The Glenn Gould Foundation Presents: Music, Reconciliation, and Healing

The Promise of Music is a spectacular week of joy and inspiration that celebrates how music making transforms and saves lives across the world.

Orchestras, artists, dreamers, heroes and trailblazers from across the globe are gathering in Toronto to proclaim a simple truth: Music changes everything. With music education, children grow up to achieve significantly more academically, socially and interpersonally. They connect better with others, and create better careers for themselves.

Where is the Chrysalis?

Chrysalis (formerly known as Ryerson Theatre) is located at 43 Gerrard Street East in Toronto. The venue is located on the campus of Toronto Metropolitan University. The nearest major intersection is Yonge Street & Gerrard Street.

How do I get to Chrysalis?

Chrysalis is accessible by transit and by car. Chrysalis is conveniently located in between Dundas and College TTC stations. There are various parking garages nearby, as well as limited street parking.

Click here to get directions.

Is there accessible seating?

Yes, there is a designated accessibility seating section on the Orchestra level for those with mobility devices and/or accessibility accommodations.

Please note, unfortunately our Balcony level is not wheelchair accessible. There is no elevator and the balcony is only accessible by stairs.

If you have access needs or questions about accessibility, please contact [email protected].

Are there accessible restrooms?

There is a single-stall, all-gender restroom in the lobby. Please note, unfortunately this restroom does not have an ADA handicap button to automatically open the door. But the inside of the washroom is wheelchair accessible.

Info: Join us for this illuminating address by Dr. Shimi Kang MD, award-winning psychiatrist, bestselling author of The Dolphin Parent, acclaimed speaker; recognized expert on mental health, positive parenting, family dynamics, innovation, and resilience. An inspiring exploration of music’s profound scientifically validated power for healing, connection, and thriving, drawing on Dr. Kang’s clinical practice, research and real-life experience as a mother.

Info: How do community-based music-making programs engage in a meaningful way with diverse cultures and their representatives, authentically reflecting Indigenous values and perspectives, and those of other formerly colonized nations?

With sensitive planning and design, and inviting the leadership of Indigenous community leaders, Elders, song-keepers and others, community-based participatory music projects can become a gateway through which to challenge dominant cultural frameworks and centre local knowledge and traditions, energize community agency and promote individual empowerment.

Who leads these initiatives? Whose music is being made? Who decides? What forms of teaching are most powerful and authentically rooted? How can those “from outside,” with potentially useful skills offer their help and resources in a respectful, supportive way that listens, responds and does not impose?

Info: Music students are often steered towards careers in performance, teaching, or academia - paths that reflect the structure of most post-secondary programs. But Canada's music industry is much broader, powered by professionals working in artist management, music publishing, record labels, nonprofit leadership, community service and much more. These roles are not only vital to the music industry, they are varied and rich with opportunity and creative fulfillment. Yet, they are systematically overlooked in most music education contexts despite offering powerful and fulfilling ways to apply the skills gained through music education. Join some of Canada's leading music industry professionals as they shine a light on the full spectrum of careers available in music.

Info: The infinite complexity of the brain, with its hundred trillion neural connections, remains a vast and largely uncharted landscape. We are still in the early stages of understanding how the brain works, how it develops from infancy through to old age, and how what we do and learn can change it. In early childhood, when development is especially critical, the experiences and opportunities provided by parents, teachers, and caregivers can decisively shape the path of a child's life. The effects of music on the brain have proven to be an especially rich field of study, yielding startling new insights on the vital role that this essential human art can play in preparing children and even infants for fuller, more resilient futures. Join our panelists as they explore the latest insights into the remarkable interplay between music and the brain, and discover how this powerful art form can support the development and well-being of your brain, and your children’s brains.

Info: An illuminating keynote double-header exploring music’s scientifically validated power to heal, connect, and thrive. This session brings together two extraordinary voices offering complementary perspectives on music’s transformative effect on young lives. Dr. Battaglia draws from clinical psychiatry and evidence-based research, while Dr. Stewart approaches the world from pediatric neurology, exploring the role of music in activating synapses and dopamine responses and supporting brain development. Rooted in science, but elevated by deep compassion and rich personal experiences working with young patients, both speakers offer a powerful and hopeful vision of what music can do. With live music!

Info: TBC

Info: We live in a world deeply focused on competition and competitiveness. Policy-makers want to have the most skilled workforce possible to enhance productivity. Parents seek to equip their kids with “marketable skills,” that will enable them to compete in a rapidly evolving technological environment. These pressures converge in public policy, leading to an education system that emphasizes STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

But what are we missing?

At the foundation of all learning and all human achievement lies the human brain, and its infinitely complex and varied functions. Does our singular focus on a specific range of academic subjects fully prepare children’s brains to achieve their maximum potential, even in those specific areas of future professional activity that we’re training them for? Or is something else needed?

Info: This panel brings together leading educators, researchers and practitioners who are reimagining music education to serve students with exceptionalities. Through diverse approaches, from adaptive instruments to inclusive ensemble programs, panelists will share how their programs foster access, autonomy and engagement for students with exceptionalities.

This session will explore how music can support communication, emotional expression, and social connection for students across a range of abilities. Designed for educators, administrators, parents and advocates, this discussion will offer practical strategies for developing inclusive music programs and highlight the profound impact these programs have for students, educators, and the broader field of music education.

Info: Over the past three decades, People for Education has grown from a small, grassroots initiative into one of Canada’s most respected and influential voices in public education policy. In this keynote, Executive Director Annie Kidder will reflect on the organization’s evolution and its impact on shaping equitable, evidence-based education.

Through research, policy development, and public engagement, People for Education has influenced provincial and national conversations about the essential role of the arts and music in a well-rounded curriculum.

Annie Kidder's keynote will offer a practical look at how long-term advocacy can influence public policy and create lasting systemic change. Attendees will gain concrete strategies for protecting and expanding access to music education and learn how to build broader support through effective policy engagement.

Info: Music programs are a powerful force in the lives of young people, whether it's through building self-confidence, fostering belonging, or helping students navigate the overwhelming challenges of today. And yet, access to meaningful music education remains deeply unequal among children and may become increasingly inaccessible in the future.
This roundtable brings together panelists from across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Ireland who are reimagining what music programs can look like. Together, the panelists will share insights into how their music programs are bringing about social change and the impacts they have witnessed in the lives and well-being of their students. For educators, administrators, parents and policymakers alike, this session offers a window into what's possible when we commit to making high-quality music education accessible to every child - a right, not a luxury or privilege.

Info: The term “super-producer” gets thrown around a lot, but in Bob Ezrin’s case, it’s well earned. The Toronto-born musical mastermind has been behind the board for many of rock’s most legendary albums, among them Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Babies, KISS’ Destroyer, and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. But Ezrin isn’t just about making hits, he’s also been a vocal champion of music education in Canada, working tirelessly with MusiCounts, to keep the beat alive in schools facing ongoing governmental arts funding cuts. In this culminating keynote, Ezrin draws upon a storied lifetime of musical experience, on the profound human need for music in all its manifestations, its essential role as a catalyst for change, healing, compassion and connection. Bob Ezrin ends with a challenge and a plea: a challenge to our policy-makers and a plea to make the gifts that enriched his life available to every child.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Creative School, Toronto Metropolitan University, The Creative School Chrysalis, Toronto, Canada