Celebrating Euterpe’s First 20 Years

Celebrating 20 years of transforming the lives of tens of thousands of children and seniors through the power of music.

We wish to thank all of our donors, large and small, who have generously given to this cause. Without your support, our vitally important initiatives would cease to exist and far fewer would experience the inestimable life-long benefits that these musical opportunities provide.

Our small dedicated team works passionately and tirelessly and our efforts have had a tremendously positive impact on tens of thousands of people. We are so proud of the many accomplishments achieved over the past two decades… too many to list… but here’s a little history and a few highlights. 

Here’s to the next 20 years!!!

The Story of Euterpe: Music Is The Key

EUTERPE: Music Is The Key was founded by pianist Catherine Wilson in 2003, and is named after the Greek Muse of Music. For many years prior to founding Euterpe, Catherine and her internationally acclaimed chamber group Ensemble Vivant, for whom she is the pianist and artistic director, had performed on a regular basis for outreach groups, including schoolchildren and seniors.

The tremendously positive impact of these performances, combined with ongoing requests for Catherine and her group to regularly ‘treat’ these audiences with their music, highlighted that there was great need for these life-enhancing opportunities. For Catherine, in founding Euterpe: Music Is The Key, it crystalized the realization that she was paralleling her own background – this music could do for others what it had done for her.

It was the opportunity to learn music and to make music with others, mostly due to vibrant music programs that existed in schools at the time, that saved Catherine’s life, rescuing her from a childhood fraught with family strife that created challenges that medical professionals deemed insurmountable. From the outset her musicality was noted as touching the hearts and souls of all who heard her play. These affirmations of her musical talent were critical in helping her develop a sense of self, and the consistent feedback that her music-making positively affects the lives of others ultimately affirmed that she was contributing something important that mattered.

Ensemble Vivant, Catherine Wilson’s renowned chamber ensemble, became the flagship performance group for Euterpe, continuing the group’s long established tradition, under Catherine’s artistic direction, of serving underserved communities with the group’s glorious music.

Over the years the roster of Euterpe’s world class musicians has expanded, now including approximately 30 musicians who have participated in Euterpe programs with Ensemble Vivant, bringing their wealth of musical talents to underserved communities across Canada.