I remember the very first time I heard a composition by a Canadian composer. Do you?    I’ll never forget it. For me, the first time was the National Youth Orchestra performing R. Murray Schafer’s North/White at the Orpheum Theatre in 1973. It electrified me. The eery stillness of the arctic. The still beauty. The [...]

This is a love letter. To thank all of you who create new music in BC, those who perform and present it, and to all those large enough of spirit and generous enough of nature to support those creators and practitioners and presenters that do. "When words leave off, music begins.” (Heinrich Heine) The only [...]

Last Friday, May 3, we hosted a CD Launch for Afghanistan: Requiem For A Generation—the latest release from Centrediscs, the Canadian Music Centre’s award-winning record label. Centrediscs is the only label exclusively devoted to Canadian music and has released more than 290 CDs since its founding in 1981, with twenty (20) recordings released last year and [...]

Last Thursday I was up in Kelowna for the Okanagan Symphony readings of seven works by young composers, all members of the Okanagan Youth Orchestra, mentored by Jennifer Butler. CMC BC was able to sponsor this workshop thanks to a grant from the Deux Mille Foundation. It was deeply rewarding to hear the highly original [...]

Like most arts organizations, we have continued to evolve post-pandemic, exploring how we can best serve the vibrant new music community of this province. I shared with you earlier this year our new Vision for CMC BC, and today, I'm pleased to announce some internal changes to help us achieve those goals and better align [...]

CMC's award-winning label, Centrediscs, sponsored the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's CD launch for Bramwell Tovey's long-awaited  opera, The Inventor, on Sunday, February 11, in Pyatt Hall. Centrediscs —  the only label exclusively devoted to Canadian music — has released nearly 300 recordings since 1981.   Joanne Harada helped bring the long-delayed project to fruition, backed by [...]

Are you a composer, a creator of unique sound and music? Please consider becoming an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre. "Thank you, CMC BC, for the sponsorship in Gabriola. CMC's support made it possible to expand from two performances to four. It was also the CMC that came through with the rehearsal space [...]

Following a series of workshops in the fall, musica intima is pleased to present the world premieres of seven new works for vocal ensemble,written by seven talented emerging composers as part of the novum musica program, co-presented with CMC BC. . novum musica is a continually evolving mentorship scheme - first run as a reading [...]

It’s that busiest time of year for all of us, with a crescendo (or is that an accelerando?) of performances, social engagements, and deadlines to meet. So I thank you for taking a second to read this year-end note from your team at CMC BC.   When we launched our new performance sponsorship initiative at [...]

It's hard to believe that CMC BC has already sponsored four performances since the start of the Fall season, as well as hosting a reception for composers in Victoria. But already, here we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving, having just honoured National Truth and Reconciliation Day last weekend.   They make a very strange juxtaposition, [...]