Music Gallery

The Music Gallery is a centre for promoting and presenting innovation and experimentation in all forms of music, and for encouraging cross-pollination between genres, disciplines and audience.The Music Gallery is Toronto's Centre for Creative Music, founded in 1976 by Peter Anson and Al Mattes of the free-improvising group, CCMC. Since its inception, the MG has been a publicly assisted centre for the creation, development and performance of art music from all genres. Having hosted such luminaries as John Cage, Iannis Xenakis and Peter Brotzmann since its early days at 30 St. Patrick St. (1976-84), and continuing at 1087 Queen St. W. (1984-1993) and 179 Richmond St. (1993-2000), The Music Gallery become renowned internationally as one of Canada’s most important venues for, and presenters of, boundary-pushing, unclassifiable and creative new music.Since 2001, The Music Gallery has found a home at St. George the Martyr Church, located at 197 John St., at the southern end of Grange Park, in close promixity to the Ontario College of Art and Design and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Currently programmed by Jonathan Bunce, Artistic Director, and Gregory Oh, Guest Curator, the Music Gallery presents or co-presents more than 50 concerts per year. A variety of art music genres are represented, including contemporary classical, chamber and electro-acoustic music; free jazz and improv; avant-rock, pop, folk and electronic music; and musics from the non-Western world -- as well as interdisciplinary presentations involving dance, theatre, film, video and installation art. A major highlight of the Music Gallery season is the X Avant new music festival, held every fall since 2006, featuring cross-programming from all five concert series, and a mix of international and local artists. The Music Gallery is active in supporting Canadian new music artists on tour, in collaborating with other presenters to stage events, in developing emerging artists, and in deepening the public’s understanding of the music-making process through workshops and artist’s talks.