Alumni
There are over five million alumni of The Royal Conservatory of Music. Below are a few of the many illustrious alumni who embody the transformative power of music and the arts.
Canadians have made huge inroads in the world of music and this is all the more reason that The Royal Conservatory should be generously supported for the role that is has played and continues to play in nurturing and preparing these artists become worthy of worldwide stature. - Oscar Peterson
Music – Classical
Mariko Anraku - Associate Principal Harp of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; recording artist with EMI Classics
Isabel Bayrakdarian - JUNO Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated opera singer; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Martin Beaver - Violinist, member of the Tokyo String Quartet
Marie Bérard - Member of Grammy Award-nominated ARC Ensemble
Mario Bernardi - Founding Conductor of Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra
Russell Braun - Operatic lyric baritone
Measha Brueggergosman - JUNO Award-winning opera singer
Andrew Burashko - Artistic Director of Art of Time Ensemble
Howard Cable - Conductor and Composer
Cecilia String Quartet - Winners of 2011 Banff International String Quartet Competition
Kevin Chen - Pianist, 1st Canadian to win the Concours de Genève International Music Competition
Jonathan Crow - Violinist, Concertmaster with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Mychael Danna - Academy Award-winning composer
John Estacio - JUNO Award-nominated composer
Mark Fewer - Violinist, Artistic Director of Halifax's Scotia Festival of Music
Wallis Giunta - Award-winning mezzo-soprano
Glenn Gould - Legendary classical pianist, multiple Grammy and JUNO Award-winner
Gryphon Trio - JUNO Award-winning classical music ensemble
Ofra Harnoy - JUNO Award-winning cellist
Angela Hewitt - Classical pianist, Officer of the Order of Canada
Jaeden Izik-Dzurko - Pianist, winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition 2024
Miriam Khalil - Celebrated soprano; Founding Member, Against the Grain Theatre
Dennis Kim - Concertmaster, Pacific Symphony
Helen Kim - Assistant Concertmaster of the Atlanta Opera Orchestra
Leslie Kinton - Member of acclaimed piano duo Anagnoson and Kinton; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Julian Kuerti - Assistant conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Jan Lisiecki - JUNO Award-winning pianist, Deutsche Grammophon recording artist
Peter Longworth - Classical pianist
Alexina Louie - JUNO Award-winning composer and pianist
David Louie - Member of Grammy Award-nominated ARC Ensemble
Malcolm Lowe - Concertmaster of Boston Symphony, faculty at Tanglewood Music Center
Lois Marshall - Opera singer, Companion of the Order of Canada
Sir Roger Norrington - Principal Conductor of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Kent Nagano - Conductor, and music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera
Jon Kimura Parker - Award-winning pianist; faculty at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University; Officer of the Order of Canada; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Adrianne Pieczonka - JUNO Award-nominated opera singer, Officer of the Order of Canada; Vocal Chair, Head of the Vocal Department, The Glenn Gould School
Gary Rideout - Tenor
R. Murray Schafer - Composer and Educator; recipient of Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement; faculty member and Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Barry Shiffman - Violinist and violist; Co-founder of the St. Lawrence String Quartet; Director, Banff International String Quartet Festival; Artistic Director, Rockport Music; Director, The Taylor Academy; Associate Dean, The Glenn Gould School
St. Lawrence String Quartet - Award-winning classical music ensemble
Teresa Stratas - Grammy Award-winning opera singer, Officer of the Order of Canada
Jon Vickers - Renowned opera singer, Companion of the Order of Canada
Andrew Wan - Concertmaster, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Dianne Werner - Pianist, Member of Grammy Award-nominated ARC Ensemble
Monica Whicher - Celebrated Soprano
Music – Non-Classical
Randy Bachman - Guitarist, founding member of The Guess Who and BTO (Bachman Turner Overdrive), Officer of the Order of Canada; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Rob Baker - Guitarist and songwriter, The Tragically Hip
Guido Basso - Trumpeter
Jaycelyn Brown - Pianist, member of JUNO Award-winning band Said The Whale
Bruce Cockburn - JUNO Award-winning folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Officer of the Order of Canada
Burton Cummings - Performer, singer-songwriter, member of The Guess Who, and Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Phil Dwyer - Saxophonist, pianist, and composer; multiple JUNO and National Jazz Award-winner; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Bob Ezrin - JUNO Award-winning record producer; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
David Foster - Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe/Grammy Award-winning musician and record producer, Officer of the Order of Canada; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Chilly Gonzales - Grammy award-winning pianist, songwriter, and producer
Lawrence Gowan - Award-winning solo performer and member of Styx
Emily Haines - Singer and songwriter, JUNO Award-winning band Metric
Jeff Healey - JUNO Award-winning jazz guitarist and singer
Carly Rae Jepsen - Award-winning singer-songwriter
Anika Johnson - composer, music director, and performer
Britta Johnson - composer, lyricist, and playwright
Kiesza - JUNO Award-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
Diana Krall - Grammy and JUNO Award-winning jazz singer and pianist; Officer of the Order of Canada
Chantal Kreviazuk - JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter and pianist; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
k.d. lang - Grammy and JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Luna Li - singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer
Gordon Lightfoot - Singer and songwriter, Companion of the Order of Canada
Jens Lindemann - Echo Klassik Award-winning and Grammy and JUNO-nominated trumpeter, faculty at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Amanda Marshall - JUNO Award-nominated singer-songwriter
Phil Nimmons - Founding member of the Canadian League of Composers; Director Emeritus of Jazz Studies at the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto
Loreena McKennitt - JUNO Award-winning singer, pianist and composer; Member of the Order of Canada
Sarah McLachlan - Multiple JUNO/Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, Officer of the Order of Canada
Stephan Moccio - Grammy and Academy Award-nominated songwriter, musician, and producer
Bryant Olender - Genie Award-nominated musician and Musical Director for Michael Bublé
Owen Pallett - composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist, member of Grammy/JUNO Award-winning Arcade Fire
Richard Reed Parry - Guitarist and composer, member of Grammy/JUNO Award-winning Arcade Fire
Meghan Patrick - JUNO Award-winning country singer-songwriter
Ryan Peake - Guitarist, member of Grammy and JUNO Award-winning band Nickelback
Oscar Peterson - Grammy and JUNO Award-winning pianist and composer, Companion of the Order of Canada; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Doug Riley - Composer and pianist, AKA Dr. Music
Paul Shaffer - Musician, actor, composer, Musical Director for Late Night With David Letterman, Member of the Order of Canada
Sarah Slean - JUNO Award-nominated singer-songwriter
Dan Snaith - Canadian composer, musician, and recording artist who has performed under the stage names Caribou, Manitoba, and Daphni
Alexander Stewart - singer-songwriter
Tegan and Sara - JUNO Award-winning singers and songwriters
Shania Twain - Award-winning singer-songwriter, Officer of the Order of Canada
Leif Vollebekk - indie folk singer-songwriter and JUNO award-winner
Greg Wells - Grammy Award-winning producer, musician and composer
Wesley Williams - JUNO Award-winning musician and actor, AKA Maestro Fresh Wes
Business
Denise Donlon - Business executive, television, producer, host, and Member of the Order of Canada; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Ian Ihnatowycz - Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Generation Capital, Inc.; Co-chair, The RCM Founders; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Michael Koerner - President of Canada Overseas Investments Limited; Chancellor of The Royal Conservatory
Dance
Guillaume Côté - Principal Dancer, National Ballet of Canada
Veronica Tennant - Producer, director, filmmaker and former Prima Ballerina, National Ballet of Canada
Film & Television
Kim Cattrall - Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actress
Norman Jewison - Multiple Academy Award-nominated film director, Companion of the Order of Canada
Kristin Kreuk - Actress
Simu Liu - Award-winning actor
Sandra Oh - Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actress
Ryan Reynolds - Film actor
Government & Politics
The Hon. Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella - Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
The Right Hon. Kim Campbell - Canada's 19th Prime Minister
Aline Chrétien - Spouse of former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson - 26th Governor General of Canada
The Hon. Kirsty Duncan - Minister of Science and Sport
The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper - 22nd Prime Minister of Canada
The Hon. Lois Hole -15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
The Hon. Barbara McDougall - Advisor at Aird & Berlis LLP; former Secretary of State for External Affairs
The Hon. Bob Rae - 21st Premier of Ontario
Literature
Barbara Gowdy - Giller Prize/Governor General/Man Booker Prize nominee
Tomson Highway - Award-winning author and playwright; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Annabel Lyon - Giller and Governor General’s Award-nominated author
Ann-Marie MacDonald - Author, recipient of Commonwealth Writers Prize and Governor General’s Award for Literary Merit
Media
Jeanne Beker - Television host and journalist
Piya Chattopadhyay - CBC broadcaster
Ivan Fecan - Former head of Bell Media
Heather Hiscox - Television anchor, CBC News Network
Tanya Kim - Television personality
Ben Mulroney - Television anchor
George Stroumboulopoulos - Gemini Award-winning broadcaster
Science & Medicine
Dr. Roberta Bondar - Neurologist, Astronaut, Photographer
Dr. Rob Hegele - Endocrinologist, Director of the Blackburn Cardiovascular Genetics Lab at Robarts Research Institute and London Regional Genomics Centre; Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Western University
Dr. Rick Hegele - Chief of Pathology, Sick Kids Hospital and Departmental Chair of Pathology, University of Toronto
Dr. Maral Ouzounian - Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Network (Toronto)
Dr. Terry Tam - Attending ER physician at Saanich Peninsula Hospital; Concertmaster of Victoria Symphony; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory
Dr. Marta Witer - Doctor of Optometry, past president of the Vision Institute of Canada
Dr. Samuel Wong - Eye surgeon, conductor of more than 35 performances with New York Philharmonic
Sports
Jeremiah Brown - Silver Medal-winner at 2012 Summer Olympic Games in Men's Rowing
Patrick Chan - World champion figure skater and Olympic medallist
Alex Gough - Two-time medal winner at 2018 Winter Olympics in Women's Luge
Sean Morley - Multiple WWF Championship-winning professional wrestler AKA Val Venis
Scott Niedermayer - NHL Defenceman
Eric Radford - World champion pairs figure skater and Olympic medallist; Honorary Fellow of The Royal Conservatory