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.
Conrad Grebel University College - Great Hall
140 Westmount Rd. N.
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G6
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:10:00 AM | Name:Leon Zhang | Titles: Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 779 by Johann Sebastian Bach Sonatina in C Major, op. 88, no. 3, 3rd mvt. by Friedrich Kuhlau | Home Festival:Pickering Rotary |
Time:10:10 AM | Name:Julia Harms | Titles: Allemande in E flat Major by Johann Sebastian Bach Sweet Elegy by Catherine Rollin | Home Festival:Kitchener-Waterloo |
Time:10:20 AM | Name:Danielle Arku | Titles: Lullaby, op. 109, no. 7 by Johann Friedrich Burgmüller Peace Country Hoedown by Christine Donkin | Home Festival:London |
Time:10:30 AM | Name:Elizabeth Beilby | Titles: Allegro in E Minor by José António Carlos de Seixas Venetian Boat Song, op. 30, no. 6 by Felix Mendelssohn | Home Festival:Barrie |
Time:10:40 AM | Name:Catherine Huh | Titles: Sonatina in A minor, op. 88, no. 3, 3rd mvt. by Friedrich Kuhlau Variations on Three Blind Mice by John Thompson | Home Festival:Chatham |
Time:10:50 AM | Name:Hemu Ian Yao | Titles: Rondo-Toccata op. 60, no. 4 by Dmitri Kabalevsky Halley's Comet by Nancy Telfer | Home Festival:Kingston |
Time:11:00 AM | Name:Avanesh Baskar | Titles: Für Elise, WoO 59 by Ludwig van Beethoven Peace Country Hoedown by Christine Donkin | Home Festival:Toronto |
Time:11:10 AM | Name:Vera Chu | Titles: Scherzo in A Major by Johann Nepomuk Hummel Toccatina, op. 8, no. 1 by Samuel Maykapar | Home Festival:Peel |
Time:11:20 AM | Name:Faiz Abdullah Khwaja | Titles: Allemande, French Suite No. 4 in E flat Major, BWV 815 by Johann Sebastian Bach Sonatina in A Minor, op. 88, no.3, 1st mvt. by Friedrich Kuhlau | Home Festival:Hamilton |
Time:11:30 AM | Name:Tong En Li | Titles: Scherzo in A Major by Johann Nepomuk Hummel White Noon by Naoko Ikeda | Home Festival:North York Live |
Time:11:40 AM | Name:Eric Chen | Titles: Allegro in E Minor by José António Carlos de Seixas Sonata in D Major op. 4, no. 1, 1st mvt. by Muzio Clementi | Home Festival:Ottawa Kiwanis |
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:1:00 PM | Name:Ryan Chung | Titles: Polonaise in G Minor, op. posth., B 1 by Frédéric Chopin Viennese Sonatina in A Major (no. 2), 1st mvt. by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Home Festival:CCC |
Time:1:10 PM | Name:Jason Walker | Titles: Sonatina in C Major, op. 55, no. 3, 1st mvt. by Friedrich Kuhlau Fantasy Bossa by Christopher Norton | Home Festival:Pickering GTA |
Time:1:20 PM | Name:Thomas Perrone | Titles: Bagatelle, op. 119, no. 1 by Ludwig van Beethoven Prelude in E Minor, op. 28, no. 4 by Frédéric Chopin | Home Festival:Grey County |
Time:1:30 PM | Name:Oscar Amaru Cárdenas-Cano | Titles: Für Elise, WoO 59 by Ludwig van Beethoven Prelude in E Minor, op. 28, no. 4 by Frédéric Chopin | Home Festival:Sudbury |
Time:1:40 PM | Name:Noah Foss | Titles: Peace Country Hoedown by Christine Donkin White Noon by Naoko Ikeda | Home Festival:Woodstock |
Workshop will be held from approximately 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm.
Announcement of winners will happen at the end of the workshop.
The top two competitors 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