Music in Kitchener

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 our Film and Music Office by email or call 519-741-2345 to discover what Kitchener can do for you.

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Grants and funding

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

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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

Grants and funds:

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

Grants and funds:

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

Grants and funds:

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

Grants and funds:

Radio Starmaker Fund

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

Grants and funds:

Travel Assistance Program
Professional Development Assistance Program
Work Commissioning Assistance Grant
SOCAN Foundation Career Development Grant
Canadian Music Assistance (Organizations)
Work Commissioning Assistance Grant (Organizations)
Annual Operations Assistance (Organizations)

Learn about SOCAN grants

Awards:

SOCAN Foundation Awards for Emerging Screen Composers
SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers
SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Canadian Songwriters
SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Awards
TD Indigenous Songwriter Award
Her Music Awards – Sponsored by Bandzoogle

Learn about SOCAN awards

Region of Waterloo Arts Fund

Waterloo Region Community Foundation

Canadian Music Week

RBCxMusic & Prism Prize & Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television

Henry Armstrong Award

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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.

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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.

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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

Rights and publishing

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Our projects

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

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Roos Island Music Series

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

Visit festival websites to find application deadlines for 2025 music festivals.

Oshawa Events in the Park (various dates)

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Music in Kitchener

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Our projects

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