Ideas About Music

CHRISTOPHER DAWES’ musical life and ministry span genres, ideas, playing for royalty and the homeless, serving and seeking across what some consider to be musical divisions and segregated worlds. He has given solo recitals and accompanied choral tours across North America and Europe, and been broadcast repeatedly on domestic and international radio services. He is a noted collaborative keyboardist and choral conductor, a veteran theatre musician and composer, and a guest of jazz combos, gospel choirs, praise bands, contemporary music and opera companies. His work appears on over two dozen commercial CDs to date and has been heard in Canada’s greatest concert halls and organ lofts.

Dawes is a Toronto-based performer, conductor and media professional active in many facets of the musical scene, and working with many of the region’s top musical institutions.

Since 2017 he serves as Organist and Director of Music to Rosedale Presbyterian Church. For over two decades he has served as Collaborative Pianist to graduate and undergraduate instrumental and choral conducting programs of the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, and as a Director of Canada’s Summer Institute of Church Music.

Chris’ passion is discovering and sharing all that is interesting and inspirational in music. Following upon graduate work in Music Criticism (area: Musical Genre) in the mid-2000s he gives papers, lectures and pre-concert chats on topics he finds, and that find him – and blogs at ideasaboutmusic.ca. In 2012 he founded Chroí, a 4-piece Celtic crossover band that has found its audience in churches, concert halls and cultural festivals across southern Ontario.

Originally from near Kingston, Ontario, Chris lives in Georgetown, 50km north west of Toronto.