Canada is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, with over 200 languages spoken including 60 indigenous ones. They also aren’t strangers to the language of music with some hugely talented musicians calling Canada home.
Their wealth of talent when it comes to composers is certainly not lacking, and in this post, we’re going to look at 10 of the greatest Canadian composers of past and present. Let’s dive in!
1. Howard Shore (1946–)
You’ve probably heard his work, even if you don’t know his name. Howard Shore is both a conductor and a famous composer of film scores.
He started on television as one of the creators and musical director for Saturday Night Live. He began his career in film scoring with I Miss You Hugs & Kisses and went on to score more than 80 films.
He frequently collaborated with Canadian director David Cronenberg, composing music for 15 of his films. He also turned Cronenberg’s The Fly into an opera, which was performed in Los Angeles and toured Europe.
Shore’s impressive work has earned him significant recognition. In 2011, he received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award. He also won four Grammys, three Academy Awards, and many other awards for his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
2. Rufus Wainwright (1973–)
Born in Rhinebeck, New York, but raised in Montreal, Rufus Wainwright is the son of American folk musician Loudon Wainwright III. Following in his father’s footsteps, Rufus became a singer-songwriter with a style compared to Leonard Cohen called baroque pop.
At 14, he received a Genie Award nomination for his song in Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller. He later won Juno awards for his self-titled debut album in 1989 and again in 2002. In 2009, his opera Prima Donna was performed in the UK, Canada, and the US, and it won Best New Opera in 2011.
Rufus is also an award-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has collaborated with musicians like Elton John and Robbie Williams in rock and orchestral arrangements.
3. David Foster (1949–)
Born in Victoria, BC, David Foster has excelled in all areas of the music business. He even composed the song “Winter Games” for the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary.
Foster has created instrumental songs for film and TV and collaborated with legendary artists like Whitney Houston.
Known for his singable melodies and layered sounds with strings, piano, and orchestral crescendos, Foster has remained relevant over the years despite changes in pop music. Time magazine called him “The True King of Pop” in a 1994 article.
Foster has won numerous awards, including 16 Grammys and 7 Junos. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007 and the US Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010.
4. Ann Southam (1937–2010)
A pioneering female composer and feminist, Ann Southam began composing at 15 after attending a summer music camp at Banff Centre. She started with electronic music at a time when few women were in the genre, creating pieces for the New Dance Group of Canada inspired by minimalist composers.
In 1981, she released her album Glass Houses, marking her shift from electronic music to piano with long, 12-tone pieces.
As a founding member and first president of the Association of Canadian Women Composers, she received the Friends of Canadian Music Award in 2002 and was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2010.
Southam made headlines when she left $14 million to the Canadian Women’s Foundation after her passing in 2010.
5. Healey Willan (1880–1968)
James Healey Willan was an organist and composer who created over 800 works, including pieces for band, orchestra, piano, organ, operas, symphonies, and chamber music. He is best known for his church music, with more than half of his works dedicated to choral singing.
Born in England, he moved to Canada in 1913 to join Toronto’s St. Paul’s Anglican Church and the Toronto Conservatory of Music. He became a professor and served as the church’s organist and choirmaster.
Willan was a role model for young composers, showing that one could make a living through music. He was also the first Canadian musician to appear on a Canadian postage stamp.
He received many honors during his lifetime, including being named a Companion of the Order of Canada.
6. Alexina Louie (1949–)
Vancouver-born Alexina Louie is celebrated by famous artists, ensembles, and symphonies for her contemporary art music. Her sound mixes her Chinese heritage with Western influences and exotic instruments.
One of her most famous pieces is Scenes from a Jade Terrace, played by professionals and students worldwide. During an orchestral tour in Nunavik, she composed Take the Dog Sled, featuring Inuit throat singers.
Louie has won two Junos for Best Classical Composition, a Molson Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts in 2019, and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee Medals. She received the 2020 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement and is an Officer of the Order of Canada.
7. Adnan Sami (1971–)
Though born in London and raised in Britain, Adnan Khan is a Canadian citizen. He is an Indian musician, composer, singer, and pianist who performs both Indian and Western music.
As a classical concert pianist, he has played for royalty like the King of Sweden and for heads of state like the Prime Minister of India around the world. He is also popular with the public, having sold out stadiums and solo concerts.
Khan is known for blending Western and South Asian musical styles, playing Indian classical music and santoor music on the piano.
He has received many awards, including special recognition from UNICEF and the United Nations for songs he wrote and performed for Ethiopia and Africa. In 2013, the Canadian Parliament awarded him for his contributions to arts, culture, and music.
8. R. Murray Schafer (1933–2021)
Raymond Murray Schafer was a Canadian composer, music teacher, writer, and environmentalist who highlighted the music of nature. He created the World Soundscape Project at Simon Fraser University, starting with a course on noise pollution. This project grew into a study of the world’s sounds.
Schafer often included nature in his performances, placing musicians around lakes, having choral singers in canoes, and inventing languages for singing.
Some of his notable works include the albums Wild Bird and Alzheimer’s Masterpiece. His biggest piece, Apocalypsis, needed 500 performers and was only performed twice. The second performance, in his memory, featured over 1,000 players.
He wrote The Tuning of the World and won the first Jules Léger Prize in 1978 and a Juno in 1991. He was also named a Companion of the Order of Canada, among other honors.
9. Christos Hatzis (1953–)
A Canadian-Greek composer, Christos Hatzis is a professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music. He creates film scores and writings about composition, concertos, symphonies, and chamber music.
Hatzis often focuses on themes like Christianity, his Byzantine heritage, and Canadian Inuit culture in his compositions. One of his most famous works, Constantinople, combines various musical styles, eastern elements, and visual media. It has been performed internationally and praised by critics.
He has received many awards, including the Jean A. Chalmers National Music Award, the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music, and two Juno Awards in 2006 and 2008. In 2014, he was honored with the Hellenic Heritage Foundation (HHF) Life Achievement Award, which recognizes Canadians of Greek descent.
10. Jocelyn Morlock (1969–2023)
Born in Winnipeg, Jocelyn Morlock now lives in Vancouver. She has written music for many of Canada’s top orchestras.
She made history with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as their first Composer-in-Residence and first female Composer-in-Residence from 2014 to 2019.
In 2018, she won a Juno Award for her piece My Name is Amanda Todd. She also writes for small groups and unique combinations like piano and percussion, as in her piece Quoi???.
Her composition Amore, created for the 2005 Montreal International Music Competition, has been performed over 70 times and broadcast on many radio stations.
Summing Up Our List Of The Greatest Canadian Composers
Thanks for reading our blog post. We hope you were able to learn more about the composers who have shaped Canadian culture and music, as well as what they’ve contributed to society through their work.
These 10 names are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Canadian music history, so we encourage you to explore more about these artists’ lives and work.
We’ll also be adding to this list, so let us know which Canadian composers we should check out next and we’ll add them!
