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The University of British Columbia
David Fung
Photo: Neda Navaee
After a year-long hiatus due to administrative changes, the Wednesday Noon Hours concert series returns to Roy Barnett Recital Hall at the University of British Columbia. This series, curated by pianist David Fung, features highly-acclaimed artists, including many who are part of the UBC community. The season opened on Sept. 10 with a performance by pianist Roman Rabinovich, who played Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 110 and Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes. Still to come are concerts by countertenor Daniel Moody, pianist Inna Faliks and Korea’s eminent flute and piano duo, Hyunim Yoon and Ju Yeon Shin. The return of this beloved concert series reinstates a decades-long tradition and welcomes audiences to enjoy world-class music during their lunch breaks.
Simone Willmann
University of Alberta
In May, Music PhD student Simone Willmann presented her graduate paper, “Positioning Honesty, Positioning Scholars: Praxis of Acknowledging to Create Care Centered Academic Practice” at the 2025 Canadian University Music Society Annual Conference. She was awarded the George Proctor Prize for the best graduate student paper, presented in French or English. This fall term, Willmann is an Academic Teaching Staff Lecturer for the University of Alberta Department of Music, conducting a course on music history and culture in the West up to circa 1800.
Roydon Tse
Photo: Shalan and Paul
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan College of Arts and Science welcomed 11 new faculty members for 2025, including two assistant professors specializing in music education and composition and music theory: Drs. Laurel Forshaw and Roydon Tse. Forshaw completed her PhD in Music Education at the University of Toronto. A music educator and choral conductor from Robinson-Superior Treaty territory, Forshaw’s dissertation on Indigenous participation in higher music education was supported by a SSHRC– CGS Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship. Hong Kong-born Tse began as a pianist and studied composition at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto. Prior to working at uSask, Tse taught composition and musicianship at the University of Calgary.
Patti Kusturok
Photo: Leo Kopelow
University of Manitoba
Over the summer, the University of Manitoba announced that Desautels Faculty of Music (DFOM) received a Strategic Initiatives Support Fund Grant of $52,532 to continue to build the fiddling program the department spearheaded in 2024–25. With the grant, DFOM named Patti Kusturok—a North American Fiddlers’ Hall of Fame member—its Artist-in-Residence. Kusturok now offers one-on-one fiddling lessons to students and teaches a course exploring Canada’s diverse fiddling tradition. DFOM aims to improve their fiddling outreach in 2025-26 by collaborating with the Sistema program and hosting outreach events, including a Fiddling Showcase at the Desautels Concert Hall on March 14, 2026, in partnership with the Red River Fiddle and Dance Society.
Timothy Chooi
Photo: Den Sweeney
University of Ottawa
Timothy Chooi, associate professor of violin at the University of Ottawa’s School of Music, received this year’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research Award from the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation. Chooi’s research and performances consider how to make the classical music world a more inclusive space. Some of his projects over the years include co-founding the VISION Collective to build relationships among refugees and new Americans, presenting a digital performance series during the COVID-19 pandemic, and giving workshops and performances in remote communities in Northern Quebec, the Northwest Territories and southern Chile. In his role at uOttawa, Chooi leads the string program, oversees public relations for the School of Music, and contributes to the EDI Committee.
Francesca Hauser
Photo: University of Toronto
University of Toronto
This fall, the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto presented several large awards to assist graduating students in their career development. Since 2006, the department has provided two annual graduating awards valued at $25,000 each: the William and Phyllis Waters Graduating Award and the Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award. The winners of these two awards were Francesca Hauser, Master of Music in Music Technology and Digital Media, and Aljosa Jurinic, Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance, respectively. From this year onward, the department will also award the Carolyn and Robert Lake Graduating Award, valued at $18,000. This year’s inaugural recipient is Danial Khan-Sheibani, Bachelor of Music in Composition.
Michael Kim Photo: Ken Frazier
Western University
Michael Kim, dean of the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University, was formally presented with the Korean Canadian Scholarship Foundation’s 2025 Dream Tree Award on Oct. 18. This accolade honours Korean Canadians who have made significant and lasting contributions to their communities. An internationally-acclaimed concert pianist and academic leader, Kim embodies the spirit of the award through his commitment to mentoring the next generation of young musicians. He leads more than 650 students and 125 faculty and staff, advancing a strategic plan focused on excellence in research and teaching, equity and inclusion and community partnerships.
Penderecki String Quartet
Photo: Cottonbro Studio
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Music celebrates 50 years in its 2025-26 concert season. The season will include performances by student ensembles and guest artists, the Music at Noon Concert Series and 50th Anniversary Gala Concerts (March 21 & 22). Performances are held on Laurier’s Waterloo campus, many offered with free admission. Upcoming concerts feature Gryphon Piano Trio & Nordic Voices (Jan. 29), Pentaèdre Wind Quintet, Penderecki String Quartet & Friends (March 15) as well as many student recitals.
Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec
The Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal (CADM) has partnered with the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) to deliver theatre programs to elementary schools in the CSSDM network. Through this partnership, CADM students and teachers offer workshops and outreach programs to CSSDM students to encourage their creativity and develop their artistic skills. This collaboration between the two organizations will help young learners discover the richness of the performing arts, nurturing the next generation of Canadian performers. In their announcement, the CADM writes that this collaboration paves the way for new opportunities to introduce young people to theatre and the arts directly in their school environment.
Liliana Araújo
Photo: McGill University
McGill University
In October, McGill University announced two professors at the Schulich School of Music have won the John R. Evans Leaders Fund Award from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. Drs. Liliana Araújo and Andrea Creech were awarded a total of more than $400,000 to support the creation of the first Applied Performance Sciences (APS) Studio Lab in Canada and their ongoing work in developing this new field. The APS Studio Lab will focus on applied research to deepen our understanding of the demands of sustainable and transformative careers in music. Araújo, an assistant professor in Applied Performance Sciences, and Creech, a professor of Music Pedagogy, consider the intersection of music psychology, pedagogy and performance sciences in their research.
Jean-François Rivest
Photo: Julia Marois
Université de Montréal
At its most recent graduation ceremony, the Université de Montréal awarded the title of emeritus to 14 professors, recognizing their lasting impact on the UdeM community. From the Faculty of Music, Quebec conductor Jean-François Rivest was among these newly-titled professors emeriti. He has been teaching violin, orchestral conducting and a variety of advanced performance classes at Université de Montréal since 1992. Shortly after his first year teaching violin at UdeM, Rivest created the Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal in 1993. This orchestra allows students to apply their training on stage and in concerts for the community. With this dedication to improving the Faculty of Music for more than three decades, Rivest is a worthy recipient of the professor emeritus title.
Linda Pearse
Photo: Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University
Four Mount Allison faculty members received grant funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada over the summer. Among these recipients was Dr. Linda Pearse, the Canada Research Chair in Music, Contact, and Conflict and a MtA associate professor in music history. Working with two co-applicants (Drs. Margaret Walker from Queen’s University and Sandria P. Bouliane from Laval University) and international collaborators, Pearse’s project considers why certain music and histories continue to be privileged in academic study and how research methodologies shape scholarship and teaching in the discipline of music history.
Jérôme Blais
Dalhousie University
At the 2025 East Coast Music Awards, soprano Suzie LeBlanc was awarded the “Classical release of the year” for Pour une Amérique engloutie. The composer, Jérôme Blais, is a composition professor at the Fountain School of Performing Arts at Dalhousie University. This award-winning work featured on his album mouvance, which was nominated for a Juno award in 2024. Part-time instructor in the Fountain School and clarinet player Eileen Walsh is also featured on the album.
Sarah Comerford
Photo: Larson Harley
Memorial University
Conductor, music educator, and flutist Sarah Comerford was announced as the new director of Memorial University Concert Winds. She started in the position in September, succeeding Dr. Dylan Maddix, assistant professor of Instrumental Conducting and Community Engagement. The MUN Concert Winds ensemble was launched in early January and returns after its successful winter debut. Comerford brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position with degrees in flute performance, music education, and instrumental conducting from Memorial University. She currently teaches at Macdonald Drive Junior High, where she leads six ensembles, including concert band, string ensemble, and jazz band.
Manhattan School of Music
El Sistema USA and Manhattan School of Music have announced a new full-tuition scholarship for students from El Sistema USA member programs in the U.S. and Canada, starting in 2026–27. The scholarship supports talented young musicians who show artistic excellence, academic strength, community involvement, and financial need. At least one student will be selected each year through MSM’s regular admissions process. Applications are now open, with a priority deadline of Dec. 1.
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