We’re on the move!

For the past two years, we’ve been in ongoing conversation with Music Gallery members, partners, and funders about our strategic plan and how we can best meet its goals.

One of the main pieces of feedback, and a key priority in our strategic plan, is improving accessibility across our programming, starting with basic physical access. Our base at 918 Bathurst has served us well for seven years, but it continues to present barriers to many in our community. Without a commitment from the building to address accessibility infrastructure, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to adapt.

Over the past two seasons, you may have noticed that we’ve been programming more events offsite. This has been a deliberate move, not only to improve accessibility and clarify our identity independent from 918, but also to bring a new sense of adventure to each season’s programming. As we enter our 50th anniversary season this year, we embrace a familiar approach, reminiscent of our Guerrilla Gallery era during the 2000s—you can read about that more challenging venue transition, when we were evicted from our Richmond location, in this article from the Globe and Mail.

To begin, we’ll be moved out of our office at 918 Bathurst as of November 1. Our four-day X Avant festival marked the last Music Gallery productions at 918 for the foreseeable future. The next two Music Gallery concerts will take place at Friends House and Eastminster United. Our residency program will take place offsite in 2026 for the first time, in partnership with SASS on Shaw Street (located in the previous ArtScape Youngplace building). 

As an organization that’s always growing and evolving, we know when it’s time to move forward. This decision wasn’t made lightly, but it feels right, we can feel it in our gut. To reduce confusion as we make this transition, we ask that you avoid referring to activities at 918 Bathurst as “Music Gallery” programming. Many audiences and renters assume that hosting an event at 918 means working directly with us, but that’s not the case.

To the communities that have joined us, particularly those who joined for the first time, during our 918 era, don’t be sad! This move is exciting. It allows us to direct more of our resources toward programming and gives us greater flexibility to be out in the community: connecting with artists, visiting venues, and building new partnerships across the city. During his time as Music Gallery Artistic Director, David Dacks reflected on this same blend of sadness and opportunity when we left St. George the Martyr in 2017. 

What this means right now:

• Our administrative work will continue without interruption. You can still reach us at the same mailing address, phone number, and email. Please note that our phone service is being transferred to a digital softphone service, and there may be a brief outage in late October, early November—email remains the most reliable way to reach our staff during early November.
  
• Event venues will vary, so please double-check details when planning to attend. Each event page will include accessibility information, and our staff are always happy to respond to questions and requests for assistance.
  
• And just a friendly reminder: don’t call 918 Bathurst “the Music Gallery.” We’ve always been separate organizations and in our current programming era that distinction matters.

Let’s stay connected:

If you know a venue that would be perfect for a Music Gallery event, we’d love to hear from you. We’re always in conversation with community members managing spaces across Toronto and are eager to explore new sites through the same creative and curatorial lens that guides our work with artists.

We’re looking forward to building real stability at the MG, so we can enter the next 50 years giving you what you all deserve, the most!