ARRAYMUSIC has evolved over a period of more than thirty years to become one of the principal contemporary music organizations in Canada. Founded in 1972 by a collective of student composers from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music, Array (as it was initially called) set out principally to present concerts of Canadian work. An expansion of this vision to include works by important, lesser-known international composers occurred very early on. This policy of presenting Canadian work in an international context and of bringing artists and the public together has remained at the heart of ARRAYMUSIC's programming.


Several composers and musicians have guided the artistic direction of ARRAYMUSIC over the years: John Fodi, Marjan Mozetich, Douglas Perry, Henry Kucharzyk, Linda Catlin Smith, Michael J. Baker, and currently Allison Cameron.

For the first several years of its existence, Array employed a fluctuating number of musicians, assembled per concert to suit the repertoire. An ensemble began to develope in the late 1970s which continued to change throughout the 1980s, arriving at the present ARRAYMUSIC ensemble, a highly individual and unusual grouping of clarinet, trumpet, percussion, piano, violin, and double bass. All members of the ensemble are accomplished contemporary music specialists and several are also composers. The ARRAYMUSIC ensemble has become recognized world-wide for its unique repertoire and powerful performances.

ARRAYMUSIC has premiered over 200 works by Canadian composers, the majority of which were written for the group. Commissioning works by Canadian composers is a constant and integral part of ARRAYMUSIC's concert programming. These works also make up a significant portion of ARRAYMUSIC's touring repertoire.

Toronto has long been a major centre for dance and theatre, and ARRAYMUSIC has participated extensively; we were one of the first new music groups in Canada to be actively involved in interdisciplinary and theatrical work, initiating collaborations between composers, choreographers, and visual artists. This has resulted in the production of several repertory programmes of dance and new music as well as full-length works such as Personal History by Henry Kucharzyk, Big Pictures by Michael J. Baker, and Chemin de Ronde: a dance/music collage. ARRAYMUSIC often collaborates with other arts organizations in the presentation of dance and theatrical works. Projects with Toronto Dance Theatre, Peggy Baker Solo Dance, Dancemakers, Autumn Leaf Performance, New Music Concerts, Soundstreams, and others have been prominent in past seasons.

ARRAYMUSIC has produced five CDs, each of which has received critical acclaim. These recordings have done enormous service in terms of spreading awareness of both Canadian music and of the ARRAYMUSIC ensemble and have been extremely useful for developing our touring acitivities.

The ARRAYMUSIC ensemble has developed into a successful touring group. In the past several years, the ensemble has performed at numerous international festivals including Festival Musiques en scène (Lyon), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Athens Festival, New Music America, North American New Music Festival (Buffalo), and the Festival International de Musiques Actuelles à Victoriaville.

ARRAYMUSIC's ongoing activities now include: an annual season of up to five concert programmes in Toronto; international and national tours; regular production of commercial recordings; frequent radio broadcasts; an annual Young Composers' Workshop; the operation of a permanent rehearsal studio and offices; and a series of public events in the studio including a composers' lecture series and informal concerts.

One of the most important and growing activities at ARRAYMUSIC in recent years is that of artistic exchange with organizations and artists outside Toronto. ARRAYMUSIC's most fully developed relationship of this type to date is with Studio GRAME in Lyon, France. GRAME is a fascinating collective of composers and music researchers who have established a centre for contemporary music that encompasses an extremely wide range of ongoing projects.

ARRAYMUSIC receives operating funding from all levels of government in Canada: federally through TheCanada Council for the Arts; provincially through the Ontario Arts Council, and municipally through the Toronto Arts Council. ARRAYMUSIC is also funded for projects through donations from various foundations, corporations, and individuals.

The Board of Directors of Arraymusic participate in events and inspire the organization to move forward. The members of the Arraymusic Board of Directors are:
Dina Graser, Treasurer
Maggie Keith
Eric Fink
Justin Mooney
John Sherlock
Nancy Watt