O2 Conference, Feb. 3-5 2026, Edmonton

Earlier in February, Edmonton hosted a three-day joint conference of the Association of Opera in Canada and Orchestras Canada, bringing together about 170 delegates from across the country, including strong representation from orchestral and operatic administrative and artistic leadership, as well as a small but engaged group of composers. The conference featured presentations, panels, and roundtables on topics ranging from social finance and co-production to advocacy, lobbying, and advancing Canadian culture through international trade delegations, and included a keynote speech by Canada Council for the Arts Director and CEO Michelle Chawla. Recurring themes across sessions included cultural sovereignty, ongoing funding gaps, audience development and retention, and the growing importance of digital engagement. With travel support from the AOC and OC, CLC Vice-President Cecilia Livingston attended and spoke in the panel “Built In, Not Bolted On: Celebrating Canadian Composers in Orchestral and Operatic Programming,” which generated lively discussion around barriers and challenges in programming Canadian composers. Panelists offered practical suggestions, such as deeper integration of composers into a presenter’s activities, co-commissioning models, stronger marketing narratives, programming of existing works, sustained stewardship of commissions, and closer collaboration with the CLC and CMC. The session concluded with increased awareness of the CLC among administrators, greater awareness of shared tools like model contracts and visiting composer checklists, and broad agreement that Canadian repertoire—and CLC participation—can be an exciting part of future conference conversations.