Music - The Globe and Mail

After 17 years, Mervon Mehta steps down as the Royal Conservatory of Music’s concert programmer

Mehta previously held positions with the Ravinia Festival in Chicago and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia

Mervon Mehta , who steps down from his role as the Royal Conservatory of Music’s executive director, performing arts, after 17 years.

Mervon Mehta , who steps down from his role as the Royal Conservatory of Music’s executive director, performing arts, after 17 years.

4 min read

June 23, 2026

Mervon Mehta , who steps down from his role as the Royal Conservatory of Music’s executive director, performing arts, after 17 years.

Mervon Mehta , who steps down from his role as the Royal Conservatory of Music’s executive director, performing arts, after 17 years.

After 17 years, Mervon Mehta steps down as the Royal Conservatory of Music’s concert programmer

4 min read

June 22, 2026

video

Music industry mogul Clive Davis dies at 94

June 18, 2026

video

Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Bono and others perform at opening of Obama Presidential Center

June 18, 2026

June 15, 2026 - Artist, Fiona Smyth, photographed in front of the Sneaky Dees sign she painted in the 1990s. Photographed in Toronto, ON

June 15, 2026 - Artist, Fiona Smyth, photographed in front of the Sneaky Dees sign she painted in the 1990s. Photographed in Toronto, ON

The woman who created iconic Sneaky Dee’s mural ponders its future as demolition threat looms

5 min read

June 17, 2026

photos for the Q&A story about Alexander Shelley leaving the NAC May 2026

photos for the Q&A story about Alexander Shelley leaving the NAC May 2026

National Arts Centre Orchestra members reflect on Alexander Shelley’s time at the helm

4 min read

June 16, 2026

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard arrives at the Toronto courthouse on Thursday, October 20, 2022. The Parole Board of Canada recently denied him full parole but granted him day parole for six months. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard arrives at the Toronto courthouse on Thursday, October 20, 2022. The Parole Board of Canada recently denied him full parole but granted him day parole for six months. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin

Parole Board rejects former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard’s bid for full parole

4 min read

June 16, 2026

FILE - Grammy Awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - Grammy Awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Grammys add five new categories, lengthen eligibility timeline for best new artist

2 min read

June 16, 2026

Bonnie Tyler performs her song 'Believe in Me' during a rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, in 2013.

Bonnie Tyler performs her song 'Believe in Me' during a rehearsal for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, in 2013.

Singer Bonnie Tyler out of coma but in intensive care after emergency surgery

1 min read

June 14, 2026

Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee perform during the final night of Rush's tour-opening four-concert stand at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, on Sat. June 13.

Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee perform during the final night of Rush's tour-opening four-concert stand at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, on Sat. June 13.

review

A reunited Rush closes out its sold-out L.A. run with a spellbinding, mind-bending test of time

Brad Wheeler

3 min read

June 12, 2026

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Taylor Swift attends the Songwriters Hall of Fame 55th Annual Induction and Awards Gala at Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 11, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 11: Taylor Swift attends the Songwriters Hall of Fame 55th Annual Induction and Awards Gala at Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 11, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Taylor Swift makes history as the youngest woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

4 min read

June 11, 2026

Canada's experimental rock band "Angine de Poitrine" guitarist Khn de Poitrine performs during a concert part of the Nuits Botanique music festival in Brussels on May 28, 2026. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP via Getty Images)

Quebec' masked band Angine de Poitrine is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Constantin Monfilliette (Mandatory Credit)

Angine de Poitrine, Beaches, Kaytranada make Polaris Music Prize long list

2 min read

June 11, 2026

Bryan Adams joined other Canadian artists Wednesday night for the Countdown Concert at the FIFA Fan Festival in Toronto

Bryan Adams joined other Canadian artists Wednesday night for the Countdown Concert at the FIFA Fan Festival in Toronto

Bryan Adams headlines Toronto’s World Cup countdown concert

Brad Wheeler

4 min read

June 9, 2026

Air Canada flight attendant Lily Kahnerahtiio Dailleboust, left, is pictured with singer Rihanna on a flight on Monday June 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Lily Kahnerahtiio Dailleboust (Mandatory Credit)

Air Canada flight attendant Lily Kahnerahtiio Dailleboust, left, is pictured with singer Rihanna on a flight on Monday June 1, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Lily Kahnerahtiio Dailleboust (Mandatory Credit)

Rihanna receives gift of Mohawk beadwork from Air Canada flight attendant

2 min read

June 5, 2026

This summer’s top 10 pop, rock and country concerts – plus, a little jazz and classical

4 min read

June 5, 2026

From hip hop to The Hip, these 10 new albums have something for everyone

4 min read

June 5, 2026

Nelly Furtado, Canadian singer and songwriter, speaks on stage during the Juno Awards nominees announcement in Toronto on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Nelly Furtado, Canadian singer and songwriter, speaks on stage during the Juno Awards nominees announcement in Toronto on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Three pop-culture escapes to enjoy in your next free moment, no matter how long you have

Hannah Sung

4 min read

June 4, 2026

Alanis Morissette performs during the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Alanis Morissette performs during the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Alanis Morissette, Mötley Crüe, Feist among FIFA musical performers in Toronto and Vancouver

2 min read

June 4, 2026

Boi-1da, Nelly Furtado and Alessia Cara pose with members of Canada's men's national soccer team in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Canada Soccer(Mandatory Credit)

Boi-1da, Nelly Furtado and Alessia Cara pose with members of Canada's men's national soccer team in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Canada Soccer(Mandatory Credit)

Canadian World Cup album featuring Nelly Furtado, Tragically Hip to be released tomorrow

4 min read

June 2, 2026

Trudy Medcalf, who was president of the Beatles’ Canadian fan club as a teenager, holds a photo of herself with The Beatles, at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Trudy Medcalf, who was president of the Beatles’ Canadian fan club as a teenager, holds a photo of herself with The Beatles, at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

She started a Beatles fan club. Then Beatlemania arrived

5 min read

June 2, 2026

Randy Bachman, left, and Burton Cummings perform as the Guess Who in Moncton last week.

Randy Bachman, left, and Burton Cummings perform as the Guess Who in Moncton last week.

Guess Who’s back on stage? Cummings and Bachman reunite – but for other rock acts, original band members are scarce

5 min read

June 1, 2026

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 09: (L-R) Leandra Earl and Jordan Miller of The Beaches performs onstage during Audacy's KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2023 at The Kia Forum on December 09, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Audacy)

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 09: (L-R) Leandra Earl and Jordan Miller of The Beaches performs onstage during Audacy's KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2023 at The Kia Forum on December 09, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Audacy)

Music industry funding body FACTOR settles with Scotiabank in $9.8-million heist case

5 min read

May 30, 2026

Gary Stewart: I Am From The Honky-Tonks by Jimmy McDonough

Gary Stewart: I Am From The Honky-Tonks by Jimmy McDonough

Jimmy McDonough’s Gary Stewart biography is a honky-tonk tale of ‘thwap’

4 min read

May 29, 2026

Photographer credit Mary McCartney © 2026 Mary McCartney.jpg

Photographer credit Mary McCartney © 2026 Mary McCartney.jpg

review

On his new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, Paul McCartney remembers yesterday

Brad Wheeler

3 min read

May 28, 2026

The original material Bruno Mars played was a pastiche of party funk, 1970s vocal-group crooning, sleek Chicano soul, jazzy horns, snazzy disco-pop and more.

The original material Bruno Mars played was a pastiche of party funk, 1970s vocal-group crooning, sleek Chicano soul, jazzy horns, snazzy disco-pop and more.

review

Bruno Mars brings the funk uptown in Toronto

Brad Wheeler

4 min read

May 28, 2026

A 18-year-old defendant, who allegedly planned an attack on a Taylor Swift concert at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, and his accomplice hide behind folders as Austrian justice guards guide them to the Regional Court of Wiener Neustadt in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria, on May 28, 2026. The court is expected to rule on May 28, 2026 in the trial of a 21-year-old man who has pleaded guilty to plotting a jihadist attack on a Taylor Swift concert. The three Vienna dates in the US megastar's record-breaking "Eras" tour were cancelled in the summer of 2024 after authorities warned of the plot. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP via Getty Images)

A 18-year-old defendant, who allegedly planned an attack on a Taylor Swift concert at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, and his accomplice hide behind folders as Austrian justice guards guide them to the Regional Court of Wiener Neustadt in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria, on May 28, 2026. The court is expected to rule on May 28, 2026 in the trial of a 21-year-old man who has pleaded guilty to plotting a jihadist attack on a Taylor Swift concert. The three Vienna dates in the US megastar's record-breaking "Eras" tour were cancelled in the summer of 2024 after authorities warned of the plot. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP via Getty Images)

Austrian man sentenced to 15 years for plot to attack Taylor Swift concert in Vienna

3 min read

May 28, 2026

Georges E. Sioui stands on his condo balcony in Waterloo, Ontario on April 30, 2026.

Georges E. Sioui stands on his condo balcony in Waterloo, Ontario on April 30, 2026.

Georges E. Sioui’s debut album brims with wonder and gratitude for the natural world

4 min read

May 26, 2026

Drake performs during a concert by Vybz Kartel at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

Drake performs during a concert by Vybz Kartel at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

Drake breaks Michael Jackson’s Billboard Hot 100 record

2 min read

May 26, 2026

BTS speaks on stage during the 2026 American Music Awards, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., May 25, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

BTS speaks on stage during the 2026 American Music Awards, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., May 25, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

K-pop band BTS wins artist of the year at American Music Awards for second time

2 min read

May 22, 2026

Goldie Boutilier performs at the 2025 BottleRock Napa Valley, in Napa, Calif., on Sunday, May 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP - Invision, Amy Harris

Goldie Boutilier performs at the 2025 BottleRock Napa Valley, in Napa, Calif., on Sunday, May 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP - Invision, Amy Harris

Goldie Boutilier, Maggie Andrew among winners at East Coast Music Awards

1 min read

May 22, 2026

Duncan MacDonell, a 52-year-old laid-off data analyst and father of two known as "Doc Pickles" in Toronto indie music circles, is pictured near the RBC Amphitheatre in Toronto on May 7, 2026.

MacDonell has landed an usher's job at RBC Amphitheatre for the summer concert season. (Laura Proctor/The Globe and Mail)

Duncan MacDonell, a 52-year-old laid-off data analyst and father of two known as "Doc Pickles" in Toronto indie music circles, is pictured near the RBC Amphitheatre in Toronto on May 7, 2026.

MacDonell has landed an usher's job at RBC Amphitheatre for the summer concert season. (Laura Proctor/The Globe and Mail)

Laid-off data analyst lands a job in rock ‘n’ roll for the summer

4 min read

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