10 members of RCM Community win JUNO Awards

The 2026 JUNO Awards, held on March 29 in Hamilton, Ont., celebrated excellence in Canadian music. It marked another outstanding year for The Royal Conservatory (RCM) community. Artists connected to the RCM were recognized across classical, jazz, pop, Indigenous, and Latin categories, reflecting the breadth of talent nurtured through its programs and stages.

Following a year that saw strong representation in nominations, there were ten RCM alumni, faculty, and Koerner Hall artists among this year’s winners.

RCM alumna Tate McRae was among the most recognized artists of the evening, receiving multiple awards including Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Pop Album of the Year.

RCM Community Winners at the 2026 JUNO Awards

• Aysanabee (Koerner Hall artist)
  Winner: Alternative Album of the Year; Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year
• Mariko Anraku (ADP ’95, harp)
  Winner: Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble)
• Conrad Chow (RCM alumnus and RCM faculty)
  Winner: Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble)
• Alex Cuba (Koerner Hall artist)
  Winner: Latin Music Recording of the Year
• Leandra Earl (RCM alumna), member of The Beaches
  Winner: Rock Album of the Year; Group of the Year
• Kevin Lau (Koerner Hall artist)
  Winner: Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble)
• Jan Lisiecki (PDP ’18, piano; Koerner Hall artist)
  Winner: Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artist)
• Tate McRae (RCM alumna)
  Winner: Single of the Year; Album of the Year; Artist of the Year; Pop Album of the Year
• Rachel Mercer (RCM alumna)
  Winner: Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble)
• Renee Rosnes (Koerner Hall artist)
  Winner: Jazz Album of the Year (Solo)

Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble) Winner

Kimiko’s Pearl — Kevin Lau (Koerner Hall artist); performed by Mariko Anraku (Glenn Gould School alumna), Conrad Chow (RCM alumnus; faculty), Ron Korb (Koerner Hall artist), and Rachel Mercer (RCM alumna)

Additional RCM community nominees included:

• Bruce Xiaoyu Liu (RCM alumnus) – Nominee: Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artist)
• Katherine Dowling (RCM alumna) – Nominee: Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artist)
• Caity Gyorgy (RCM-affiliated artist) – Nominee: Jazz Vocal Album of the Year
• Jean-Michel Blais (RCM-affiliated artist) – Nominee: Instrumental Album of the Year
• Lido Pimienta (RCM-affiliated artist) – Nominee: Latin Music Recording of the Year

See the full list of winners and nominees here. Congratulations to all!