About

Our activities

  • Offering professional development opportunities and resources to members, including workshops, mentorship, web resources such as model contracts, and awards such as the annual Friends of Canadian Music Award;
  • Hosting the Canadian Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM), issuing an annual call for scores, making a promotional playlist of the selected works, and distributing it while representing Canada at the ISCM’s annual World New Music Days festival. In 2017, the Canadian League of Composers and Music on Main welcomed more than 50 countries for ISCM 2017, a festival of new music and a celebration of new ideas, new collaborations, and new fusions;
  • Maintaining a schedule of suggested commissioning fees;
  • Connecting our members with the music and arts communities, as well as the public, through partnerships with other organizations, and regular contact with the major arts councils in Canada;
  • Using advocacy to foster an environment in which Canadian art music is highly valued.
AGM Information

What we do

The Canadian League of Composers (CLC) speaks for the interests of Canadian composers. We offer professional development opportunities and resources to members, including a schedule of suggested commissioning fees, and we use advocacy and partnerships to foster an environment in which Canadian art music is highly valued.

The CLC is governed by a National Council of 12 elected volunteer members representing all regions and both official languages. We are supported by member dues, as well as by funding from the SOCAN Foundation, the Azrieli Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. The CLC was founded in 1951, and celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2021. We currently represent over 600 members from across Canada.

To find out more about our current projects, events and opportunities, please visit the Activities and News sections of our website, or become a member by clicking Join the CLC.

More Resources

Our people

The CLC Council is an elected volunteer board comprised of 12 CLC members that represent the various regions of Canada. Elections for Council positions are held every two years. The CLC Council meets in person once every two years and holds conference-call meetings on a quarterly basis. Council members belong to one or more CLC Committee(s), to dedicate their work to specific issues and projects relevant to composers.

Councilors
Staff
Committees

Our History

The Canadian League of Composers was founded in 1951 in Toronto by a group of eight composers: John Weinzweig, Louis Applebaum, Harry Freedman, Andrew Twa, Murray Adaskin, Harry Somers, Philip Nimmons, and Samuel Dolin. The idea for the league grew from an informal discussion in February of 1951 between several of these composers at Weinzweig’s home. The first organizational meeting was held on 1 April 1951, and John Weinzweig was elected the first president of the CLC. The CLC’s activities were directed by a volunteer board of composers, a practice that still continues today.

Full History
More News