Published on July 27, 2021
CBC has published the 2021 edition of its top 30 classical musicians under 30 years old and, once again, Royal Conservatory of Music students and alumni dominate this annual list.
The RCM artists included on this prestigious list include numerous pianists, string players, and vocalists, as well as a harpist, trombonist, and guitarist. They all share the experience of pursuing musical studies through the RCM Certificate Program – The Royal Conservatory's acclaimed system of private education and examinations – or through the professional programs of The Glenn Gould School including The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program, and/or The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists.
According to the article "30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30, 2021 Edition" by CBC Music: “The 2021 edition includes musicians who've grabbed our attention over the past 12 months by winning competitions and awards, graduating from top music schools, making exciting debuts and releasing new albums — all while a global pandemic was raging. No small feat.”
We congratulate and look forward to seeing what the future holds for all of these individuals "burning up Canada's classical music scene" this year.
Here are The Royal Conservatory Students and Alumni on CBC’s “30 Under 30” List (2021 Edition):
Leslie Ashworth, violinist and violist (Oakville, ON) RCM Certificate Program, The Glenn Gould School & The Taylor Academy graduate
Sydney Baedke, soprano (Medicine Hat, AB) 2019-20 Rebanks Fellow
Robert Conquer, trombonist (Scarborough, ON) RCM Certificate Program
Rebecca Cuddy, mezzo-soprano (Brampton, ON) RCM Certificate Program
Ryan Davis, violist (Saskatoon, SK) 2019-20 Rebanks Fellow
Ben Diamond, guitarist (St. John's, NL) RCM Certificate Program
Jacques Forestier, violinist (Edmonton, AB) RCM Certificate Program
Gabrielle Gaudreault, choral conductor, pianist (Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, QC) RCM Certificate Program
Lincoln Haggart-Ives, violinist (Vaughan, ON) RCM Certificate Program
Arlen Hlusko, cellist (Lowville, ON) The Taylor Academy graduate
Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, pianist (Salmon Arm, BC) RCM Certificate Program
Christina Kant, harpist (Edmonton, AB) RCM Certificate Program
Juliana Moroz, cellist (Winnipeg, MB) RCM Certificate Program
Royce Rich, violinist (Richmond, BC) The Glenn Gould School student
Charlotte Siegel, soprano (Toronto, ON) RCM Certificate Program
Julien Siino, cellist (Quebec City, QC) RCM Certificate Program
Alexander Soloway, pianist (Ottawa, ON) RCM Certificate Program
Korin Thomas-Smith, baritone (Toronto, ON) 2020-21 Rebanks Fellow
Eugene Ye, cellist (Richmond Hill, ON) Taylor Academy graduate
Jessy Je Young Kim, violinist (Vancouver, BC) 2020-21 Rebanks Fellow
Ryan Zhu, pianist (Vancouver, BC) RCM Certificate Program

