What does Toronto sound like? That is the question that composer Tod Machover and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) will attempt to answer with its latest initiative, “A Toronto Symphony: Concerto for Composer and City.”

In partnership with TSO Music Director Peter Oundjian, the orchestra itself, and the MIT Media Lab, Machover is asking Torontonians to collaborate with him in writing a work for, by, and about Toronto. Read the rest of this entry »

Award and showcase submissions for 2013 East Coast Music Week being held in Halifax, NS March 6-10 for the 25^th anniversary event are now open. The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) has announced it will be using Marcato this year for all ECMA submissions. Submissions can be made through www.ecma.com. Deadline for all submissions is Monday, October 1, 2012. Read the rest of this entry »

Folk Alliance International (FAI), an organization comprising songwriters, story tellers, bluegrass, blues, soul, world music, spoken word, zydeco, and more has announced that its 2013 conference will be taking place in Toronto from February 20 to the 24 and are now accepting submissions. Read the rest of this entry »

Metalworks Institute has announced its first annual International Drum Festival, happening on September 22, 2012 at the Metalworks Institute in Mississauga, ON.

The all-day event will feature drum clinics by Gavin Harrison, Chris Sutherland, Dave Patel, Chris Lesso, Craig Hunter, and Altaf “Bwana Moto” Vellani. The free event will also feature a drum recording workshops in Metalworks Studios with Producer and Engineer Alf Annibalin.

Those interested in attending are asked to fill-out the form found at: http://metalworksinstitute.com/internationaldrumfestival. Space is limited.

Oh So Beautiful (OSB), a platform for independent musicians to work together to promote each other and create greater opportunities for themselves, will be presenting its inaugural event in support of independent musicians on Saturday, August 18 at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) located in Toronto, ON. Read the rest of this entry »

Honey Jam, an all-female, multicultural and multi-genre artist showcase produced by Phemphat Entertainment Group, a non-profit organization that also provides educational and mentoring opportunities for artists as well as supports and promotes women charities, is happening a Toronto’s MOD Club on Thursday, August 16.  Read the rest of this entry »

After many weeks of negotiation, Gibson has reached a settlement with the US government and the Department of Justice over the importation of illegal wood used in the manufacturing process of the company’s guitars. “We felt compelled to settle as the costs of proving our case at trial would have cost millions of dollars and taken a very long time to resolve,” remarks Gibson CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz. “This allows us to get back to the business of making guitars. An important part of the settlement is that we are getting back the materials seized in a second armed raid on our factories and we have formal acknowledgement that we can continue to source rosewood and ebony fingerboards from India, as we have done for many decades.” Read the rest of this entry »

Sam Grosso, owner of the Cadillac Lounge in Toronto’s Parkdale area, has acquired one of Toronto’s most iconic music venues, the El Mocambo.

In its heyday, the Elmo as its colloquially known, brought some major music names to the 464-466 Spadina Avenue location including The Rolling Stones, Marilyn Monroe, U2, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, Blondie, Meat Loaf, Jimi Hendrix, Queens of the Stone Age, and countless others. Read the rest of this entry »

Halifax Pop Explosion has introduced the HPX Digital Conference, a major three day event for digital and interactive creators and related disciplines from Eastern Canada, the United States, and beyond. Hosted at the Atlantica Hotel, the conference is held on October 17-19, 2012 during the Halifax Pop Explosion. Read the rest of this entry »

The Canada Council for the Arts has acquired five additional instruments – three violins and two cellos – for the 2012 Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank (MIB) competition to be held this fall. This brings the total value of the 19 instrument collection plus one cello bow to over $28 million. The 2012 MIB competition enables professional classical musicians to borrow 5-stringed instruments for a period of three years to enhance their careers. Read the rest of this entry »