Toronto Summer Music Festival

Toronto Summer Music (“TSM”), previously operating as the Silver Creek Music Foundation, ran two pilot programmes in the summers of 2004 and 2005 including one- or two-week Chamber music workshops in piano, strings and percussion, and a mini-series of public concerts featuring the Gryphon Trio, Scott St. John, Shauna Rolston, Lydia Wong and NEXUS. In the summer of 2006, under the leadership of founding Artistic Director Agnes Grossmann, TSM expanded activities significantly, from the one or two single-week programmes offered in 2004 and 2005 to a full four-week programme that included a Festival with chamber music concerts and solo recitals complemented by pre-concert lectures; and an Academy with masterclasses and workshops in Chamber music and Art Song, providing advanced study and performance opportunities for gifted graduate students and pre-professional performers. Extensive and successful fundraising efforts resulted in support from many sources including individual donors, foundations, government agencies and corporate sponsors. In September 2010, Douglas McNabney, one of Canada’s most active chamber musicians and former Artistic Director at Domaine Forget, succeeded Ms. Grossman as Artistic Director. During his tenure at TSM (2010-2016), McNabney re-organized the Academy as a full-fellowship program for a select group of some of the best emerging chamber musicians, singers, and collaborative pianists. The Academy differentiates itself because of its concentration on performance with international musicians of the highest calibre. Past Academy Mentors include Martin Beaver, Johannes Moser, Gerald Finley, Soile Isokoski, Angela Cheng, Martin Katz, Julius Drake, and more. The last several Festivals have been programmed thematically, focusing on a different place or period in music history and has featured top level international guest artists at Koerner Hall, Walter Hall, and other venues around Toronto with over 50 public events over the course of 4 weeks.