Dr. Connor O'Kane
Recognized as one of Ontar
io’s most versatile emerging artists, 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 and festivals including Ottawa’s Chamberfest, Western University’s Faculty Concert Series, and the KW Chamber Music Society, among others.

A passionate collaborative musician with an affinity for opera, Connor has worked as both a pianist and conductor on over a dozen opera productions. 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 recently served as music director and conductor of Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and Debussy’s Prodigal Son, and assistant conductor of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
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 music of Sergei Prokofiev. Connor’s previous teachers include David Jalbert, Heather Taves, and Joan Walker, with additional training at the Conservatoire de Lyon in the studio of Manuel Schweizer. Connor is a passionate and dedicated piano teacher, and an enthusiastic adjudicator at regional music festivals.