About Us

Toronto Summer Music Festival and Academy

2013 Festival Dates: July 16 to August 3

An international classical music festival and academy that just completed its seventh season,Toronto Summer Music Festival (TSMF) brings world-renowned performing artists to Toronto for an unparalleled combination of concerts, guest lectures and Masterclasses.

“Toronto Summer Music has become one of the city’s most eagerly-awaited summer cultural events, and I am thrilled to welcome audiences to our festival and academy where we create and foster connections between great artists and great music.” says Douglas McNabney.

The 2012 TSMF featured an array of renowned Canadian and international artists in seven concerts in Koerner Hall at the Royal Conservatory and eleven concerts in Walter Hall at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music.

The TSMF Academy offers instruction at the highest level to musicians on the threshold of professional careers through the Chamber Music Institute and the Art of Song programs. As part of the 2012 Festival, TSMF Fellows performed on stage along with Resident Artists of the festival in a series of Saturday concerts – TSMF Fellows and Mentors.

Mission, Vision and Mandate

Mission

The Toronto Summer Music Festival is an international summer Festival and Academy which presents concerts with world-renowned artists and provides instruction at the highest level for emerging professional musicians, thereby creating a unique environment for exceptional artists and music-lovers of all ages.

Vision

The Toronto Summer Music Festival creates a unique environment for the shared celebration of the passion for classical music.

Mandate

To produce and provide world-class music festivals and related activities.
To provide instruction in music performance at the highest level.
To increase the public’s access to and appreciation of music by producing and presenting performances in public places.
To advance the performing arts in Canada.

Festival

The Toronto Summer Music Festival runs concurrently with the Academy program and features a wealth of renowned Canadian and international artists in a series of Chamber music and Art Song concerts, Mentors and Fellows concerts and a series of Masterclasses and lectures. In selecting the artists for the Festival, our Artistic Director Douglas McNabney seeks those who are not only exceptional performers but who are also internationally recognized pedagogues. His goal is to create an inspirational atmosphere among the performers in the Festival, the students and faculty in the Academy, auditors of the master classes, and the public. This kind of integration provides everyone with an opportunity to explore a wide range of musical styles and activities.

TSMF Academy

The Academy gives musicians who are at the threshold of their careers an opportunity to study with a Faculty of the highest quality and reputation, learning from the Faculty’s experience and musicianship. The Academy Faculty is drawn from internationally acclaimed artists from across Canada, the United States, and Europe.

The Toronto Summer Music Academy is focused on enhancing music performance skills and offers two intimate and highly focused programs: the Chamber Music Institute (for string players and pianists) and the Art of Song (for singers and pianists). Performance is an integral part of the Academy.