Performer at the Kitchener Market

Building on Kitchener’s rich musical history, we’re committed to building the infrastructure to support a rich musical future. Kitchener is home to a talented and diverse music community that has touched the province, the nation and the world.

Through our Film and Music Office, our goal is to support and develop local musicians and the local music scene. Contact Bob Egan by email, or call 226-753-3620 to discover what Kitchener can do for you.

Subscribe to this page to get an email when we post updates.

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Grants and funding

Open the accordions below to learn about each grant or funding opportunity.

Ontario Arts Council

The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) provides grants to Ontario-based individual artists and arts professionals, ad hoc groups/collectives and organizations. Their streams include: 

  • Creating and Presenting 
  • Building Audiences and Markets 
  • Engaging Communities and Schools  
  • Developing Careers and Art Services

Website

Phone number: 416-961-1660 or 1-800-387-0058

Email address: reception@arts.on.ca 

FACTOR

FACTOR provides financial support for musicians to create and record their compositions, market their recordings, tour in Canada and internationally, and more.

Website

Phone number: 416-696-2215

Email address: general.info@factor.ca 

Ontario Creates Music Fund

Ontario Creates Music Fund provides grants for the development of the music industry, music companies and live music production in Ontario. It appears individual artists are best supported through this fund by forming business entities related to booking, management, publishing and labels.

Website

Phone number: 416-314-6858

Email address: reception@ontariocreates.ca 

Canada Council for the Arts

Canada Council for the Arts serves artists working in many disciplines. Musicians can apply for grants supporting:

  • professional development and career advancement
  • circulation and touring

Website

Phone number: 1-800-263-5588 or 613-566-4414, ext. 5060

Email address: info@canadacouncil.ca 

Radio Starmaker Fund

This fund is designed to help musicians who have a proven track record (example: record sales of 2,000 or greater) with marketing and tour support tied to new releases.

Website

Phone number: 1-888-256-2211

Email address: michellefarres@starmaker.ca 

SOCAN Foundation

SOCAN Foundation offers financial support to its members (composers, writers and publishers) for travel and professional development (conferences, workshops, seminars and more). To become a SOCAN member you need to have written and recorded a song. If you apply online, there is no fee to join.

Website

Phone number: 416-445-8700

Email address: members@socan.com 

Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

This regional granting body accepts applications twice a year for work in all artistic disciplines. It offers excellent support for completing applications.

Website

Phone number: 519-575-4450

Email address: info@artsfund.ca 

Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts Grant Program

We’re accepting applications for rent subsidies at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts to support performing arts individuals and groups.

Learn more on our webpage for this program.

Waterloo Region Community Foundation

The Musagetes Fund provides grants to arts organizations located in Waterloo Region that support making the arts more central and meaningful in peoples’ lives by building community and culture.

Website

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Local resources

There are many resources available to musicians around the region. Open the accordions below to find links to local resources.

Radio stations
  • Midtown Radio is a regional web-based radio station dedicated to playing local music and supporting local artists
  • CKWR and its host Cara Andrews offer opportunities for local musicians to be interviewed and have their music played
  • CKMS is a community station open to programming local music and musicians
  • CBC KW’s morning host Craig Norris is always looking for local talent to support both on this local weekday show and his national weekend show “In the Key of C”
Producers and studios
  • Good Company Productions is a music management and promotion company that specializes in live event production and streaming, and music video production
  • Josh Polasz and Jorge Pineda of Just Ideas produce hip hop music, help build careers and give back to the community through mentoring young artists
  • Chris Colvin of Studio A has been recording and producing local music for over 15 years
  • Ian Graham of Small Dog Studio has been mixing, mastering and recording for over 30 years and is certified at the highest level by Logic
  • Fred Smith Studio does work for TV, film and corporate clients
  • Rick Hutt of Cedartree has been involved in the local and national music scene as a composer, musician, producer, engineer arranger and mentor
  • Track House Studios advertises themselves as an “All-in-One Artist Evolution”

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Industry resources

Open the accordions below to find links to industry resources across Ontario and Canada.

General resources
  • Music Ontario offers professional development, information, education and support to empower emerging companies and musicians in the indie music sector
  • Music Canada is a trade organization that promotes and protects the interests of the Canadian music industry
  • the Canadian Live Music Association works to promote the economic, social and cultural benefits of live music
  • the Music Managers Forum helps keep managers and artists up-to-date with business developments
  • the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences promotes music through the Juno Awards and Canadian Music Hall of Fame and supports music through the MusiCounts program
Genre-specific associations

Connect with other artists in your genre and stay informed about upcoming programs.

Rights and publishing

Learn about music publishing, rights, reproduction, exporting music and relevant policies in Canada.

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Our projects

Open the accordions below to learn about the projects our team has been working on.

Create and Connect

We partnered with Centre in the Square in 2021 to award $1,000 microgrants to local musicians to help them stay connected to their audiences during the pandemic. One hundred and forty-five performers/bands applied. A jury of their peers selected the 14 grant recipients.

Here’s what they created:

  • Rufus John
  • Anthony Ramsay
  • Rachel Hickey
  • adult recreation centre
  • Jaguar Sun
  • Flamenco Plus
  • The MacQueens
  • Mandippal Jandu
  • JP Sunga
  • Hiba ElMiari
  • Clarissa Diokno
  • I, the Mountain
  • Vintage Flight
Music 4 Good

Started in early 2020, Music 4 Good reflects our commitment to use the power of music to serve the most vulnerable in our community. By partnering with generous local benefactors, Music 4 Good has been able to donate instruments, recording gear and funding for instruction to organizations such as Grand River Hospital Adolescent Mental Health Services, Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Rosemount School for Boys.

Music 4 Good supporters include:

  • Rob Carli
  • the Awesome Music Project
  • Centre in the Square
  • Rick Endrulat
  • Cynthia Sundberg
  • Dr. Michael Liu
  • students of St. David’s High School
  • 100 Guitars for 100 Kids
Music at the Market

In the summer of 2021, we supported the Registry Theatre to present a musical series during a very confusing time of ever-shifting/changing COVID-19 restrictions and protocols. The goal was to provide some hope, a light at the end of the tunnel, by bringing local artists to the Kitchener Market to celebrate our ability to gather for the first time since the pandemic started.

The support provided by the Downtown Kitchener BIA and a grant from the Canadian Department of Heritage allowed the Registry to fully compensate the artists and technicians who were particularly hard hit by pandemic closures. Music at the Market was a success as over 1,000 fans gathered to enjoy performances by an amazing line-up including:

  • Danny Michel
  • Penderecki String Quartet
  • Ben Rollo
  • I, the Mountain
  • Joni NehRita
  • Romeo Sex Fighter
  • Avalon Bridger
  • Kevin Ramessar
  • Errol Blackwood
  • Mary-Catherine Pazzano
  • Elsa Jayne
  • Flamenco Plus
  • Air Blaq
  • Keelo D’Ville
  • Tait Garrett
  • HolliZay
  • Jesse T
  • Western Swing Authority
Creative Recording Initiative

In Spring of 2022, we asked “What would happen if you opened a recording studio in a neighborhood of teens and provided them with professional recording mentorship for a couple of months?” The answer is the Creative Recording Initiative. Watch our YouTube video to learn about this project.

The Creative Recording Initiative was a true partnership between the Music Office, House of Friendship’s Courtland Shelley staff, and producers Josh Polasz and Jorge Pineda from Just Ideas. Generous community supported allowed us to provide each of the participants in this pilot project with their own MacBook-based recording rig, microphone, headphones and keyboard, facilitating 24/7 learning and opportunity.

This was a broad community effort supported by Centre in the Square, Cook Homes, Communitech and Stephen Dunnington. 

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Festivals

Open the accordions below to find information about music festivals in Ontario.

Spring

TD Niagara Jazz Festival

Roots North Music Festival

June

Canadian Music Week Festival

  • location: Toronto
  • festival dates: June 5 to 10, 2023
  • website

Sound of Music

  • location: Burlington
  • festival dates: June 11 to 14, 2023 (club series) and June 15 to 18, 2023 (free festival)
  • website

NXNE Showcases

  • location: Toronto
  • festival dates: June 13 to 17, 2023
  • website

Stratford Live Music & Food

  • location: Stratford
  • festival dates: June 16 to 18, 2023
  • website

Skeleton Park Arts

July

Peterborough Musicfest

Springtide Music Festival

  • location: Uxbridge
  • festival dates: July 2023 (exact dates to be determined)
  • website

Mariposa Folk Festival's Emerging Artists Showcase

  • location: Orillia
  • festival dates: July 7 to 9, 2023
  • website

Stewart Park Festival

Uptown Waterloo Jazz Fest

  • location: Waterloo
  • festival dates: July 21 to 23
  • website

Hillside Festival

  • location: Guelph
  • festival dates: July 28 to 30, 2023
  • website

Crewfest's Battle of the Bands

  • location: Brantford
  • festival date: July 29
  • website
August

Festival of Friends

  • location: Hamilton
  • festival dates: August 4 to 6, 2023
  • website

Kitchener Blues Festival

Trout Forest Music Festival

Riverfest Elora

  • location: Elora
  • festival dates: August 18 to 20, 2023
  • website

Summerfolk

Muskoka Music Festival

Aurorapalooza

September

Supercrawl

  • location: Hamilton
  • festival dates: September 8 to 10, 2023
  • website

Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues

October

Folk Music Ontario Conference Showcase

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