The Glenn Gould School Opens Applications for Fall 2026 after High-Profile Faculty Hires

It has been an exciting 12 months at The Glenn Gould School (GGS), The Royal Conservatory’s degree-granting post-secondary school dedicated to performance training. Under the leadership of Dean James Anagnoson and Associate Dean Barry Shiffman, GGS has had a transformative year as the school expanded its world-class faculty with exciting new additions, further elevating its reputation as a premier international destination for music performance education and training.

With the recent additions of Jonathan Crow, Jonathan Biss, Anton Nel, Kelly Zimba Lukić, and Steven Woomert, students who study at GGS are poised to join a long list of distinguished alumni who are now performing in top orchestras and concert halls around the world.

 

Excellence in Piano Performance Training

GGS has continued to build upon one of the leading piano faculty rosters in North America with the addition of internationally renowned pianist and educator Jonathan Biss, for the Fall 2025 semester. Biss has appeared as a soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics; the Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Philadelphia Symphonies; and in Europe with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonia, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and the London Philharmonic, among others. Biss’s appointment to the exceptional GGS piano faculty follows the appointment of Anton Nel in 2024 and Jeremy Denk (Ihnatowycz Chair in Piano) in 2023, joining other esteemed faculty members  John O’Conor, James Anagnoson, David Louie, Anya Alexeyev, Michael Berkovsky, and Li Wang.

 

A Premier Voice Studies Destination for Post-Secondary Students

Young vocal artists from North America and around the world are landing in Toronto to study with a distinguished faculty of voice professors, coaches, and classroom instructors. Led by internationally acclaimed soprano and Chair in Voice, Adrianne Pieczonka (OC), Vocal Studies and the Price Opera Program at GGS is dedicated exclusively to performance and training through a personalized, comprehensive and professional experience. The voice faculty also includes acclaimed artists and educators who have graced some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Stephanie Bogle, Jason Howard, Joel Katz, and Jean MacPhail. With only 24 students enrolled annually across the Bachelor of Music and Artist Diploma programs, vocal students will benefit from a curriculum that spans the entire classical vocal repertoire – from art song and chamber music to choral works and fully-staged operas; 90-minute weekly private lessons plus 60-minute weekly vocal coaching sessions; rigorous training in languages, dramatic arts, music theory and history.

 

The Preeminent Orchestral Training School

The Glenn Gould School’s Royal Conservatory Orchestra (RCO) is widely regarded as one of the best training orchestras in North America. With the recent announcement of TSO Concertmaster Jonathan Crow as Director of the Temerty Orchestral Program, this tradition of excellence is set in stone for many years to come. As one of Canada’s most acclaimed violinists and music educators, Crow will work closely with orchestral students as well as oversee curriculum and selection of guest conductors for the four RCO concerts in acclaimed Koerner Hall each academic year. Previous announcements in the past year of incoming orchestral faculty members Kelly Zimba Lukić (Principal Flute, TSO) and Steven Woomert (Principal Trumpet, TSO) only reinforce The Glenn Gould School as the preeminent destination for top music faculty and students alike.

 

Chamber Music at an Elite Level

Chamber music is a crucial element of performance training and development for artists at GGS. Performing in smaller chamber ensembles and venues prepares you for larger orchestra experiences; it is where musicians hone their skills to become great musicians. Students at GGS will study with faculty that consist of acclaimed concert performers, principals of major orchestras, recording artists and educators; these include Min-Jeong Koh, Gordon Wolfe, and Barry Shiffman. Through intensive coaching, masterclasses with world-renowned artists, and performance opportunities in some of Canada’s most inspiring venues like Koerner Hall, the GGS Chamber Music Program is preparing artists for a career where collaboration, discovery, and artistic growth are paramount. GGS has also integrated chamber performance outreach into the curriculum to encourage young artists to engage with the community and bring high-quality musical performance to audiences who may not have previously had access to live music.

 

Join The Glenn Gould School!

The Glenn Gould School is The Royal Conservatory's degree-granting post-secondary institution. We offer curriculum for three disciplines – Piano, Voice, and Orchestral Instruments.
 
In addition to offering 50% more one-on-one instruction time than other leading music institutions, GGS offers generous scholarship funding where 100% of students receive significant scholarship support, and over 70% of students receive full-tuition scholarships. And with a student body capped at 130, GGS is a close-knit community of exceptionally talented musicians who benefit from multiple performance opportunities including in acclaimed Koerner Hall – regarded as one of the best concert halls in the world.

The deadline to apply to The Glenn Gould School is December 15, 2025, for all programs: Bachelor, Artist Diploma, and the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program.

Learn More and Apply