Canadian Music Centre goes online
Music buffs worldwide can now access information about Canadian classical music online. The Canadian Music Centre has posted a new website that promotes and celebrates Canadian composers and music.
Until now, the centre's vast collection of classical music works was only available through music libraries in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Sackville, N.B.
After spending the better part of a year preparing the site, the centre is now able to offer digitized music samples, access to a massive database of more than 15,000 scores, and more than 500 composer bios on the Web.
CMC executive director Elisabeth Bihl says an online presence was only a matter of time.
"The challenge really was to bring the music centre into the 21st century and make it more accessible to everybody that's interested in music ... By doing that we had to create a new database," Bihl said.
She added that the amount of information available from the site might surprise people. "If you wanted to find out if anyone has written about how to play a toy piano, well, key it in and find out."
Toronto-based composer Allison Cameron is featured on the CMC site. She calls it a valuable source of information and a great tool for self-promotion.
"If somebody was anywhere in the world and had access to the Web, they could find my music and what music the CMC has available," Cameron said. "They can find info on other composers. It's very easy and interactive. You can find anyone, say, someone you hear on the radio..."
For example, if an Australian fan of composer John Weinzweig visited the site, he would find an extensive bio and could access the CMC database for Weinzweig's works. He could then register to borrow copies of up to 10 titles from the CMC library.
The CMC showcased its new Web site at the International Music Information Conference in Rome this past June, where representatives from 41 countries gathered to exchange information on improving their online presence. Many expressed interest in using the CMC sites as a model for their own. Bihl said she was overwhelmed by the positive response.
