Toronto, October 20, 2026 – Celebrated jazz musician Don Thompson is the recipient of the 2026 Louis Applebaum Composers Award. This year’s $15,000 award recognizes excellence for a body of work in the field of jazz.
About Don Thompson
Don Thompson is an acclaimed Canadian multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator. His career spans over six decades as a leader, co-leader, and sideman on hundreds of recordings.
He gained early prominence in the 1960s with the John Handy Quintet, performing at Carnegie Hall. Thompson later became a core fixture in the Canadian and international jazz scenes, collaborating closely with legends like Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass, Moe Koffman, Jim Hall, George Shearing, and most notably with Sonny Greenwich and Kenny Wheeler.
As a versatile composer, Thompson has written dozens of recorded works, ranging from jazz ensemble pieces to commissions for string quartets and classical bassists like Joel Quarrington. His educational legacy includes decades of teaching at institutions such as the Banff Centre, Humber College, and York University.
In recognition of his immense contributions to music and jazz education, Thompson has received three Juno Awards, the Oscar Peterson Award, and the Canadian Jazz Masters Award. He was also named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009. He continues to record, releasing his latest collaborative CD, Dreams, in 2025.
Assessor Comments
The assessors were enthusiastic in their choice for the 2026 Louis Applebaum Composers Award. “Don Thompson is a musical national treasure. His gorgeous jazz compositions have been influential across generations. The tremendous breadth of work is impressive. Don has made countless connections with his work across the community—he is the root of the jazz tree.”
This year’s jury consisted of Hilario Durán (Toronto) jazz composer, pianist, recording artist and the 2018 Applebaum Composers Award laureate; Racha Moukalled (Toronto) emerging jazz percussionist, vibraphonist and composer; and Diane Nalini (Ottawa) jazz singer, composer, recording and touring artist and educator.
Dreams (2025) Modica Music Ltd. | Provided to YouTube by Indie Pool | Composer and Piano: Don Thompson, Vocals: Daniela Spalletta, Bass: Roberto Occhipinti, Guitar: Reg Schwager, Producer: Don Thompson, Engineer: Ross Hayes Citrullo, Mixing Engineer: Chad Irschick, Music Publisher: Copyright Control.
About the Award
The Louis Applebaum Composers Fund was established at the Ontario Arts Foundation in 1998 by Louis Applebaum to recognize excellence in music composition. The award is made biennially in the following alternating genres: media; theatre, music theatre, dance or opera; jazz; and composition for young people.
The Ontario Arts Foundation manages the endowment that funds the award. The award winner is chosen through a nominating and adjudication process managed by the Ontario Arts Council.
Previous recipients include Cecilia Livingston (2024), Debashis Sinha (2022), and Eleanor Daley (2020). See the full list of previous recipients.
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For information, please contact:
Bruce Bennett, Executive Director
Ontario Arts Foundation
Tel: (416) 969-7413 bbennett@oafdn.ca
Established in 1991, the Ontario Arts Foundation (OAF) is passionately committed to building long-term support for the arts in Ontario. In 2025-2026, the OAF paid over $5.7 million in endowment income and $630,000 in awards and grants.
For more than 60 years, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians. The OAC reached 27.4 million people through events and arts education activities across the province in 2021-22. In 2024-2025, OAC invested its grants program budget of $52.2 million in 204 communities across 123 Ontario ridings, providing 1,969 grants to individual artists and 1,030 grants to organizations.
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