‘Don’t shut down the program:’ Students, industry fight to save Algonquin College music training
The sound of guitar solos, drums, bass lines and vocals fill room N124 at Algonquin College. The music recording lab class is covering a song with added elements of creativity to showcase their learning over the term. But next year, room N124 may be silent because the Music Industry Arts program is one of dozens that could be on the...
Brass Monkey closure may be a bad sign, but Ottawa’s live music scene is ‘strong,’ says venue owner
The closure of the Brass Monkey in Nepean may be an ominous sign for Ottawa's live music industry but one popular venue owner is sounding an optimistic note.
“Why not?” Ottawa musicians intrigued by allure of Eurovision
The federal government’s budget includes $150 million to modernise CBC's mandate and explore participating in Eurovision.
Double Experience’s Brock Tinsley inspires Ottawa creatives to ‘level up’
Brock Tinsley, the nerd rock guitarist, has spent a decade performing videogame-inspired music internationally and uses his experience to help artists reach the next level in their own career.
Restaurant critic Peter Hum has an appetite for food, jazz, travel and family history
Capital Current introduces people who have had an impact on the city. Who is he? Peter Hum is the Ottawa Citizen’s restaurant critic. He will serve an eight-week stint as resident chef at 1 Elgin restaurant early in 2026. From Vienna to Peru, then from Hong Kong to mainland China, Hum is travelling this month, eating and writing about food along...
Kemptville nights: Goldwyn’s injects some new life into growing community
On Sept. 27, a country-style bar opened in Kemptville's downtown core.
Geoff Cass brings music to the neighbourhood with Red Bird Live
What is Red Bird Live? Its founder says it's a place to bring everyone together for the love of music.
Melanie Brulée has grown from singer-songwriter to music industry champion
Melanie Brulée has moved from folk-rock country artist to a leader of Ottawa's music industry coalition.
New Ottawa event series creates safe space for Black rave culture and artists
Plantains&Caviar is a new series in Ottawa focused on spotlighting newer Djs and Black rave culture.
Building a bass line: Hip-hop showcase introduces emerging talent to a hungry Ottawa audience
The music collective 808s Creative State held a showcase in an Ottawa barbershop recently to introduce performers to a local audience.
Rising popularity of K-pop and K-dramas a sign of shifting perceptions of Korean identity and culture
Nukes. Bombs. War. North Korea. These are words Jenny Kwak, a 22-year-old Korean-Canadian, often heard when people discussed her heritage. Growing up in Toronto, she always felt like she stood out. Her food was different. Her features didn’t fit in. When she met people who weren’t from her community, she learned to steel herself for the stereotyping. Then came 2012,...
Bytown is “the best” for We Were Sharks guitarist Colin Jacques
We Were Sharks guitarist Colin Jacques explores his connection to Ottawa after performing in the city's biggest music festival.
Review: Father John Misty delivers dramatic, enigmatic set at Bluesfest
While the opening night of Bluesfest saw country music tearing it up on the RBC Stage, those who spent the late evening at the River Stage were treated to a performance by one of the most enigmatic songwriters working today. The Father John Misty persona is a creation of American musician Josh Tillman, who rose to prominence as the drummer...
Orchestra offers open-air music — and ice cream — at free summer concerts
You scream, I scream, we all scream for . . . the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra’s music and The Merry Dairy’s ice cream! To kick off the summer season, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra is hosting a series of free open-air concerts in collaboration with The Merry Dairy ice cream truck to deliver six, two-hour concerts, filled with joyful music and icy...
Review: Metric delivers intimate, high-energy performance at Bronson Centre
Canadian alternative rock band Metric took to the Bronson Centre stage on Monday night to play their most iconic album for Ottawa fans. The show was part of a retrospective tribute to the band’s Polaris-nominated, Juno-award-winning 2009 album Fantasies. The record was Metric’s best-selling release ever and included some of their highest charting songs. Ottawa wasn’t originally a stop in...
Afrobeats jazz quintet aims to bring people and music together in a happy blend
The John Dapaah Quintet is sharing their unique fusion of African music and jazz with Ottawa this summer. “With every song we do, we try to mix it up in a sense. We kind of throw a popular song in there that the audience might not be expecting,” said John Kofi Dapaah, director and pianist of the quintet. “An example...
City seeks public input for five-year plan to transform Ottawa’s cultural life
The City of Ottawa has begun a major public consultation aimed at creating a new five-year plan for the development of the capital’s cultural life. “This is the first city-wide cultural planning exercise since 2012 and aims to help the city better serve the evolving needs of Ottawa’s culturally diverse populations,” according to the official announcement in late March. Everything...
Music Week to boost capital’s bid to be ‘Nashville North’ nighttime hotspot
Ottawa band Whiskey River played a live show at the Lowertown Brewery in the Byward Market on March 8. . [Photo © Gavin Ramnauth
Ottawa artists celebrate a ‘deep’ and ‘nuanced’ culture during Black History Month
As Black History Month winds down, many artists are gratified for the opportunity to celebrate Black contributions to the arts and to reflect on the work of those who came before.
NAC Orchestra plans landmark spring tour to South Korea, Japan
The National Arts Centre Orchestra is to embark on a monumental tour this spring, including its debut in South Korea and a return to Japan for the first time in 40 years. The orchestra has performed in every Canadian province and territory, but it is also known as one of the most accessible and collaborative orchestras in the world. This...
Harmony and Home: Persian music event unites local Farsi speakers
On a bitterly cold Sunday night in downtown Ottawa, Shirin Ghodrati stepped through the doors of Bronson Centre, her breath curling in the frosty air. Just four months into her new life in Canada, she had more than the weight of winter on her shoulders; she carried a longing for connection. Drawn by the soul-stirring melodies of a Persian music...
A question of space: Jazz in Ottawa needs more and better venues, performers and fans say
Ottawa's need for dedicated jazz spaces is apparent to local artists, who find it 'disappointing and sad' that there are so few places to hear and be heard.
Members of Nightlife Council eager for a community approach to promoting Ottawa’s culture
Recently-announced volunteer members of Ottawa’s Nightlife Council say they are looking to highlight and promote the city’s cultural and artistic diversity, as well as safety, in their inaugural term.
City Builder: Mark Monahan’s musical road has built an important legacy
Mark Monahan is the visionary behind Ottawa's very own Bluesfest.
Music students have a message: Female classical composers matter
In concert halls around the Western world, classical music remains overwhelmingly male-dominated, but a concert held at the University of Ottawa is a reminder that female composers have also made important contributions to the art and must not be ignored.
Ottawa concert series celebrates female artists, who remain under represented
A female concert series in Ottawa is a reminder to popular music fans that women still have a long way to go to be considered ‘equal’ to men in the music industry.
City Builder: Cody Coyote is a powerful Indigenous voice on the Ottawa music scene
Ottawa musician Cody Coyote is a prominent city builder, seeking to inspire future generations with his art.
City Builder: Empress Nyiringango is a musician on a healing journey
Empress Nyiringango is an Ottawa based Rwandan-Canadian singer and song writer who embarked on a "healing journey" in response to genocide.
Orléans arts venue moves diversity to centre stage with new collaboration
The 15th anniversary season at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orléans features a new partnership with Axé WorldFest — an organization that empowers BIPOC artists, newcomers to Canada and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. The initiative reflects the centre’s strengthened commitment to ensuring that its annual lineup of performers includes traditionally unrepresented groups. Born and raised in Brazil and living in Canada for...
City Builder: City Fidelia is more than the music
City Fidelia’s contributions to the city of Ottawa go further than his musical career.
Sounds of trouble: Canadian orchestras struggle against dwindling audiences, changing tastes in post-COVID era
In 2023, the collapse of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra send alarm bells ringing about the state of Canadian orchestras. Experts say the orchestra experience may be under threat with dwindling audiences and changing tastes post-COVID.
Review: Cheng2 Duo mark Chamberfest homecoming with heartwarming performance
Ottawa’s favourite piano-cello duo returned for their annual Chamberfest homecoming on Aug 7 at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre for a magical night of music. Silvie and Bryan Cheng made their debut at Chamberfest way back in 2007 at the Rising Stars showcase. This year, they once again returned with a new folk-inspired repertoire, titled Kindred Spirits, exemplifying the spirit of...
Review: Angela Hewitt pairs Mozart and Brahms to great effect at Chamberfest
The Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre was packed on Saturday night when Ottawa’s own world-class pianist Angela Hewitt took the stage for an elegant evening of Mozart and Brahms. The humidity and thunderstorms only added to the dramatic nature of the night. The Officer of the Order of Canada and a Officer of the Order of the British Empire was showcasing her...
From Rising Stars to Signature Series: Silvie and Bryan Cheng return to their musical roots at Chamberfest
Silvie and Bryan Cheng have come full circle at Chamberfest. The talented sister and brother started as the winners of the very first Rising Stars showcase. Today they are rocking the festival’s premier Signature Series in the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre stage on Aug 7 . The siblings have been playing together professionally for years. But it started in the family...
Review: Danish String Quartet captures the heart and soul of Chamberfest with delightful classics and modern adaptations
The Danish String Quartet and Finnish cellist Johannes Rostamo gave a stunning performance at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre on Aug 2 with their take on Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major, D. 956, Op. posth. 163. Along with this chamber music classic, they performed a modern arrangement of the quintet, by Thomas Adès. The performance is part of the...
Review: Pouliot and friends deliver rare performance of Mendelssohn’s Octet in elegant concert of romantic music
Canadian violin virtuoso Blake Pouliot took over the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre stage on July 31, much to the delight of the audience. For Pouliot, this was a return visit to Chamberfest for the talented violinist from Toronto who has forged a stellar international career as a soloist. He was the grand prize winner at the 2016 Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal...
Review: Nicole Presentey and John Dapaah dazzle Chamberfest audience with piano duet
Delicacy, precision, power. These words come to mind when Nicole Presentey and John Kofi Dapaah make music together. The Ottawa pianists performed “1 Piano, 4 Hands” in the NAC’s Thorsteinson Staircase, part of the Midday Matinées series at Chamberfest. The pair met at Carleton University, where Dapaah studied with Presentey. Soon after, they began playing duets together at Chamberfest and...
The “Bratification” of Kamala Harris: Gen Z at the intersection of internet culture and politics
Bright lime green, simple font, Charli XCX’s hit album “Brat” is everywhere these days. It’s even put its stamp on Democratic presidential candidate and current U.S. vice president Kamala Harris’ social media accounts. “Brat” is a dance-pop album defined by a gritty authenticity, capturing the vulnerability of the cool-girl aesthetic. But it’s more than the music. Charli herself says Brat...
Review: The Art of Time Ensemble kicks off Chamberfest with heartwarming Beatles tribute
The energy was high in the Carleton Dominion Chalmers Centre Thursday night as the Art of Time Ensemble warmed up ahead of their performance of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, kicking off Chamberfest’s 30th anniversary. The group, led by concert pianist Andrew Burashko, offered a classical and jazz inspired arrangement of the iconic Beatles album, hailed as one of...
A Capital Current Profile: Consumed by passion for music, Henry Kennedy brings his talent to role as NACO’s resident conductor
Henry Kennedy is the NAC Orchestra’s new resident conductor and a rising talent in the classical music scene, although that’s not to say that the young conductor hasn’t already had an impressive career. As resident conductor, Kennedy will spend the next two years working with the NAC Orchestra under the guidance of music director Alexander Shelley. Capital Current spoke with...
A Capital Current Profile: Ottawa’s John Kofi Dapaah finds meaning and faith in the intersection of classical and jazz music
For John Kofi Dapaah, music is more than just a career. It’s a way of connecting with his faith and family. Dapaah is a well-known pianist and music teacher in Ottawa who will perform at Chamberfest on July 30 alongside his teacher and friend Nicole Presentey. Dapaah comes from a musical family and his first experience with music was in...
A Capital Current profile: Nicole Presentey’s musical journey has deep roots in Ottawa
Nicole Presentey is an Ottawa native and while she is certainly one of the most talented pianists and music educators to come from this place, she has remained in the region even though the world beckons. One of her deep local connections as a supporter and as a performer is Ottawa Chamberfest, one of the city’s best known classical music...
Turning 30: Chamberfest celebrates with a bevy of stars and series for all musical tastes
There’s nothing like summer in the city, and there’s nothing like Ottawa’s Chamberfest either. The capital’s renowned classical music festival Chamberfest is returning from July 25 to Aug. 8.
Nova Scotian Henry Kennedy announced as first new resident conductor with NAC Orchestra
Nova Scotian Henry Kennedy is taking up his place as the first resident conductor in a new program with the NAC Orchestra.
REVIEW: Opening night of Bluesfest offers some intimate and captivating performances
Capital Current took in several shows on opening night at RBC Ottawa Bluesfest Thursday night. Here's our take on three very unique performances.
Live Nation to open major new music venue in downtown Ottawa
The former Chapters building at the corner of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive in Downtown Ottawa will soon by a 2,000 seat music venue operated by Live Nation, the largest music promotion company in North America.
New study finds women and transgender artists underrepresented in Canadian radio
A new study shows that women, trans and BIPOC artists get less airtime on Canadian radio that white men.
Ottawa Arts Council announces 2024 awards celebrating artists, upcoming and established
The Ottawa Arts Council celebrated local artists, educators and donors at the 2024 Arts Awards.
Capital Music Awards celebrate Ottawa’s growing music scene
The fifth annual Capital Music Awards highlighted Ottawa's music scene last Thursday with a sold-out show at the Bronson Centre Music Theatre.
Summer beat: Live music returning to downtown Ottawa
Free live music is returning to Ottawa's downtown core this summer.