New Music Concerts was founded in 1971 by the internationally acclaimed Canadian musicians, flutist and composer Robert Aitken and composer Norma Beecroft, to promote interest in the art of music and contemporary music in particular. This mandate has resulted in the presentation of over 300 Toronto concerts of the music of our time by Canadian and international composers. A consequence of this juxtaposition of worldwide composers and their Canadian colleagues has been a legacy of global rapport and good will. Impressed by the calibre of performance and dedication to the musical ideals by our local musicians, these composers (and on occasion, artists) return home with a deeper appreciation and respect for Canadian composers and performers. Added to this are numerous tours of Canada, the United States and Europe. Extending this fundamental aspect of our mandate, NMC has offered lectures, films, mixed media presentations, forums, reading weekends and music theatre. Now celebrating its 38th season, NMC has produced or performed on nine recordings, including a 2009 disc of the music of Elliott Carter on the NAXOS label.
New Music Concerts has nurtured performers and audiences over the years for contemporary music activities in Toronto. This has been accomplished by the excellence of performance and the diversity of programming which has built an appreciative audience for contemporary music in the city. We are continually involved in presenting the finest and most interesting of the world's composers and ensembles to reflect and contrast the international scene with the Canadian one. At the same time NMC has reflected the cultural diversity of our own country, with concerts highlighting the musical cultures of such countries as Poland, Italy, Japan, China and recently Iceland, Slovenia, and Lithuania. We have also been active in taking Canada to the world, through our broadcasts, recordings and, in earlier years, through tours in Canada (Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Kingston), the USA (Boston, Washington and New York) and Europe (with sixteen concerts in Oslo, Bergen, Stockholm, Reykjavik, London, Paris, Saarbrucken, Bourges, Nantes and Brussels). Critics have been generous in their praise since the very beginning and continue to support our efforts. Robert Harris, writing in the Globe and Mail, observed that “The composers of today, I am sure, give daily thanks to pioneers like Bob Aitken and the New Music Concerts Ensemble, who consistently deliver their works with the highest degree of professionalism. Someday, perhaps, this music will win the wider audience it so richly deserves.”
