) - Jean CoulthardJean CoulthardJean Coulthard, was a Canadian composer and music educator. She was part of a trio of women composers who dominated Western Canadian music in the twentieth century: Coulthard, Barbara Pentland, and Violet Archer. All three died within weeks of each other in 2000...
(1908–2000) - Guillaume CoutureGuillaume Couture (musician)Guillaume Couture was a Canadian choir conductor, composer, music critic, and music educator. Although he never pursued a performance career, he is particularly remembered for his work as a voice teacher; having taught many notable Canadian singers...
(1851–1915) - Gabriel CussonGabriel CussonGabriel Cusson was a Canadian composer and music educator. As a composer, his music was heavily influenced by the style of early 20th century French composers...
(1903–1972)
D
- Jimmy DaleJimmy Dale (musician)Jimmy Dale is a Canadian arranger, composer, conductor, organist, and pianist of English birth. He was active as a music director for both Canadian and United States television during the 1970s and 1980s. He has also composed several film and television scores and written a number of tv theme...
(born 1935) - Eleanor Joanne DaleyEleanor Joanne DaleyEleanor Joanne Daley is a Canadian composer, organist, and accompanist.Her best known works are The Rose Trilogy, Requiem and In Remembrance. Daley holds a Bachelor Degree in Organ Performance from Queens University in Kingston, and holds multiple diplomas in piano and organ...
(born 1955) - Omar DanielOmar DanielOmar Daniel is a Canadian composer and pianist of Estonian descent. In 1997 he won the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music for his Zwei Lieder nach Rilke, a work for soprano and chamber ensemble, and in 2007 he received the K.M. Hunter Artists Award for classical music...
(born 1960) - Jeff DannaJeff DannaJeffrey W. “Jeff” Danna is a composer and musician noted for his work in film scores.A reluctant piano student at age eight, he found solace in the guitar at age eleven. Danna began playing professionally at fifteen until a hand injury in 1987 curtailed his performance career...
(born 1964) - Mychael DannaMychael DannaMychael Danna is a Canadian film composer.-Life and career:Mychael Danna is the brother of fellow composer Jeff Danna. He has been scoring films since his 1987 feature debut for Atom Egoyan's Family Viewing, a score which earned Danna the first of his thirteen Genie Award nominations. He has won...
(born 1958) - Yves DaoustYves DaoustYves Daoust is a Canadian composer who is particularly known for his works of electroacoustic music. He currently resides in Montréal.-Life:...
(born 1946) - Lionel DaunaisLionel DaunaisNoël Ferdinand Lionel Daunais, was a French Canadian baritone and composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Daunais studied singing with Céline Marier and harmony and composition with Oscar O'Brien. In 1923 he won first prize at the Montreal Musical Festival...
(1901–1982) - Raymond DaveluyRaymond DaveluyJoseph Eugène Raymond-Marie Daveluy is a Canadian composer, organist, music educator, and arts administrator. An associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output consists mainly of works for solo organ. He had an active international career as a recitalist and concert...
(born 1926) - Hugh DavidsonHugh Davidson (composer)Hugh Hanson Davidson is a Canadian composer, music critic, radio producer, writer, and arts administrator. His compositional output includes works for piano, ballets, chamber music, vocal art songs, choral works, and incidental music for the theatre.Davidson is a graduate of The Royal Conservatory...
(born 1930) - Victor DaviesVictor DaviesVictor Albert Davies is an award winning Canadian composer, pianist, and conductor, best known for his opera Transit of Venus.-Biography:...
(born 1939) - Morris DavisMorris Davis (composer)Morris Cecil Davis was a Canadian composer, arranger, and conductor. He was sometimes referred to as "Rusty Davis". A largely self-taught composer and orchestrater, he wrote more than 200 jingles for Canadian radio and television...
(1904–1968) - Gordon DelamontGordon DelamontGordon Arthur Delamont was a Canadian music educator, author, composer, and trumpeter. He is best remembered for his work as an educator, having helped shape the talents of dozens of notable musicians in Toronto. He also published several books on musical theory topics which have been used widely...
(1918–1981) - Isabelle DelormeIsabelle DelormeIsabelle Delorme was a Canadian composer, pianist, and music educator. As a composer, her works are lyrical in nature and follow more traditional ideas of harmony as opposed to the avant-garde music that was in vogue in her day...
(1900–1991) - Allard de RidderAllard de RidderAllard de Ridder was a Canadian conductor, violist, and composer of Dutch birth. He was notably the first conductor of both the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the latter of which he founded in 1944...
(1887–1966) - Jean DeromeJean DeromeJean Derome is a French Canadian avant-garde saxophonist, flautist and composer. A prominent figure in the Montreal musique actuelle scene, Derome has been a member of a number of experimental jazz and rock groups, and has appeared on over 30 albums, including seven solo albums...
(born 1955) - Alfred De SèveAlfred De SèveAlfred De Sève was a Canadian violinist, composer, and music educator. His compositional output includes works for violin and piano, solo piano, and orchestra; many of which were published by Arthur P. Schmidt and Charles H...
(1858–1927) - Jacques DesjardinsJacques DesjardinsJacques Desjardins is a Canadian composer whose music has been performed by important ensembles internationally like the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Ijsbreker Ensemble...
- Jean DeslauriersJean DeslauriersJean Deslauriers was a Canadian conductor, violinist, and composer. As a conductor he had a long and fruitful partnership with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; conducting orchestras for feature films and television and radio programs for more than 40 years...
(1909–1978) - Robert Nathaniel DettRobert Nathaniel DettRobert Nathaniel Dett , often known as R. Nathaniel Dett, was a composer in the United States and Canada...
(1882–1943) - Paul DoldenPaul DoldenPaul Dolden is an electroacoustic music composer born January 23, 1956 in Ottawa, Canada, and currently living in Montréal, Canada.Paul Dolden is an electroacoustic music composer born January 23, 1956 in Ottawa, Canada, and currently living in Montréal, Canada.Paul Dolden is an electroacoustic...
(born 1956) - Samuel DolinSamuel DolinSamuel Joseph Dolin was a Canadian composer, music educator, and arts administrator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a founding member of the Canadian League of Composers , he served as the CLC's vice president in 1967-1968 and president from 1969-1973...
(1917–2002) - René DupéréRené DupéréRené Dupéré is a Québécois composer from Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada.- Biography :Dupéré is best known as the composer and arranger of music for contemporary circus productions by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil...
(born 1946) - Kyle Bobby DunnKyle Bobby DunnKyle Bobby Dunn is a composer, arranger, and live performer of modern and neo-classical based drone music. He has performed in live and exclusive outdoor settings, including Banff National Park, since 2000 and has released music on various international recording labels.His work has been described...
(born 1986)
E
- Sophie Carmen Eckhardt-GramattéSophie Carmen Eckhardt-GramattéSophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté was a Russian-born Canadian composer and virtuoso pianist and violinist.Born in Moscow as Sofia Fridman-Kochevskaya, Eckhardt-Gramatté studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, where her teachers included Alfred Brun and Guillaume Rémy for violin, S. Chenée for...
(1899–1974) - Arne EigenfeldtArne EigenfeldtArne Eigenfeldt is a Canadian composer and creator of interactive and generative music systems based in Vancouver. Both his music and his research into intelligent systems have been presented internationally. He is currently a professor of music at Simon Fraser University...
(born 1962) - Carleton ElliottCarleton ElliottCarleton Weir Elliott was a Canadian composer, theorist, choir conductor and music educator.-Biography:...
(1928–2003) - Lisle EllisLisle EllisLisle Ellis, is a Canadian composer and bassist who is known for his improvisational style and use of electronics.-Biography:...
(born 1951) - John EstacioJohn EstacioJohn Estacio is a contemporary Canadian composer.-Life and career:Estacio was born in Newmarket, Ontario. Raised in the farming community of the Holland Marsh, Ontario, Estacio took piano and accordion lessons, and played church organ every Sunday...
(born 1966) - José EvangelistaJosé EvangelistaJosé Evangelista is a Spanish composer and music educator who is based in Montreal, Canada. A member of the Canadian League of Composers, the Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, Evangelista is known for his commitment to contemporary classical...
(born 1943)
F
- Percy FaithPercy FaithPercy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
(1908–1976) - Robert FarnonRobert FarnonRobert Joseph Farnon was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a famous composer of original works , he was recognised as one of the finest arrangers of his generation...
(1917–2005) - Jacques FaubertJacques FaubertJacques Faubert is a Canadian composer, conductor, and music educator. He notably founded the Mont-Royal Symphony Orchestra and choir in 1987...
(born 1952) - Robert FlemingRobert Fleming (composer)Robert James Berkeley Fleming was a Canadian composer, pianist, organist, choirmaster and teacher.Robert was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. At a young age his family settled in Saskatoon where he first studied with his mother...
(1921–1976) - Leila FletcherLeila FletcherLeila Fletcher was a Canadian pianist, composer, publisher, music editor and educator.-Early years:She was born in Hamilton, Ontario. Her parents provided her piano lessons from a local teacher...
(1899–1988) - John FodiJohn FodiJohn Fodi was a composer and music librarian. Born in Hungary, he became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1961. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was a founding member of ARRAYMUSIC, an organization which premiered several of his compositions.- Life :Born in Nagytevel, John Fodi moved...
(1944–2009) - Clifford FordClifford FordClifford Robert Ford is a Canadian composer, editor, music educator, and writer. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he is a founding member of ARRAYMUSIC and a former member of the music faculties of McMaster University and Dalhousie University...
(born 1947) - Malcolm ForsythMalcolm ForsythMalcolm Forsyth, CM was a South African and Canadian trombonist and composer. His daughter is National Arts Centre Orchestra cellist Amanda Forsyth....
(born 1936) - W. O. ForsythW. O. ForsythWesley Octavius Forsyth was a Canadian pianist and composer.Forsyth was born in Markham Township and studied music in Leipzig under Salomon Jadassohn, Martin Krause, Gustav Schreck and others. His first success was the Suite in E minor . Having failed to achieve success as an instrumental...
(1859–1937) - Achille FortierAchille FortierAchille Fortier was a Canadian composer and music educator. His compositional output includes a modest amount of choral and chamber works, several songs and motets, and a small amount of symphonic music. A considerable portion of his compositions are religious in nature...
(1864–1939) - David FosterDavid FosterDavid Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
(born 1949) - Joseph-A. FowlerJoseph-A. FowlerJoseph-A. Fowler was a Canadian composer, organist, choirmaster, pianist, and music educator. His compositional output mainly consists of sacred music, although he did compose some secular songs for voice and piano and a number of works for solo piano. He wrote two masses for choir and orchestra:...
(1845–1917) - Jason FrederickJason FrederickJason Frederick is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and composer of music for films and television.-Biography:Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, Frederick was educated in Canada and the United States...
(born 1970) - Harry FreedmanHarry FreedmanHarry Freedman , was a Canadian composer, english hornist, and music educator of Polish birth. He wrote a significant amount of symphonic works, including several film scores, and also composed a substantial amount of chamber music...
(1922–2005)
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- Gérald GagnierGérald GagnierGérald Gagnier was a Canadian bandmaster, composer, and trumpeter. His compositional output includes the symphonic poem Polyphème, a Prélude for piano, a Suite romantique for strings, and Rolandineries for piano.-Life and career:Born in Montreal, Gagnier was the son of musician René Gagnier and...
(1926–1961) - J.-J. GagnierJ.-J. GagnierJean-Josaphat Gagnier was a Canadian conductor, composer, clarinetist, bassoonist, pianist, arts administrator, and music educator. His compositional output mainly consists of works for orchestra and band, although he did write some choral pieces, songs, works for solo piano and organ, some...
(1885–1949) - René GagnierRené GagnierRené Gagnier was a Canadian conductor, composer, euphonium player, violinist, and music educator. His compositional output includes several marches, waltzes, works for solo violin, and some chamber and symphonic music; all of which remains unpublished.-Life and career:Born in Montreal, Gagnier was...
(1892–1951) - Alain GagnonAlain GagnonAlain Gagnon is a Canadian composer and music educator. He joined the music faculty of the Université Laval in 1967 where he has taught music theory, music analysis, and music composition for more than 40 years. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music...
(born 1938) - Ernest GagnonErnest GagnonErnest Gagnon was a Canadian folklorist, composer, and organist. He is best known for compiling a large amount of French Canadian folk music which he published as Chansons populaires du Canada in 1865-1867...
(1834–1915) - Gustave GagnonGustave GagnonGustave Adolphe Mathurin Gagnon was a Canadian organist, composer, and music educator.-Family background and education:...
(1842–1930) - Henri GagnonHenri GagnonHenri Gagnon was a Canadian composer, organist, and music educator. He spent 51 years playing the organ at the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré where, according to music historian François Brassard, he earned "a prestige similar to that of the famous organists of Europe"...
(1887–1961) - Serge GarantSerge GarantSerge Garant, OC was a Canadian composer, conductor, professor of music at the University of Montreal and radio host of Musique de notre siècle on Radio-Canada. In 1966 he cofounded with Jean Papineau-Couture, Maryvonne Kendergi, Wilfrid Pelletier and Hugh Davidson the Société de musique...
(1929–1986) - Mort GarsonMort GarsonMort Garson who was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, was an electronic musician best known for his albums that predominantly feature Moog synthesizers.-Early life:...
(1924–2008) - Desmond GasparDesmond GasparDesmond Gaspar is a Canadian organist, pianist, conductor, composer and songwriter who is currently working as a free lance concert artist and ballet pianist....
(born 1960) - James GayferJames GayferJames McDonald Gayfer was a Canadian bandmaster, clarinetist, composer, conductor, organist, military officer, and music educator. His compositional output encompasses several orchestral works, including two symphonies, numerous works for band and solo piano, a modest amount of chamber music, and...
(1916–1997) - James GelfandJames GelfandJames Gelfand, is a Canadian jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. He is best known for his film and television scores.-Early life:...
, (born 1959) - Steven GellmanSteven GellmanSteven Gellman is a Canadian composer and pianist. He has been commissioned to write works for the Besançon International Music Festival, the CBC Symphony Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic, McGill University, Musica Camerata, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra,...
(born 1947) - Graham GeorgeGraham GeorgeGraham Elias George was a Canadian composer, music theorist, organist, choir conductor, and music educator of English birth. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output consists largely of choral works written in the 20th-century Anglican style. He also wrote three ballets,...
(1912–1993) - Aaron GervaisAaron GervaisAaron Gervais is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music.Aaron Gervais was born and grew up in Edmonton. He studied jazz performance at Grant MacEwan College and the University of Toronto, and composition at the University of Alberta, the University of Toronto, and UCSD. He currently...
(born 1980) - Allan GillilandAllan GillilandAllan Gilliland is a contemporary Canadian composer.Gilliland moved to Canada in 1972 and settled in Edmonton, Alberta. He received a diploma in Jazz Studies from Humber College, and degrees in performance and composition from the University of Alberta...
(born 1965) - Srul Irving GlickSrul Irving GlickSrul Irving Glick, CM was a Canadian composer, radio producer, conductor, and teacher.Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto 1955, and a Masters of Music , honorary FRCCO...
(1934–2002) - Denis GougeonDenis GougeonDenis Gougeon is a Canadian composer and music educator. His more than 80 compositions encompass a wide variety of genres, including orchestral works, chamber music, opera, ballet, and pieces for solo instruments and voice...
(born 1951) - Glenn GouldGlenn GouldGlenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
(1932–1982) - Trevor GrahlTrevor GrahlTrevor Grahl is a Canadian composer and organist.Trevor Grahl is winner of the McGill-CBC composition competition and of the in Apeldoorn 2010. Grahl's works include Le violon extraordinaire de Fifi Labranche , Urquitaqtuq , Symphony No. 1 and The Village Blacksmith on a text by Henry Wadsworth...
(born 1984) - Hector GrattonHector GrattonJoseph Thomas Hector Gratton was a Canadian composer, arranger, conductor, pianist, and music educator. As a composer his music is written in an essentially folkloric and popular style which avoids harmonic sophistication. His compositional output includes several orchestral works, chamber workss,...
(1900–1970)
H
- Peter HannanPeter Hannan (composer)Peter Hannan is a Canadian composer and recorder player. He was born in Montréal.Hannan studied initially at the University of British Columbia, where he received a B. Mus. in 1975. He pursued advanced studies in recorder performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, who awarded...
(born 1953) - Hagood HardyHagood HardyHugh Hagood Hardy, CM was a Canadian composer, pianist, and vibraphonist. He is best known for the 1975 single, "The Homecoming", originally created as music to a 1972 TV commercial for Salada tea, and for his soundtrack to the Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea films.Born in Angola,...
(1937–1997) - Chris Harman (born 1970)
- Johana HarrisJohana HarrisJohana Harris was a Canadian pianist, composer, and music educator. She had highly successful career as a concert pianist, making numerous recordings and appearing as a soloist with almost every major American symphony orchestra. She made over 100 solo recordings, working with such labels as...
(1912–1995) - Charles A.E. Harriss (1862–1929)
- Christos HatzisChristos HatzisChristos Hatzis is a Greek Canadian composer currently a professor at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto.-Biography:Hatzis was born in Volos, Greece and received his early music instruction at the Volos branch of the Hellenic Conservatory...
(born 1953) - John HawkinsJohn Hawkins (Canadian composer)John Hawkins was a Canadian composer, conductor, music educator, and pianist. He notably won the 2nd-century Week Composition Competition in 1967 for his Eight Movements for Flute and Clarinet and received the Jules Léger Prize in 1983 for Breaking Through which was commissioned by ARRAYMUSIC...
(1944–2007) - Donald HeinsDonald HeinsDonald Heins was a Canadian violinist, violist, conductor, organist, composer, and music educator of English birth. He notably founded the first professional orchestra in Ottawa, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra , in 1902, serving as its director until 1927...
(1878–1949) - Jacques HétuJacques HétuJacques Hétu, OC was a Canadian composer and music educator from Trois-Rivières, Quebec. He was nominated for a 1989 Juno Award in the Best Classical Composition category...
(1938–2010) - W. H. HewlettW. H. HewlettWilliam Henry Hewlett was a Canadian organist, conductor, composer, and music educator of English birth.-Early life and education:...
(1873–1940) - Jim HiscottJim HiscottJames Michael Hiscott is a Canadian composer, radio producer, and accordionist. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, his compositions are characterized by their strong rhythmic base, standard harmonic language, and merger of world music with...
(born 1948) - Bruce HolderBruce HolderBruce Edward Holder, Sr. was a Canadian composer, conductor, and violinist. He helped to conduct, teach, and found many music groups, including Symphony New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, and the Third Field Artillery Band, which earned him his nickname, Mr. Music of Saint...
(1905–1987) - Derek HolmanDerek HolmanDerek Holman, CM is a choral conductor, organist, and composer.Holman attended the Royal Academy of Music from 1948 to 1952 and studied with Sir William McKie, Eric Thiman, and York Bowen...
(born 1931) - Charles HoudretCharles HoudretCharles Houdret was a Canadian conductor, cellist, radio producer, and composer. He began his career in his native country of Belgium and was highly active as a conductor throughout Europe during the 1940s. In 1952 he immigrated to Canada where he ultimately became a naturalized citizen...
(1905-after 1964) - Melissa HuiMelissa HuiMelissa Hui is a composer. Raised in Vancouver, Canada, Hui studied at the University of British Columbia, the California Institute of the Arts and Yale University...
(born 1966) - Richard HuntRichard Hunt (pianist)Richard Hunt is a Canadian pianist and composer of British birth. As a soloist he has performed in concert with several notable ensembles in Canada, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Quebec Contemporary Music Society...
(born 1930) - Ricky HyslopRicky HyslopRicky Hyslop was a Canadian violinist, conductor, composer, and arranger. He was commissioned to write worksby the Buffalo Philharmonic , clarinetist Avrahm Galper , and guitarist Gregory Alliston...
(1915–1998)
J
- Frantz Jehin-PrumeFrantz Jehin-PrumeFrantz Jehin-Prume was a Canadian violinist, composer, and music educator of Belgian birth. He began his career as a highly successful concert violinist in Europe. From 1865 on he lived and worked mainly in Montreal, Canada; becoming one of the most important 19th century musical figures in Quebec...
(1839–1899) - Otto Joachim (1910–2010)
- Richard JohnstonRichard Johnston (composer)Richard Johnston was a Canadian composer, conductor, editor, folklorist, music critic, music educator, music producer, and university administrator of American birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1957. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was appointed a Member of the Order...
(1917–1997) - Charles JonesCharles Jones (composer)Charles Jones was a Canadian-born composer of contemporary classical music.Jones was born in Tamworth, Lennox and Addington County, Ontario, Canada. He moved to Toronto at the age of ten, eventually traveling to New York City in 1928. He studied at The Juilliard School, where his primary...
(1910–1997) - Kelsey JonesKelsey JonesHerbert Kelsey Jones, D.Mus., was a Canadian composer, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, teacher, and founder of the Saint John Symphony Orchestra...
(1922–2004)
K
- James KeelaghanJames KeelaghanJames Keelaghan is a Juno award-winning Canadian folk singer-songwriter. Born in Calgary, Alberta and now based in Winnipeg, many of his songs, such as "Kiri's Piano", about the internment of Japanese Canadians, and "October 70", about the FLQ crisis, are inspired by events and figures in Canadian...
(born 1959) - Jack KaneJack Kane (composer)Jack Kane was a Canadian arranger, conductor, clarinetist, and composer of English birth. His 1958 recording Kane is Able was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with Orchestra. He was highly active as an arranger and music director for Canadian...
(1924–1961) - Udo KasemetsUdo KasemetsUdo Kasemets is an Estonian-born Canadian composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, piano, and electroacoustic works. He was one of the first to adopt the methods of John Cage, and is also a conductor, lecturer, pianist, organist, teacher and writer.Kasemets was born in Tallinn, Estonia, and trained...
(born 1919) - Talivaldis KeninsTalivaldis KeninsTālivaldis Ķeniņš was a Canadian composer born in Latvia.Kenins's father was a lawyer, poet and government official, and his mother was a journalist. He first began playing piano at the age of five, and his first compositions followed at age eight...
(1919–2008) - Moe KoffmanMoe KoffmanMoe Koffman, OC was a Canadian jazz musician and composer. He played the flute, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone and clarinet...
(1928–2001) - Rudolf KomorousRudolf KomorousRudolf Komorous is a Canadian composer. His works includue Twenty-Three Poems about Horses , based on the poetry of Li Ho, the opera No no miya which uses elements of Noh theatre and the Li Ch’ing Chao Madrigals .-References:...
(born 1931) - Peter Paul KoprowskiPeter Paul KoprowskiPeter Paul Koprowski is a Canadian composer, conductor, music educator, and pianist of Polish descent. He became a Canadian citizen in 1976. As a composer he is chiefly known for his large output of symphonic works which began with his still frequently performed In Memoriam Karol Szymanowski...
(born 1947) - Nikolai KorndorfNikolai KorndorfNikolai Sergeevich Korndorf was a Russian and Canadian composer and conductor. He was prolific both in Moscow, Russia and in Vancouver, Canada.-Biography:...
(1947–2001) - Mark KorvenMark Korven-External links:*...
- Veronika KrausasVeronika KrausasVeronika Judita Krausas is a Canadian composer who lives and works in the United States.-Biography:She was born in Sydney, Australia but grew up in Canada after the age of four. Her diplomas in music education and performance were completed at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto...
(born 1963) - David KristianDavid KristianDavid Kristian is a Canadian musician and film score composer and sound designer.David Kristian has been involved in audio for media since the early 1980s, when he first started work as an animation and experimental filmmaker at a New-Brunswick, Canada TV station...
(born 1967) - Gary KuleshaGary KuleshaGary Kulesha is a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and educator. Since 1995, he has been Composer Advisor to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He has been Composer-in-Residence with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Canadian Opera Company . He was awarded the National Arts Centre...
(born 1954) - Alfred Kunz (born 1929)
- Larysa KuzmenkoLarysa KuzmenkoLarysa Kuzmenko is a Juno Awards-nominated Canadian composer and pianist based in Toronto. Many of her works have been published by Boosey and Hawkes and she has been commissioned to write pieces by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Hannaford Street Silver Band, the International Women's...
- Milan KymlickaMilan KymlickaMilan Kymlicka was a Canadian arranger, composer and conductor of Czechoslovakian birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1974. He was best known for his composition of film and television scores, including those for the animated television series Rupert and Babar...
(1936–2008)
L
- Larry LakeLarry Lake (musician)Larry Ellsworth Lake is a Canadian composer, trumpeter, freelance writer on music, radio broadcaster, and record producer of American birth. As a composer he is primarily known for his electronic music. His musical compositions are characterized by their integration of acoustic instruments with...
(born 1943) - Jean-Baptiste LabelleJean-Baptiste LabelleJean-Baptiste Labelle was a Canadian composer, organist, pianist, and conductor. He is best known for composing the music to the song Ô Canada! mon pays, mes amours with words by George-Étienne Cartier. He also used words by Cartier for the song Avant tout je suis Canadien...
(1825–1898) - Fariborz LachiniFariborz LachiniFariborz Lachini is a film score composer originally from Iran based in Canada.-Career:He started his career in Iran writing music for children, creating "Avaz Faslha va Rangha" at the age of 18 which caught the attention of royal family of the time. The title of national Iranian TV's children...
(born 1949) - Alfred La LibertéAlfred La LibertéAlfred La Liberté was a Canadian composer, pianist, writer on music, and music educator. He was a disciple and close personal friend of Alexander Scriabin. He was also an admirer of Marcel Dupré and Nikolai Medtner. Dupré notably dedicated his Variations, Opus 22 for piano to him and Medtner...
(1882–1952) - Alcides LanzaAlcides LanzaAlcides Emigdio Lanza is a Canadian composer, conductor, pianist, and music educator of Argentinian birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1976. As both a composer and performer he is known as an exponent of contemporary classical music and avant-garde music...
(born 1929) - Eugène LapierreEugène LapierreEugène Lapierre was a Canadian organist, composer, journalist, writer on music, arts administrator, and music educator. He was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935 and the King George VI Coronation Medal in 1937...
(1899–1970) - Yves LapierreYves LapierreYves Lapierre is a Canadian composer, arranger, record producer, and singer. He began his career performing and recording with the folk vocal quartet Les Cailloux during the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s he was highly active as a composer, arranger, and record producer for a large number of...
(born 1946) - Anne LauberAnne LauberAnne Lauber is a Canadian composer, conductor, and music educator of Swiss birth. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, she has been commissioned to write works by the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian...
(born 1943) - Louis-Phillipe LaurendeauLouis-Phillipe LaurendeauLouis-Philippe Laurendeau was a Canadian composer and bandmaster. He also held an editorial position with Carl Fischer, the New York music publishers....
(1861–1916) - Calixa LavalléeCalixa LavalléeCalixa Lavallée, , born Calixte Lavallée, was a French-Canadian-American musician and Union officer during the American Civil War who composed the music for O Canada, which officially became the national anthem of Canada in 1980.-Biography:Calixa Lavallée was born at Verchères, a suburb of...
(1842–1891) - Jimmie LeBlancJimmie LeBlancJimmie LeBlanc is a Canadian composer and guitarist. His music has been performed throughout his native country by such ensembles as the Ensemble Contrechamps, Hwaum Chamber Ensemble, Kore Ensemble, Les Enfants Terribles, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Pentaèdre, Quatuor Bozzini, and the Trio Fibonacci...
(born 1977) - Hugh Le CaineHugh Le CaineHugh Le Caine was a Canadian physicist, composer, and instrument builder.Le Caine was brought up in Port Arthur in northwestern Ontario...
(1914–1977) - Brent LeeBrent LeeBrent Lee is a Canadian composer and professor of Music Composition at the University of Windsor. Growing up, he studied guitar and saxophone. He received a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Music Composition from McGill University in Montreal. Brent showed interest in both computer and...
(born 1964) - Alain LefèvreAlain LefèvreAlain Lefèvre, CQ is a Quebecois pianist and composer. He is one of the Québécois pianists who have sold the greatest number of musical recordings.In 2009, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec....
(born 1962) - André Éric LétourneauAndré Éric LétourneauAndré Éric Létourneau is a French Canadian media and transmedia artist, author, musician, composer and curator based primarily in Montreal, Canada. He uses several pseudonyms, most notably François Quoirez and algojo)André Éric Létourneau (born September 25, 1967) is a French Canadian media and...
(born 1967) - Omer LétourneauOmer LétourneauOmer Létourneau was a Québécois pianist, organist, composer and orchestra conductor.A pupil of Joseph-Arthur Bernier, Létourneau won the Prix d'Europe in 1913. In 1917 he directed the production of L'Accordée de village in the Auditorium de Québec in Quebec City which included performances from...
(1891–1983) - Gordon LightfootGordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr. is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music, and has been credited for helping define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s...
(born 1938) - Analia LlugdarAnalia LlugdarAnalia Llugdar is an Argentine composer who is currently based in Montreal, Canada. She has won several notable competitions, including first prize in the chamber music category of the CBC Radio National Competition for Young Composers, the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada Award, the Grand Prix of...
(born 1972) - Andrew LockingtonAndrew LockingtonAndrew Lockington is a Canadian film score composer, who composes scores for American and Canadian films. He was born July 31, 1974 in Burlington, Ontario....
(born 1972) - Ruth LomonRuth LomonA native of Montreal, Canada, Ruth Lomon attended le Conservatoire de Quebec and McGill University. She continued her studies with Francis Judd Cooke at the New England Conservatory of Music and later with Witold Lutosławski at Dartington College in England.Since 1998, Ms...
(born 1930) - Michel LongtinMichel LongtinMichel Longtin is a Canadian composer and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, he won the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music in 1986 for Pohjatuuli....
(born 1946) - Alexina LouieAlexina LouieAlexina Louie, OC, FRSC is a Canadian composer of Chinese descent who has written many pieces for orchestra, as well as pieces for solo piano.-Biography:Alexina Louie was born in Vancouver and received an...
(born 1949) - Clarence LucasClarence LucasClarence Lucas , was a Canadian composer, lyricist, conductor, and music professor.Lucas was born at Six Nations Reserve, Ontario and was a student of Romain-Octave Pelletier I. He taught at the Toronto College of Music, taught in Utica, New York, and was the musical director at Wesleyan Ladies...
(1866–1947) - René LussierRené LussierRené Lussier is a musician based in the province of Québec, Canada. He is a composer, guitarist, bass guitarist, percussionist, bass clarinetist and singer. Lussier has collaborated with such figures as Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Jean Derome and Robert M. Lepage...
(born 1957)
M
- Andrew Paul MacDonaldAndrew Paul MacDonaldAndrew Paul MacDonald is a Canadian composer, guitarist, conductor, and music educator. His compositions have been performed in many countries including England, Norway, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, Turkey, the United States and Australia, as well as in Canada by the Toronto Symphony...
(born 1958) - David MacDonaldDavid MacDonald (Christian musician)David MacDonald is a Canadian songwriter, producer and performer born in Ottawa, Canada. He is also a well known activist of the Christian right in Ottawa.-Career:...
(born 1961) - David MacIntyreDavid MacIntyre (composer)David MacIntyre is a Canadian composer based in Vancouver. He is a professor of Music Composition at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby.-Style:...
(born 1952) - Ernest MacMillanErnest MacMillanSir Ernest Alexander Campbell MacMillan, CC was an internationally renowned Canadian orchestral conductor and composer, and Canada's only "Musical Knight". He is widely regarded as being Canada's pre-eminent musician, from the 1920s through the 1950s...
(1893–1973) - Walter MacNuttWalter MacNuttWalter Louis MacNutt was a Canadian organist, choir director, and composer. His compositional output includes numerous choral works, songs, pieces for solo organ, and works for orchestra; many of which have been published by companies like Broadcast Music Incorporated, Frederick Harris Music, the...
(1910–1996) - Robert Graham MansonRobert Graham MansonRobert Graham Manson was a British musician.-Biography:Robert Graham Manson was born in London, one of four sons of James Alexander Manson , a journalist and author...
(1883–1950) - Leo MarchildonLeo MarchildonLeo Marchildon is a film/theatre music composer and producer. His first commercial album, To Each is Given, based on inspirational poetry was released in 1998. He and co-writer Adam-Michael James teamed up to create the stage musical "The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery" based upon the life of the...
(born 1962) - Frank MarsalesFrank MarsalesFrank Alfred Marsales was a Canadian-born musician and composer best known for his work scoring many classic Warner Brothers cartoons in the 1930s...
(1886–1975) - Charles-Amador MartinCharles-Amador MartinCharles-Amador Martin, , second Canadian to be ordained a priest, the first being Germain Morin.Martin was ordained by Bishop Laval in March, 1671, and spent most of his prieshood in or near Quebec City. He was to become well known for his participation in church services as a musician...
(1648–1711) - Lucien MartinLucien MartinLucien Martin was a Canadian violinist, conductor, and composer. Only one of his compositions was published, the art song La Chanson des belles, which was performed by Jeanne Desjardins in its premiere on the CBC Radio program Sérénade pour cordes.-Life and career:Born in Montreal, Martin was the...
(1908–1950) - Gene MartynecGene MartynecCanadian musician/composer Eugene Martynec first came to prominence as a guitarist in Toronto group Bobby Kris & The Imperials in August 1965...
(born 1947) - Bruce MatherBruce MatherBruce Mather is a Canadian composer, pianist, and writer who is particularly known for his contributions to contemporary classical music. One of the most notable composers of microtonal music, he was awarded the Jules Léger Prize twice, first in 1979 for his Musique pour Champigny and again in...
(born 1939) - André MathieuAndré MathieuAndré Mathieu was a Québécois pianist and composer. Mathieu was born in Montreal, Quebec on February 18, 1929, in the parish of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur.-Biography:...
(1929–1968) - Rodolphe MathieuRodolphe MathieuJoseph Rodolphe Mathieu was a Canadian composer, pianist, writer on music, and music educator. The Canadian Encyclopedia states, "Considered too avant-garde for his time because of Debussy's influence on his music, Mathieu gained recognition too late to inspire the generation that followed." The...
(1890–1962) - Roger MattonRoger MattonRoger Matton, OC was a Canadian composer, ethnomusicologist, and music educator. As a composer his works are characterized by their association with folklore and folkmusic. In 1965 he was awarded the Prix de la création at the Congrès du spectacle...
(born 1929) - Christopher MayoChristopher MayoChristopher Mayo is a Canadian composer of contemporary classical music.Born in Toronto, Mayo studied at the University of Toronto where he was awarded the Glenn Gould Composition Prize and the William Erving Fairclough Scholarship and earned an Honours Bachelor of Music Degree...
(born 1980) - Michael McCannMichael McCann (composer)Michael McCann is a composer, sound-designer and record producer based in Montreal, Canada. He is most well known for composing the award winning soundtrack to the multi-million selling Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the Xbox 360, PC and other leading game consoles, as well as...
(born 1976) - Boyd McDonaldBoyd McDonaldBoyd McDonald is a Canadian pianist, fortepianist, composer, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output includes works for choirs, bands, orchestras, and art songs...
(born 1932) - Diana McIntoshDiana McIntoshDiana McIntosh is a contemporary Canadian composer and pianist who is currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
(born 1937) - Allan McIverAllan McIverJoseph Allan McIver was a Canadian composer, arranger, pianist, and conductor. As a pianist he performed with orchestras in the Quebec region in his early career and was the longtime accompanist and arranger for Trio lyrique...
(1904–1969) - Ben McPeekBen McPeekBenjamin Dewey McPeek was a Canadian composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist. In 1964 he established his own company, Ben McPeek Ltd., which promoted himself as a "jingle" writer for radio and television...
(1934–1981) - Colin McPheeColin McPheeColin McPhee was a Canadian composer and musicologist. He is primarily known for being the first Western composer to make an ethnomusicological study of Bali, and for the quality of that work...
(1900–1964) - Lubomyr MelnykLubomyr MelnykLubomyr Melnyk is a composer and pianist who pioneered 'continuous music' which requires a totally new technique of piano playing, based on extremely rapid notes and note-series that create a "tapestry of sound" usually with the sustain pedal held down to generate overtones and sympathetic...
(born 1948) - Pierre MercurePierre MercurePierre Mercure is , Canadian composer, TV producer, bassoonist, administrator. Premier prix Harmony, Counterpoint, Deuxième prix bassoon 1949. His main composition teacher was Claude Champagne...
(1927–1966) - Alfred MignaultAlfred MignaultAlfred Joseph Édouard Mignault was a Canadian organist, composer, and music educator. A largely self-taught composer, his compositional output includes both vocal and instrumental works such as songs, works for solo piano, choral works, and works for orchestra. Some his compositions were published...
(1895–1961) - David MillsDavid Mills (bass)David Mills is a Canadian bass, poet, composer and actor. Retired now, he had an active international singing career that spanned more than five decades. He has published two books of poetry, Isobelle, a Novel in Verse and The Social Comedy...
(born 1929) - John Mills-CockellJohn Mills-CockellJohn Mills-Cockell is a Canadian composer in various media. He has created scores for Vancouver Playhouse, The National Arts Centre, Firehall Centre for the Arts, Citadel Theatre, Glasgow Museum of Art, and Phoenix Theatre. Past commissions include works for the National Ballet, Toronto Dance...
(born 1943) - Kenneth G. MillsKenneth G. MillsKenneth George Mills was a Canadian metaphysical/philosophical speaker and author. An exponent of the oral tradition, he gave spontaneous lectures and poetry for over 37 years. At the same time, he became noted for his accomplishments in music, particularly as the conductor of the choral ensemble...
(1923–2004) - Robin MinardRobin Minard- Biography :Minard was born in Montreal, Canada. He began his studies of composition at the University of Ontario, then at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, studying under Gilles Tremblay. He then continued his studies with John Rea at McGill University. He was a member of the...
(born 1953) - Henri MiroHenri MiroHenri Enrique Miro was a Canadian composer/arranger, conductor, pianist, and music critic of Catalan birth. He was a pioneering conductor for Canadian radio and his works were performed in all of Montreal's major performance venues of the day...
(1879–1950) - Stephan MoccioStephan MoccioStephan Moccio is a pianist, composer, producer, arranger, conductor and recording artist. He co-wrote Celine Dion's 2002 hit "A New Day Has Come" with Aldo Nova, which reached and held the number one spot on the Billboard AC Chart for a record breaking 21 weeks...
(born 1972) - James MontgomeryJames Montgomery (composer)James Louis Montgomery is a Canadian music composer, performer, and arts administrator. He is the current artistic director of the Music Gallery, a position that he has held for more than 20 years. He is also a founding member of the Canadian Electronic Ensemble with whom he still actively...
(born 1943) - Oskar MorawetzOskar MorawetzOskar Morawetz, CM, O.Ont was a Canadian composer.Morawetz was born in Světlá nad Sázavou, Bohemia . He studied piano and theory in Prague and, following the Nazi takeover of his country in 1938, studied in Vienna and Paris, always staying one step ahead of the invading Nazis...
(1917–2007) - François MorelFrançois MorelFrançois Morel is a Canadian composer, pianist, conductor, and music education. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec in 1994 and was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier in 1996...
(born 1926) - Éric MorinÉric MorinÉric Morin is a Canadian composer. He has been awarded several prizes for his compositions, including the 2003 Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music for his D'un Château l'autre and the CBC Radio National Competition for Young Composers which he won twice...
(born 1969) - Léo-Pol MorinLéo-Pol MorinLéo-Pol Morin was a Canadian pianist, music critic, composer, and music educator. He composed under the name James Callihou, with his most well known works being Suite canadienne and Three Eskimos for piano. He also composed works based on Canadian and Inuit folklore/folk music and harmonized a...
(1892–1941) - Albertine Morin-LabrecqueAlbertine Morin-LabrecqueAlbertine Morin-Labrecque was a Canadian pianist, soprano, composer, and music educator. Her compositional output includes 4 ballets, 2 comic operas, the Chinese Opera Pas-chu, 2 concertos for two pianos, the symphonic poem Le Matin, numerous symphonic works, and compositions for band...
(1886 or 1890–1957) - Jocelyn MorlockJocelyn MorlockJocelyn Morlock is a Canadian composer based in Vancouver. She is quickly becoming one of the most commissioned and recorded new composers in Canada.-Style:...
(born 1969) - Marjan MozetichMarjan MozetichMarjan Mozetich is a Canadian composer. He was born in Italy to Slovenian parents and has lived in Canada since 1952. He is currently an Adjunct Lecturer in Composition at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and has won several prestigious awards, including the first prize in the CAPAC -Sir...
(born 1948)
O
- Oscar O'BrienOscar O'BrienOscar O'Brien was a Canadian folklorist, composer, pianist, organist, music educator, and Roman Catholic priest...
(1892–1958) - Michael OesterleMichael OesterleMichael Oesterle is a Canadian composer currently living in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec, Canada. His pieces are written in the contemporary classical genre....
(born 1968) - John OliverJohn Oliver (composer)John Oliver is a Canadian composer, guitarist, and conductor. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, his music has been performed throughout North America and Europe...
(born 1959) - Charles O'NeillCharles O'Neill (musician)Charles O'Neill was a Canadian bandmaster, composer, organist, cornetist, and music educator of Irish birth. Although he wrote many symphonic and choral works, the majority of his compositional output was devoted to band music.-Education and early career:Born in Duntocher to Irish parents, O'Neill...
(1882–1964) - John OswaldJohn Oswald (composer)John Oswald is a Canadian composer, saxophonist, media artist and dancer. His best known project is Plunderphonics, the practice of making new music out of previously existing recordings .-Philosophy:Oswald coined the term "plunderphonics" to describe his craft in a paper called which he...
(born 1953)
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- Owen PallettOwen PallettMichael James Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Toronto, Ontario. He won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds....
(born 1979) - Jean Papineau-CoutureJean Papineau-CoutureJean Papineau-Couture, was a Canadian composer and academic.Born in Montreal, Papineau-Couture is the grandson of conductor and composer Guillaume Couture. As a child he studied piano with his mother...
(1916–2000) - Donald PatriquinDonald PatriquinDonald Patriquin is a composer, organist, and choral conductor. Known internationally for choral and instrumental arrangements of folk music, Patriquin was a member of the Faculty of Music of McGill University from 1965 to 1996...
(born 1938) - Trevor W. PayneTrevor W. PayneTrevor Winston Payne, CM, is a Canadian musician and member of the Order of Canada .He was born in Black Rock, Barbados, on the 21 December 1948. He became a Canadian citizen in 1982, the country he moved to in 1958. He and his family landed in the city of Montreal where he still resides today...
(born 1948) - Kenneth PeacockKenneth PeacockKenneth Howard Peacock was a Canadian ethnomusicologist, composer, and pianist. He was a leading authority in Canadian enthnomusicology, and his research and publications in that field had a profound impact on the folk music revival in Canada of the mid to late 20th century...
(1922–2000) - Paul PedersenPaul Pedersen (composer)Paul Richard Pedersen is a Canadian composer, arts administrator, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, he is particularly known for his works of electronic music; a number of which utilize various forms of multi-media...
(born 1935) - Frédéric PelletierFrédéric PelletierFrédéric Pelletier was a Canadian choir conductor, music educator, composer, music critic, journalist, civil servant, military officer, and physician. He was one of the principal music critics in Montreal during the first half of the 20th century, having worked in that capacity for every major...
(1870–1944) - Romain PelletierRomain PelletierRomain Pelletier was a Canadian organist, choir conductor, composer, and music educator. His compositional output consists entirely of works for solo organ and motets...
(1875–1953) - Romain-Octave Pelletier IRomain-Octave Pelletier IRomain-Octave Pelletier I was a Canadian organist, pianist, composer, writer on music, and music educator.-Early life and career:...
(1843–1927) - Oscar PetersonOscar PetersonOscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
- Barbara PentlandBarbara PentlandBarbara Pentland was one of the pre-eminent members of the generation of Canadian composers who came to artistic maturity in the years following World War Two.-Life and career:...
(1912–2000) - Clermont PépinClermont PépinClermont Pépin, was a Canadian pianist, composer and teacher.He was born Jean Joseph Clermont Pépin in Saint-Georges, Quebec in 1926. Pépin studied with influential Canadian composers Claude Champagne and Arnold Walter , and at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia from 1941 to 1944 with...
(born 1926) - Michel PerraultMichel PerraultMichel Brunet Perrault is a Canadian composer, conductor, music educator, and percussionist. As a composer, his work largely pulls on Canadian folk melodies and his compositions avoid modernism in favor of classical ideas of harmony and counterpoint. He described his own work in these words, "I'm...
(born 1925) - Randolph PetersRandolph PetersRandolph Peters is a Canadian composer who is particularly known for his output of roughly 100 film scores made mostly for Canadian films. A graduate of the University of Winnipeg and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Peters has also written a large amount of music for Canadian...
(born 1959) - Benoît PoirierBenoît PoirierBenoît Fidèle Poirier was a Canadian organist, composer, and music educator. His compositional output consists of several motets, patriotic songs, and works for solo organ and piano.-Early life and education:...
(1882–1965) - Paul PrattPaul PrattPaul Pratt was a Canadian clarinetist, pianist, conductor, music educator, composer, and public administrator. His compositional output includes marches, waltzes, a Fantaisie-Impromptu for band, and some works for solo piano....
(1894–1967) - Albert PratzAlbert PratzAlbert Pratz was a Canadian violinist, conductor, composer, and music educator. He was awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal in 1967. His compositional output was modest and consists of only instrumental works...
(1914–1995) - André Prévost (1934–2001)
- Harry PuddicombeHarry PuddicombeHarry Puddicombe was a Canadian composer, pianist, and music educator. He is best remembered for his work as a teacher, notably founding the Canadian Conservatory of Music in 1902 and serving as its director for 35 years...
(1870–1953)
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- Allan RaeAllan Rae (composer)Allan Rae is a Canadian composer, conductor, and trumpeter based in Calgary. An associate and former board member of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, he is particularly known for his works for the theatre which include several musicals and operas as well...
(born 1942) - Imant RaminshImant RaminshImant Karlis Raminsh is a Canadian composer of Latvian descent, best known for his choral compositions. Born in Ventspils, Latvia, he came to Canada in 1948 and became a naturalized citizen in 1954...
(born 1943) - Jan RandallJan RandallCanadian composer Jan Randall is known primarily for his work in television and theatre. A pianist and singer, he has composed chamber music and songs in a wide variety of contemporary styles.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1952...
(born 1952) - Eldon RathburnEldon RathburnEldon Davis Rathburn was a composer from the community of Queenstown, in Queens County, New Brunswick, Canada....
(1916–2008) - Elizabeth RaumElizabeth RaumElizabeth Raum is a Canadian composer. She earned her Bachelor of Music in oboe performance from the Eastman School of Music, her Master of Music in composition from the University of Regina, and in May 2004, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Mount St. Vincent University...
(born 1945) - John ReaJohn Rea (composer)John Rea is a Montreal-based composer who notably won the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music in both 1981 and 1992. He obtained his Bachelors degree at Wayne State University , his Master of Music degree at the University of Toronto , and his PhD at Princeton University. His children's opera...
(born 1944) - William ReedWilliam Reed (musician)William Reed was a Canadian organist, choir conductor, and composer. He held numerous organ and choirmaster posts in churches throughout Canada from 1884-1913. His career in this area was cut short as his affliction from deafness worsened. He spent the remainder of his career composing and...
(1859–1945) - Bill RichardsBill Richards (musician)Bill Richards was a Canadian violinist, composer, arranger, and editor. His compositional output includes several film scores, a Flute Quartet , and a number of fiddle tunes. He recored two of his own fiddle compositions for Spiral Records in 1957 and another of his fiddle compositions was...
(1923–1995) - Godfrey RidoutGodfrey RidoutGodfrey Ridout was a Canadian composer, conductor, music educator, and writer. He contributed articles to numerous Canadian music publications, notably serving as the assistant editor of both Canadian Music and Canadian Review of Music and Art...
(1918–1984) - Doug RileyDoug RileyDoug Riley, CM was a Canadian musician. Born in Toronto, Ontario and informally referred to as "Doctor Music", he spent two decades with the Famous People Players as its musical director, besides his participation on over 300 album projects in various genres...
(1945–2007) - André RisticAndré RisticAndré Ristic is a Canadian composer, pianist, accordion player, and music theorist. He has won several awards, including the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music in 2000 for his work Catalogue de bombes occidentales, the Prix opus for Composer of the Year in 2002, and the Prix Québec-Flandre in...
(born 1972) - Normand RogerNormand RogerNormand Roger is a Canadian composer, sound editor and sound designer. He is particularly known for his work as a composer of soundtracks for animated films, having composed more than 200 such works since 1970...
(born 1949) - Stan RogersStan RogersStanley Allison "Stan" Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely crafted, traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing...
(1949–1983) - James RolfeJames RolfeJames Simon Rolfe is one of Canada's leading composers of contemporary music. He studied composition with John Beckwith at the University of Toronto and Jo Kondo in Japan...
(born 1961) - Ivan RomanoffIvan RomanoffIvan Romanoff was a Canadian conductor, violinist, arranger, and composer. For three decades he led the "Ivan Romanoff Orchestra and Chorus" on a variety of radio and television programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, on commercial recordings, and in live concerts throughout North...
(1914–1997) - Clark RossClark RossClark Winslow Ross is a Canadian composer, guitarist, and music educator of Venezuelan birth. A composer of mainly works for orchestra and chamber music, he has won first prize in composition competitions held by the Hamilton Philharmonic , the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra , Symphony Nova Scotia...
(born 1957) - Myke RoyMyke RoyMyke Roy is a Canadian composer and recording engineer. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, his compositional output includes a substantial amount of electroacoustic music, instrumental music, multi-media works, and music for the theatre...
(born 1950) - Stéphane RoyStéphane RoyStéphane Roy is a Canadian electroacoustic music composer and writer on music. An associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, his works have received awards from international competitions in Canada, the USA, and Europe...
(born 1959) - Welford RussellWelford RussellWelford Russell was a Canadian composer who is particularly remembered for his output of choral works.Born in Neepawa, Manitoba, Russell made a living as a surgeon and was notably a medical missionary in India from 1925-1941. He pursued musical activities in his spare time...
(c.1901-1975) - Jeffrey RyanJeffrey RyanJeffrey Ryan is a Canadian composer. His compositional style ranges from opera, art song, and choral music to chamber ensemble and orchestral works. Ryan has been commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony, Esprit Orchestra, Tapestry New Opera Works, the Arditti Quartet, and...
(born 1962)
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- Marc SabatMarc SabatMarc Sabat is a Canadian composer based in Berlin since 1999.-Works:He has made installations, video works and concert music pieces using acoustic instruments and, in some recent pieces, computer-generated electronics, drawing inspiration from investigations of the sounding and perception of small...
(born 1965) - Charles Wugk SabatierCharles Wugk SabatierCharles-Désiré-Joseph Wugk Sabatier was a Canadian pianist, organist, composer, and music educator of French birth.-Early life and career in Europe:...
(1819–1862) - Patrick Saint-DenisPatrick Saint-DenisPatrick Saint-Denis is a Canadian composer currently based in The Hague. His works have been performed at music festivals in North America, Europe and Asia. His composition Les dits de Victoire was awarded first prize in the SOCAN young composers competition in 2003 and the Jules Léger Prize for...
(born 1975) - Micheline Coulombe Saint-MarcouxMicheline Coulombe Saint-MarcouxMicheline Coulombe Saint-Marcoux was a Canadian composer and music educator who played an important role in the contemporary classical music scene of Canada and France from the late 1960s through the mid 1980s...
(1938–1985) - Herbert SandersHerbert SandersHerbert Sanders was a Canadian organist, pianist, conductor, composer, writer on music, and music educator of English birth. His compositional outpust includes numerous sacred songs, anthems, and works for organ. He won the American Guild of Organists's Clemson Gold Medal for composition twice...
(1878–1938) - Armando SantiagoArmando SantiagoArmando Santiago is a Canadian composer, conductor, music educator, and university administrator of Portuguese birth. A member of the Canadian League of Composers, his compositional output includes a considerable amount of orchestral works and chamber works...
(born 1932) - Charles SauvageauCharles SauvageauLouis Charles Sauvageau was a Canadian conductor, composer, and music educator. He is believed to be the first native of Quebec to devote his entire life to music...
(1807–1849) - Giancarlo ScaliaGiancarlo ScaliaGiancarlo Scalia is a Canadian pianist and composer. He was born in Montreal, Quebec. He began studying the piano and theory at the relatively late age of 10 with Paolo Vani at the McGill Conservatory of Music...
(born 1990) - R. Murray SchaferR. Murray SchaferRaymond Murray Schafer is a Canadian composer, writer, music educator and environmentalist perhaps best known for his World Soundscape Project, concern for acoustic ecology, and his book The Tuning of the World...
(born 1933) - Oliver SchroerOliver SchroerOliver Schroer was a Canadian fiddler, composer, and music producer.-Early life:Oliver Schroer grew up in Vandeleur, Ontario, a small crossroads near Markdale in rural Grey County. He attended Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton, where he played French horn in the school band. He also...
(1956–2008) - Ernest SeitzErnest SeitzErnest Joseph Seitz was a Canadian composer, songwriter, pianist, and music educator. He published some of his work under the pseudonym "Raymond Roberts" because he did not wish to be associated with popular music. His most famous work is The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise, which he co-wrote...
(1892–1978) - Paul ShafferPaul ShafferPaul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
(born 1949) - Rodney SharmanRodney SharmanRodney Sharman is a Canadian composer and flutist based in Vancouver. His music has been performed in over 30 countries worldwide. He has won several international and national awards, including First Prize in the 1984 CBC Competition for Young Composers...
(born 1958) - Howard ShoreHoward ShoreHoward Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,...
(born 1946) - Linda Catlin SmithLinda Catlin SmithLinda Catlin Smith is an American composer based out of Toronto, Canada. In 2005 she became the second woman to win the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music....
(born 1957) - Leo SmithLeo Smith (composer)Leo Joseph Leopold Smith was an English composer, writer, music critic, music educator, and cellist who was primarily active in Canada...
(1881–1952) - Harry SomersHarry SomersHarry Stewart Somers, CC was the foremost English-Canadian composer of his period.He was born in middle-class Toronto in 1925 but did not become interested in music until his early teenage years, when he met a doctor and his wife, both pianists, who introduced him to classical music...
(1925–1999) - Ann SouthamAnn SouthamAnn Southam, CM was a Canadian composer.She was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010. She died, aged 73, on 25 November 2010...
(1937–2010) - David SquiresDavid SquiresDavid Squires is a Canadian composer and the dean of the School of the Arts, Media and Culture at Trinity Western University. He received a B.Mus. from University of Western Ontario in 1979, a M.Mus. University of Toronto in 1981, and a Ph.D. State University of New York at Buffalo in 1993...
(born 1957) - Paul SteenhuisenPaul SteenhuisenPaul Steenhuisen is an independent composer working with a broad range of acoustic and digital media. His concert music consists of orchestral, chamber, solo, and vocal music, and often includes live electronics and soundfiles. Additionally, he creates electroacoustic, radio, and installation...
(born 1965) - Ben SteinbergBen SteinbergBen Steinberg is a Canadian composer, conductor, organist, and music educator. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he is particularly known for his contributions to Jewish music...
(born 1930) - Donald StevenDonald StevenDonald Steven is a Canadian-American composer, music educator, and academic administrator. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he won a BMI Student Composer Award in 1970, the Canadian Federation of University Women's Golden Jubilee Creative...
(born 1945) - Fred StoneFred Stone (musician)Fred Stone was a Canadian flugelhornist, trumpeter, pianist, composer, writer, and music educator...
(1935–1986) - Timothy SullivanTimothy Sullivan (composer)Timothy Richard Sullivan is a Canadian composer, pianist, and music educator. A member of the Canadian League of Composers and an associate of the Canadian Music Centre, he has been commissioned to write works for ARRAYMUSIC, Donald Bell, and the Stratford Festival among others...
(born 1954) - Norman SymondsNorman SymondsNorman Alec Symonds was a Canadian composer, clarinetist, and saxophonist. A leading figure in the third-stream movement in Canada, he composed several jazz works which employed classical forms.-Life and career:...
(1920–1998) - Boleslaw SzczeniowskiBoleslaw SzczeniowskiBoleslaw Szczeniowski was a Canadian aeronautical engineer and composer of Polish descent. A graduate of the school of engineering at Lviv Polytechnic, Szczeniowski made a living as an engineer in Montréal...
(1898–1995)
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- Robert TalbotRobert Talbot (conductor)Robert Jean Talbot was a Canadian conductor, violinist, violist, composer, and music educator. For more than 25 years he was the conductor of the Société symphonique de Québec...
(1893–1954) - Georges-Émile TanguayGeorges-Émile TanguayGeorges-Émile Tanguay was a Canadian composer, organist, pianist, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output is relatively small; consisting of 4 orchestral works, 4 chamber music pieces, 9 works for solo piano, 2 works for solo organ, and 4 choral works...
(1893–1964) - Oscar Ferdinand TelgmannOscar Ferdinand TelgmannOscar Ferdinand Telgmann was a Canadian composer of operettas, conductor and educator, and violinist best known for his operetta Leo, the Royal Cadet....
(1855–1946) - Steve TittleSteve TittleSteve Tittle is a Canadian composer and music educator.- Biography :Steve Tittle studied composition at Kent State University with Harold Miles, John White and Fred Coulter, and at University of Wisconsin–Madison with Hilmar Luckhardt, Robert Crane and Burt Levy...
(born 1935) - Peter TogniPeter TogniPeter Anthony Togni is a freelance Canadian composer and broadcaster based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. "Togni's music is deeply felt, simply put, well-crafted and irradiated by a personal sense of the divine."-Biography:...
(born 1959) - Roman ToiRoman ToiRoman Toi is a Canadian composer, choir conductor, and organist. Influenced by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Toi's music is melodic, lyrical, and melancholic in style. His compositional output includes nine cantatas , three symphonies , and more than 80 choral works...
(born 1916) - Jerry TothJerry TothJerry Toth was a Canadian saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, arranger, composer, and record producer.-Life and career:...
(1928–1999) - Rudy TothRudy TothRudy Toth was a Canadian composer, arranger, conductor, pianist, and cimbalom player of Czech birth. As a composer he wrote works mainly for television and the radio, working frequently for the Canadian Broadcasting Company for over three decades...
(1925–2009) - Bramwell ToveyBramwell ToveyBramwell Tovey, OM is an English-born Grammy Award winning conductor and composer. His musical roots are in The Salvation Army. He was educated at Ilford County High School, the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London. His formal music education was as a pianist and composer...
(born 1953) - Jiří TraxlerJiří TraxlerJiří "George" Traxler was a Czech Canadian jazz and swing pianist, composer, lyricist and arranger. He is considered a founder and co-creator of the swing music era in the Czechoslovakia. Traxler was the last surviving collaborator of the renowned Czech pre-war composer Jaroslav Ježek...
(born 1912) - Amédée TremblayAmédée TremblayPierre-Joseph Amédée Tremblay was a Canadian organist, composer, and music educator. A largely self-taught composer, his output includes several motets, two masses, a few patriotic songs, works for solo organ, and the operetta L'Intransigeant...
(1876–1949) - George TremblayGeorge TremblayGeorge Amédée Tremblay was a Canadian composer who was active in the United States. Although his works display a broad range of stylistic influences, he is particularly associated with the twelve-tone technique...
(1911–1982) - Gilles TremblayGilles TremblayGilles Tremblay, is a Canadian composer. He studied at the Conservatories of Montreal and Paris , where his teachers including Olivier Messiaen , Yvonne Loriod , and Maurice Martenot . He also attended Stockhausen's summer courses at Darmstadt, where he became interested in electro-acoustic...
(born 1932) - Barry TruaxBarry TruaxBarry Truax is a Canadian composer who specializes in real-time implementations of granular synthesis, often of sampled sounds, and soundscapes...
(born 1947) - Robert TurnerRobert Turner (composer)Robert Comrie Turner is a Canadian composer, radio producer, and music educator. He graduated with a bachelors degree in music from McGill University in 1943. While there he studied with Douglas Clarke and Claude Champagne. He continued his studies briefly at Colorado College in 1947, where he met...
(born 1920)
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- Jean VallerandJean VallerandJean Vallerand, CQ was a composer, music critic, violinist, conductor, arts administrator, writer, and music educator from Quebec. As a composer he was active from 1935 to 1969...
(1915–1994) - Stéphane VenneStéphane VenneStéphane Venne is a French-Canadian songwriter and composer. He also worked as head of production for the Canadian arm of Barclay Records and as a radio station executive....
(born 1941) - Benoît VerdicktBenoît VerdicktBenoît Verdickt was a Canadian organist, choirmaster, composer, and music educator of Belgian birth. His compositional output consists mainly of sacred music, some of which he self-published...
(1884–1970) - Joseph VézinaJoseph VézinaFrançois-Joseph Vézina was a Quebec conductor, composer, organist and music professor. Vézina is buried in the Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont in Sainte-Foy.-Early life:...
(1849–1924) - Albert ViauAlbert ViauAlbert Viau was a Canadian baritone, folksinger, composer, and music educator. After beginning his career as a musician in the classical repertoire, he specialized in folk music and traditional songs. He released about 50 78 rpm records during his career, mostly for La Bonne Chanson...
(1910–2001) - Michael Vincent (composer)Michael Vincent (composer)Michael Vincent is a Canadian Contemporary classical music composer situated in Toronto, Ontario. He is noted for his innovative works which combine electronic and traditional instrumentation, as well as his work with spoken word, which includes a full-length opera Generation X with text by the...
(born 1976) - Claude VivierClaude Vivier-Biography:Born to unknown parents in Montreal, Vivier was adopted at the age of three by a poor French-Canadian family. From the age of thirteen, he attended boarding schools run by the Marist Brothers, a religious order that prepared young boys for a vocation in the priesthood. At the age of...
(1948–1983) - Augustus Stephen Vogt (1861–1926)
- Calvin VollrathCalvin VollrathCalvin Vollrath is a Canadian fiddler and composer. He is one of the best fiddlers in the world. He is also one of the few European-Canadian fiddle players playing professionally in the Métis style. He lives in Alberta....
(born 1960)
W
- Arnold WalterArnold WalterArnold Maria Walter, OC was a Canadian musicologist, educator, composer and writer. He founded the Canadian Opera Company, and was Director of Music at University of Toronto.-Early years:...
(1902–1973) - Ruth Watson HendersonRuth Watson HendersonRuth Louise Watson Henderson is a Canadian composer, pianist, and music educator. She has been the accompanist for the Toronto Children's Chorus since its inception in 1978 and is currently on the faculty of The Royal Conservatory of Music where she has taught for many years...
(born 1932) - John WeinzweigJohn WeinzweigJohn Weinzweig, OC, O.Ont was a Canadian composer of classical music.Born in Toronto, Weinzweig went to Harbord Collegiate Institute, and studied music at the university. In 1937, he left for the United States to study under Bernard Rogers...
(1913–2006) - Frank WelsmanFrank WelsmanFrank Squire Welsman was a Canadian conductor, pianist, composer and music educator. He began his career as a concert pianist, but ultimately earned his place in Canadian history for establishing Toronto's first symphony orchestra of any standing, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra which was active...
(1873–1952) - John WelsmanJohn WelsmanJohn Welsman is a Canadian composer. The grandson of conductor Frank Welsman and the brother of jazz singer Carol Welsman, he studied music composition privately with Samuel Dolin and Milan Kymlicka. He is best known for his film and television scores which he has written for production companies...
(born 1955) - Hildegard WesterkampHildegard WesterkampHildegard Westerkamp is a German and Canadian composer of electroacoustic music.Many of her compositions deal with the acoustic environment. Particular themes include soundscapes of urban or rural areas, including voices, noise, silence, music and media, and so on...
(born 1946) - Eric WildEric Wild (conductor)Eric Lees Wild was a Canadian conductor, trumpeter, arranger, and composer.-Life and career:Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Wild studied conducting and arranging at the University of Michigan where he earned a Bachelor of Music in 1932...
(1910–1989) - Rick WilkinsRick Wilkins (musician)Rick Herbert Richard Wilkins is a Canadian composer, conductor, and tenor saxophonist. He is primarily known for his work as an arranger. He has worked extensively for CBC and CTV arranging, rehearsing, and often conducting music for television and radio programs of pop-music and variety...
(born 1937) - Healey WillanHealey WillanHealey Willan, was an Anglo-Canadian organist and composer. He composed more than 800 works including operas, symphonies, chamber music, a concerto, and pieces for band, orchestra, organ, and piano...
(1880–1968) - Charles WilsonCharles Wilson (composer)Charles Mills Wilson is a Canadian composer, choral conductor, and music educator.-Biography:Wilson began studying piano at age six with Wilfred Powell and later studied organ with Charles Peaker. He studied composition with Godfrey Ridout at the University of Toronto, earning a Bachelors of Music...
(born 1931) - Scott WilsonScott Wilson (composer)Scott Wilson is a Canadian composer. Since 2004 he has lived in Birmingham, UK, and has taught in the Music Department at the University of Birmingham....
(born 1969) - Édouard WoolleyÉdouard WoolleyÉdouard Joseph Woolley was a Canadian tenor, actor, composer, and music educator of Haitian birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1958. His compositional output includes masses for three voices and for four voices, a few songs, and some instrumental pieces...
(1916–1991) - John WyreJohn WyreJohn Harvey Wyre was a U.S.-born Canadian percussionist, composer, and music educator. He worked as percussionist with a number of important orchestras in North America, notably serving for many years as the principal timpanist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra...
(1941–2006)
Z
- Maurice ZbrigerMaurice ZbrigerMaurice Zbriger was a Canadian violinist, composer and conductor. He began learning violin as a child, and continued his studies at the conservatory in St...
(1896–1981) - Rui Shi ZhuoRui Shi ZhuoRui Shi Zhuo is a Canadian composer of Chinese birth. He received his bachelor's degree in music from the Shanghai Conservatory in 1986; he then completed his master's degree in music at the University of British Columbia, where he studied with Keith Hamel and Stephen Chatman...
(born 1956) - Joel Zimmerman (born 1981)
- León ZuckertLeón ZuckertLeón Zuckert was a Canadian composer, conductor, arranger, violinist, violist and radio pioneer of Ukrainian descent. He was married to the poet Ella Bobrow, with whom he collaborated on many songs....
(1904–1992)
See also
- Canadian classical musicCanadian classical musicIn Canada, classical music includes a range of musical styles rooted in the traditions of Western or European classical music that European settlers brought to the country from the 17th century and onwards...
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada