Martha Argerich is an Argentine classical concert pianist. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time. Born and raised in Buenos Aires to Jewish-Spanish parents, Argerich gave her debut concert at eight before receiving further piano training in Europe. At an early age, she won several competitions, including the VII International Chopin Piano Competition, and has since recorded numerous albums and performed with leading orchestras worldwide.
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orchestra in the world that possesses an octobass.
Charles Édouard Dutoit is a Swiss conductor. He is currently the principal guest conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia and co-director of the MISA Festival in Shanghai. In 2017, he became the 103rd recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal Award. Dutoit held previous positions with the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Tokyo NHK Symphony and the Orchestre National de France. As of 2017, he is conductor emeritus of the Verbier Music Festival Orchestra. He is an honorary member of the Ravel Foundation in France and the Stravinsky Foundation in Switzerland. In December 2017, following allegations of sexual assault, the Boston and San Francisco Symphonies cancelled his engagements. In a statement, Dutoit denied the charges.
In 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. As well, it includes musical styles brought by other ethnic communities from the 19th century and onwards, such as Indian classical music and Chinese classical music. Since Canada's emergence as a nation in 1867, the country has produced its own composers, musicians and ensembles. As well, it has developed a music infrastructure that includes training institutions, conservatories, performance halls, and a public radio broadcaster, CBC, which programs a moderate amount of Classical music. There is a high level of public interest in classical music and education.
Janina Fialkowska, is a Canadian classical pianist. A specialist of the Classic and Romantic repertoires, for more than thirty years she has appeared regularly with professional orchestras around the world, often performing the music of contemporary Polish composers including Lutosławski and Panufnik.
Angèle Dubeau, is a Canadian classical violinist. She has devoted a large part of her career to making classical music accessible to a wide audience, but also frequently plays works by contemporary composers.
André Prévost, was a Canadian composer and music educator. He was awarded the Canadian Music Council Medal in 1977 and in 1985 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He also received the "Trophy for Concert Music" from the Performing Rights Organization of Canada.
Alain Trudel is a Canadian conductor, trombonist and composer.
Iwan Edwards was a Welsh-born Canadian choral conductor. Over a forty-year span he founded and conducted several choirs. He was appointed Member of the Order of Canada in 1995.
The St. Lawrence Choir is a Canadian mixed-voice choir that performs music from the classical choral repertoire as well as contemporary works by Canadian and other composers. It was founded in 1972.
Anne-Marie Withenshaw is a Canadian television and radio personality, from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Alain Lefèvre, is a French Canadian pianist and composer. He is one of the Québécois pianists who have sold the greatest number of musical recordings.
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, C.M., C.Q. is a Canadian coloratura contralto. In 2000, she became the first Canadian to win first prize at the Queen Elizabeth International Music Competition in Belgium.
Colette Boky , is a French-Canadian operatic soprano, particularly associated with lyric roles in the French, Italian, and German repertories.
The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal (CMQM) is a music conservatory located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In addition to the Montreal region, the school takes in students from nearby cities, including Granby, Joliette, St-Jean, Saint-Jérôme, Sherbrooke, and Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. The school is the first of nine conservatories in Quebec which form the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec (CMADQ). The current director is Manon Lafrance. In addition to practice rooms, classrooms and rehearsal halls, the conservatory contains 85 teaching studios, a 225-seat theater, a concert hall of 225 seats, a recital hall with 100 places, and a large music multimedia center with a recording studio. The conservatoire is also home to a substantial musical library.
Yuli Turovsky OC CQ was a Soviet-born Canadian cellist, conductor and music educator. His name is mostly associated with the I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra, which he founded in 1983 and led until his death 30 years later.
Airat Rafailovich Ichmouratov born 28 June 1973) is a Volga Tatar born Russian / Canadian composer, conductor and klezmer clarinetist. He was conductor and composer in residence of Longueuil Symphony Orchestra (2018-2021), clarinetist of Montreal-based Klezmer group Kleztory and invited professor at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. On 21 October 2020 Airat Ichmouratov received Charles Biddle Award. This honour, given by Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, and Culture pour tous highlights the contributions of immigrants to Quebec whose personal and professional commitment contributes to the province’s cultural and artistic development.
Elvira Rafailovna Misbakhova is a Volga Tatar born Russian / Canadian violist and violinist. Misbakhova is presently Associate Principal Viola at the Orchestre Métropolitain of Montreal, Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestra and the Longueuil Symphony Orchestra.
Anna Ji-eun Lee, known professionally as Anna Lee, is an American concert violinist of Korean descent. She made her professional orchestral debut at the age of 6 with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
Micheline Legendre was a Canadian puppeteer. She performed on television and on stage with her troupe, Les marionnettes de Montréal. Her oeuvre spanned 1,170 puppets created and more than 16,000 performances for 2.5 million audience members. Legendre was a violinist by training and her marionnette troupe played with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, for Radio-Canada and the National Film Board of Canada, among others. She was also an art historian at the Université de Montréal.
