Dr. Connor O'Kane is a highly sought-after pianist, teacher, chamber musician, and conductor. Since his concerto debut with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 2014, he has appeared as a recitalist in the United States, France, and across Canada. A laureate of major competitions, he was awarded the Canimex Second Prize and top award for piano at the Canadian Music Competition's prestigious Stepping Stone. He has performed in a variety of concert series including Ottawa's Chamberfest, Chateau Windrush, and the KW Chamber Music Society, and has appeared as a guest artist in faculty concerts at Western University, Brock University, and The University of Waterloo.
A passionate collaborative musician with an affinity for opera, Connor has worked on over 20 opera productions in a variety of roles. In 2024 he conducted opera performances at Western University (Britten's Albert Herring), Toronto City Opera (Bizet's Carmen), and at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he served as music director and conductor of Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Debussy's Prodigal Son. In 2025 he has further opera-related engagements with the Glenn Gould School and the Banff Centre.
Connor holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from Western University, where he studied with Stéphan Sylvestre. His doctoral research focused on the piano transcriptions of Sergei Prokofiev, particularly with relation to the ballets Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella. He has been awarded the SSHRC doctoral fellowship, the Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-M), and the Canada Council Explore and Create grant. Connor also studied with David Jalbert, Heather Taves, and Joan Walker, with additional training at the Conservatoire de Lyon in the studio of Manuel Schweizer. He is a passionate and dedicated piano teacher, and an enthusiastic adjudicator at music festivals.
Wilfrid Laurier University - The Mezz
75 University Ave. W.
Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
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Time:9:00 AM | Name:Olivia Wang | Titles: Partita No. 1 in B flat Major, BWV 825, Praeludium, Sarabande, and Gigue by Johann Sebastian Bach Variations on Alyabyev’s Romance “The Nightingale” by Mikhail Glinka Sonatina by Béla Bartók | Home Festival:Guelph |
Time:9:25 AM | Name:Joy Lu | Titles: Prelude and Fugue in F sharp major, BWV 882 by Johann Sebastian Bach Papillons, 0p.2 by Robert Schumann Excursions, op. 2, No. 1 and No. 3 by Samuel Barber | Home Festival:Ottawa Piano |
Time:9:55 AM | Name:Priscilla Han | Titles: Italian Concerto, BWV 971 , 1st, 2nd and 3rd mvts. by Johann Sebastian Bach Toccata, op. 39 by Cécile Chaminade Waltz No. 1 in E-Flat Major, op. 18 ("Grande valse brillante") by Frédéric Chopin | Home Festival:South Simcoe |
Time:10:25 AM | Name:Shuah Cho | Titles: Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, op. 13 ("Pathétique") by Ludwig Van Beethoven Étude No. 2, Deux etudes de sonorité by François Morel | Home Festival:Windsor-Essex |
Time:10:55 AM | Name:Micah Lam | Titles: Sonata in A Major, op. 2, no. 2, 1st and 2nd mvts. by Ludwig van Beethoven Nocturne in C Minor, op. 48, no. 1 by Frédéric Chopin Prelude, op. 40, no. 1, Eight Concert Etudes by Nikolai Kapustin | Home Festival:IMFC |
Time:11:20 AM | Name:Andreas Tsang | Titles: Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, op. 13 ("Pathetique"), 2nd and 3rd mvts. by Ludwig van Beethoven Prelude in B Minor, op. 32, no. 10 by Sergei Rachmaninoff Diabolical Suggestion, op. 4, no. 4 by Sergei Prokofiev | Home Festival:Unionville |
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
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Time:12:50 PM | Name:Michael Kitaev | Titles: The Lark by Mily Balakirev Ten Preludes, op. 23, no. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff Leyenda by Isaac Albéniz | Home Festival:Kitchener-Waterloo |
Time:1:10 PM | Name:Oskar Daniel-Raum | Titles: Partita in B flat Major, BWV 825, Prelude; Sarabande; Gigue by Johann Sebastian Bach Dumka in C Minor, op. 59 by Piotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky Danzas Argentinas, op. 2, Danza del Viejo Boyero; Danza de la moza donosa; Danza del gaucho matrero by Alberto Ginastera | Home Festival:Toronto |
Time:1:45 PM | Name:Michelle Chou | Titles: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903, Fantasia and fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach Sonata in C major, op. 2, no. 3, 1st and 2nd mvts. by Ludwig van Beethoven | Home Festival:Yip's |
Workshop will be held from approximately 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm.
Announcement of winners will happen at the end of the workshop.
The top competitor from this class will proceed to the playoffs.
The playoffs will be held at Conrad Grebel University College - Chapel
140 Westmount Rd. N., Waterloo, ON N2L 3G6