Some big names
Ontario has produced a considerable number of artists who have had stellar international careers. These include Toronto-born folk music legend Neil Young, Windsor-born country singer Shania Twain, Kingston-born rock singer Bryan Adams, Belleville-born pop punk queen Avril Lavigne, Stratford-born Justin Bieber, and rapper Drake, a hip-hop icon for over a decade. Let's also mention Alanis Morissette, one of the most famous Ottawans, who has made a name for herself internationally with her very rock and singular pop.
Classical music
In Ontario, classical music is essentially centralized in Toronto. In fact, the history of the former and the latter have a great man in common: Glenn Gould. A piano prodigy, he joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) at the age of 14 and became famous with his Goldberg Variations
, two recordings of Bach (1955 and 1981). A virtuoso with an almost genius aura, Glenn Gould abruptly retired from the stage (and public life) in 1964 to devote himself to recording studios. From then on, he concentrated on composing as well as creating radio and television programs. His unique style of intense, elastic tempi divided the musical community as much as it fascinated audiences. A true emblem of his city, Gould's soul is everywhere in Toronto, notably at 250 Front Street West in front of the CBC (public broadcaster), where you can sit next to his bronze statue. While no other classical musician in Toronto has surpassed Glenn Gould's success, the city is associated with another current piano prodigy: Tony Yike Yang. The youngest winner of the Frederic Chopin International Competition (2015) at the age of 16, he has already played with some of the world's leading orchestras and appears regularly on Canadian television. Lyric art lovers are at home in Toronto. Toronto is home to an iconic Massey Hall, built in 1894 (the oldest in the country) and home to high quality musical performances, as well as more modern facilities such as the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, with a magnificent auditorium seating more than 2,000, and home to the Canadian Opera Company, one of North America's most renowned opera companies, and the National Ballet of Canada. Ontario also boasts some great ensembles. One of the best examples is the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), once led by such luminaries as Japan's Seiji Ozawa and Finland's Jukka-Pekka Saraste, which has been performing at Roy Thomson Hall since 1982. The National Arts Centre Orchestra (led by English conductor Alexander Shelley, baton to watch) and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, both of which perform at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, a large complex with a very dynamic program, should not be overshadowed. Kingston also has an interesting stage, the Isabel Bader Centre For The Performing Arts, located on the shores of Lake Ontario in a building that is worth a visit in itself (designed by the famous Norwegian firm Snøhetta). Ontario is also home to the country's most innovative and dynamic classical music event, the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, which offers concerts, lectures, meetings and even musical cruises for three weeks in July and August.Rock and folk
Folk is a true local product in Ontario. Present since the arrival of French and British settlers, this traditional music of French, English, Irish and Scottish origins was popularized in the country by artists such as Gordon Lightfoot and singers Ian and Sylvia in the 1960s and 1970s. Like the latter, most folk artists of the time took their first steps in the avant-garde cafés and bars of Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood. One of the most famous names to emerge from here is none other than Neil Young, a home-grown boy who became a monster of the genre.
Living to the beat of the United States, Toronto and Ontario as a whole have a great indie folk and indie rock scene, and the province boasts many of the artists and bands that have made Pitchfork
magazine's home turf: the Cowboy Junkies - pioneers, big hits in the 1980s -, Timber Timbre and their dark folk rock, singer Feist and her playful pop, Metric, the descendants of the Pixies, Great Lake Swimmers, the Canadian folk-rock par excellence, Hawksley Workman, a bit of glam pop, or Broken Social Scene, a rock super-group made up of Leslie Feist and Emily Haines from Metric, among others. Of course, the creative dynamism of the province echoes the density of stages it offers. In Toronto, we find The Velvet Underground, a mythical club on Queen Street West that lives up to its name (very rock), and the Phoenix Concert Theatre, a giant venue with a rather indie and pointed programming. Note that the city is home to a very good festival, North By Northeast - the Canadian response to Texas' South By Southwest - which is very well known for its programming of music, film, comedy and visual arts. Ottawa is not without festivals either, since it is home to the City Folk Festival, one of the great national gatherings of folk music's big names.Hip-hop
While Ontario is not particularly renowned for rap, Toronto has become one of the capitals of rap. One of its most vocal and emblematic representatives is rapper Drake. A protégé of Lil Wayne in the early 2000s, he has become one of the leading figures in world rap in the space of two decades, illuminating the entire scene in his hometown with his success. The renowned magazine Billboard
has recognized him as the hip-hop artist of the last decade (2010-2019), no less.If Toronto is today, like New York, Los Angeles or Atlanta, a major American rap city, it is thanks to its excellent artists who have made their mark over the decades, such as Choclair, Dream Warriors, K'Naan, K-os, Jazz Cartier, Haviah Mighty, Kardinal Offishall, Maestro Fresh Wes, Main Source, Saukrates, Tory Lanez and Thrust.
Given its dynamism in the field, Toronto has no shortage of places to enjoy live rap, especially in nightclubs such as EFS Social Club, Everleigh, Luxy and Rebel. Several venues also host hip-hop shows, including the Drake Hotel and its basement stage, which programs a lot of rap in a very warm atmosphere. And during the summer, any self-respecting amateur should attend the famous Bastid's BBQ. A must-see event on the hip-hop scene and organized by local DJ Skratch Bastid, it welcomes legends such as DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Premier, Kid Capri, Masta Ace, Marco Polo and Pete Rock, not to mention up-and-coming and local artists. Also note that while Ottawa hasn't brought the world great artists in the field, the city does offer a great festival, the House of PainT, with DJ, street art, breakdance and lives, and clubs such as Babylon and City at Night offer hip-hop nights.The theater
It is often forgotten (or ignored), but Toronto is one of the three world capitals of English-language theatre - London and New York being the other two. Not surprisingly, Toronto is home to Canada's most vibrant English-language theatre scene. Several Broadway hits were even born in Toronto before being exported, such as Show Boat and Ragtime
.Among Toronto's most famous theatres, the oldest is the Royal Alexandra Theatre. Inaugurated in 1907, it is even the oldest in North America and has operated continuously since its opening. Another historic site is The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre, dating from 1913, which is the world's last remaining operating over-the-top theatre. Its interior is absolutely sumptuous, a true showcase for a beautiful play. Otherwise, for a performance in the language of Molière, you'll head to the Théâtre français de Toronto, staging comedies or contemporary creations, as well as the classical and modern repertoire. If you want to discover the finest Canadian talent of tomorrow, the Factory Theatre is the place to go. Founded in 1975, the theatre's mission is to promote Canadian artists first and foremost and to promote emerging and different voices.
While Toronto has the lion's share, Ottawa also boasts a number of beautiful stages, such as the National Arts Centre, a large complex offering quality theatre performances, the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC), an essential contemporary theatre centre in the city's landscape and in Canada in general (committed and daring programming), as well as La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins, a centre for francophone theatre. Elsewhere in the province, the small town of Stratford has established itself over time as one of the most recognized centres for classical repertory theatre in North America. Founded in 1953, the Stratford Festival attracts more than half a million spectators each year. The program features internationally acclaimed artists and plays of all genres, for Shakespeare enthusiasts and lovers of contemporary works (with regular French-language plays). The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake is another must-see event, one of the most renowned theatre events in the country, lasting more than six months. Toronto is also home to many interesting events, such as Luminato, a promoter of diversity and creativity in the performing arts, the Toronto Fringe Festival, the Canadian branch of the Fringe movement - an international network of independent theatres whose mission is to support marginalized and under-represented voices - and the Rhubarb Festival, an incubator for the performing arts and queer culture in Canada.
Numerous events and stages provide opportunities to discover (or revisit) the work of such iconic men of letters and playwrights of the province as Timothy Findley (1930-2002), well known in France (and Chevalier des Arts et Lettres), George F. Walker, one of the country's most prolific writers, or Robertson Davies, who enjoyed a small success in France in the 1990s.
