{"id":125186,"date":"2026-06-16T12:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T16:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=125186"},"modified":"2026-06-16T14:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T18:00:02","slug":"feature-classical-canon-look-like-started-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/06\/16\/feature-classical-canon-look-like-started-today\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE | The Classical Canon: What Would It Look Like If It Started Today?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L-R:
L-R: Panel members: Composer & professor J. Alex. (Jason) Young; composer & musician Rashaan Rori Allwood; panel chair, composer, musician & professor Aiyun Huang; music & culture scholar Rena Roussin; composer, educator, scholar, and creative industries leader Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews (Photo courtesy of New Music Concerts)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The \u201cclassical canon\u201d can be thought of as a kind of greatest hits collection of Western classical music. It\u2019s those pieces and composers that you would encounter as a student, musician, or audience member, no matter where you are across the globe.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the big three of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, and pieces like Tchaikovsky\u2019s Nutcracker Suite, Paganini\u2019s 24 Caprices for Violin, and Stravinsky\u2019s The Rite of Spring. If you\u2019ve ever studied classical music, or gone to a concert series, anywhere, you\u2019ll be familiar with those artists and works.<\/p>\n

What they all have in common is a European, or at least eurocentric background. They espouse Western notions of tonality and music theory, and when those elements have changed over the centuries, they changed along with it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a group of pieces and composers that derive from the historical traditions of Western European music, in other words.<\/p>\n

But \u2014 what would the classical canon sound like if its origins began now, in the 21st century?<\/p>\n

That was the question that was posed at a recent panel discussion, held as part of New Music Concerts\u2019 Future Resonance Festival. The Festival closed NMC\u2019s 55th season.<\/p>\n

The Event<\/h2>\n

The discussion was attended by a swath of Toronto\u2019s new music community, including composers like Alice Ping Yee Ho, and representatives of organizations, such as Holly Nimmons of the Canadian Music Centre, along with other musicians and interested parties.<\/p>\n

The panellists included a range of voices.<\/p>\n

Aiyun Huang<\/strong> was the panel chair. She is a Professor of Percussion at the University of Toronto, as well as Area Head of Percussion. Her background includes a BA from the University of Toronto, followed by an MA and DMA from the University of California San Diego. Along with her UofT research and teaching activities, she performs as a soloist and chamber musician, and serves as a producer. Aiyun was the First Prize and the Audience Award winner at the Geneva International Music Competition in 2002. She’s performed widely across North America, Europe, and in China.<\/p>\n

J. Alex. (Jason) Young<\/strong> is a Cree-Settler Composer from Northern Ontario. He earned degrees from Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. His PhD in Composition from the University of Calgary is based on his research into Cree culture, storytelling, song, and ceremony as the basis for new artistic creation. He is a dedicated member of the Canadian Music Centre\u2019s Accountability for Change and Indigenous Advisory Councils. Jason\u2019s pieces have been premiered and performed by the Calgary Philharmonic, and he is an Assistant Professor of Composition at Brandon University.<\/p>\n

Scholar Rena Roussin<\/strong> earned a doctorate in musicology from the University of Toronto, and is currently a postdoctoral associate at Western University. Her work focuses on the relationships between Western classical music and concepts of equity, embodiment, and social justice, both historically and in contemporary society. Her specific expertise centres on changing concepts of disability and gender in 18th-century Austro-German music, as well as Indigenous-led classical music initiatives in 21st century North America. She is working on her first book, Identities, Indigeneities, Intersectionalities: Positioning Contemporary Opera in Canada.<\/p>\n

Composer, educator, scholar, and creative industries leader Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews<\/strong> teaches at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music and in the Professional Music Program at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her compositions have been performed internationally as well as in Canada. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Canada Council for the Arts and leads the SOCAN Foundation<\/p>\n

Musician and composer Rashaan Rori Allwood<\/strong> is currently pursuing a PhD in Composition. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and a Master’s degree in Organ Performance. As an organist, he has performed across North America and in Europe. In 2022, he received the Marilyn Mason Award in Organ Composition from the American Guild of Organists, and was commissioned by that organization to compose a new piece for solo organ which premiered in Washington in 2022. He is currently the director of music at St. Ansgar Lutheran Church, Toronto where he regularly premieres new works.<\/p>\n

\"Three
Three German men, composers (L-R): Ludwig Van Beethoven; Johannes Brahms, J.S. Bach (Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Discussion<\/h3>\n

\u201cWhat would the classical canon sound like if it started now?\u201d asked NMC Artistic Director Brian Current.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I don\u2019t want to sound pessimistic, but I doubt it would be any different.\u201d Young explained that, in his experience, Indigenous voices are still muted within the world of Western classical music, and he felt that would continue \u201cunless we are willing to mute the Western voices\u201d. He argued that musical merit was used as the justification for suppressing voices outside the Western musical sphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Beethoven a lot,\u201d acknowledged Rena Roussin, \u201cbut I also love to go to the concert hall and hear something else.\u201d While the music itself has developed over the centuries in various directions, the mindset essentially hasn\u2019t. \u201cI think we would still inherit a lot of the same [prejudices],\u201d she added. While many orchestras and other ensembles do program work from outside the traditional canon occasionally, it too often acts as a kind of tokenism of diversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really want a canon,\u201d Roussin added, \u201cI want communities.\u201d Rather than fostering a single centralized concept of what music should be programmed and taught, thriving and diverse musical communities that respond to their own cultures and circumstances represent an alternative model. The music presenters program, essentially, should look a lot like the city or place where they live. In multicultural Toronto, it would mean giving much more room to voices outside the tradition.<\/p>\n

Dr. Wall offered the example of Saudi Arabia, where she spent some time as a music industry representative. Until just a few years ago, interpretation of Islamic law led to the suppression of music in public, including concerts, which were effectively illegal. The ban was formally lifted in 2019, and since then, the nation has been building its own musical infrastructure, essentially creating its own canon. Wall said that the decision was made to prioritize both traditional and contemporary music modes, including everything from performance to the establishment of the country\u2019s first music schools. \u201cWe all want the canon to be reflective of the diversity of the communities where we live,\u201d she said. That, she acknowledged, would require both political and societal change.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstitutions mostly move slowly, and are decades behind what is outside [of them],\u201d Huang pointed out.<\/p>\n

Allwood mentioned the context of music education, and the notion of what is worthy to be included in the canon. It\u2019s a concept that students grapple with, and often fight against. \u201cThere are people who are fighting against the world they\u2019re trying to enter,\u201d he said. In his experience, many artists create their own spheres and canons, and don\u2019t actually strive for inclusion into the realm of sanctioned music.<\/p>\n

What is blocking progress in these areas that the speakers identified?<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking of the commodification of music,\u201d Young said. The expectation that music has to create monetary value drives the music industry. He contrasted that with traditional Cree societies, where musicians and storytellers had a role that was just as valued as that of the hunters and fishers. They played their part, and were supported by the community rather than having to carve out a financial living.<\/p>\n

Jason also noted the typical practice of setting Indigenous composers apart, for example, having a specific concert dedicated to their work rather than programming it as a matter of course. \u201cAs if the music can\u2019t compete with Brahms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rena Roussin pointed out the example of an Indigenous opera in Manitoba that sold out. If you create works that the community wants, they will come out for it. \u201cThere is this myth that [work] that isn\u2019t by these German men won\u2019t sell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie pointed out that many organizations operate on tight budgets that don\u2019t allow much or any leeway for risk taking. \u201cIt can also be a huge risk to curate something that doesn\u2019t sell,\u201d she pointed out. \u201cIt\u2019s not a light switch.\u201d Changing attitudes takes time, and requires that those changes be programmed into the process.<\/p>\n

Aiyun noted the difference between commercial and art music. The latter survives on a combination of public and private financing, as well as public support.<\/p>\n

\u201cChopin didn\u2019t make money,\u201d Allwood pointed out. \u201cA lot of contemporary classical scenes are like that. They\u2019re small, they\u2019re intimate.\u201d They\u2019re held up by a community of artists who support each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to find a way so that everyone can feel like they belong [in the music industry],\u201d Wall said.<\/p>\n

\"Questions
Questions from the audience at the classical music panel discussion (Photo courtesy of New Music Concerts)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Audience Questions<\/h3>\n

A question from an audience member picked up on the idea of tokenism. \u201cHow do we navigate between representation and tokenism?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roussin pointed to the example of the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s Circle of Artists, a consulting group that advises the company on how to approach and develop Indigenous works. The committee is made up of Indigenous creatives, who make the decisions, and offer their advice.<\/p>\n

Young noted that change begins with education. He called attention to the fact that he rarely saw anyone without a PhD at teaching level in a university. \u201cBut, Elders have just as much knowledge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The mindset of Indigenous artists also diverges from that of the music industry as a whole, an aspect that\u2019s not often taken into account. \u201cArtists aren\u2019t viewed as commodities in Indigenous culture,\u201d he said. When it comes to collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous parties, understanding is key. \u201cAre you ready to walk in that Indigenous community as a collaborator and learn everything about their culture?\u201d<\/p>\n

As he pointed out, every Indigenous community and culture is different, a fact that is often lost in these discussions.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

It was an interesting discussion, and one that needs to continue throughout the classical music world and well beyond.<\/p>\n

To be relevant and vital in contemporary society, music, like any art, has to reflect the world that it\u2019s in \u2014 not an idealized version of what it was centuries ago.<\/p>\n

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