Common Hour: Celebrating the Canadian League of Composers: John Burge, Piano
In celebration of the Canadian League of Composers 75th Anniversary in 2026, composer and pianist, John Burge presents a solo piano recital of music composed by many of the CLC past presidents. Starting with music by founding President, John Weinzweig, the program proceeds chronologically to current president, Tyler Versluis. The concert opens with a musical land acknowledgement, “Trillium,” composed by Indigenous-Canadian composer and CLC member, Beverley McKiver, and concludes with a rousing collective singing of O Canada. This all-Canadian concert promises to be an event of historical, cultural and artistic significance.
Thursday, November 12, 2026
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Tribute Communities Recital Hall
FREE
Composer and pianist, John Burge, taught at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, for 38 years before retiring as a Professor Emeritus in 2025. Many of Burge’s orchestral works, such as Snowdrift, The Canadian Shield and Rocky Mountain Overture, have been performed by orchestras across Canada and internationally. His string orchestra work, Flanders Fields Reflections, as recorded by Sinfonia Toronto, received the 2009 Juno Award for the Best Canadian Classical Composition. In 2014 he was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada for his achievements as a composer and support of the Arts in Canada. Having completed his Associate Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto in Piano Performance while still in high school, John Burge has continued to perform throughout his career, usually in presentations of his own music. Over the years, his piano music has been included in a number of conservatory music syllabi and he is in high demand as a music festival adjudicator. A passionate advocate for Canadian music, he served on the executive committee of the Canadian League of Composers from 1993-2007 (including eight years as President) and on the SOCAN Foundation board of directors from 2009-2025, as well as on the boards of several arts organizations in the Kingston area.
