Over the last 125 years, the AGO has solidified itself as a hub of premier visual art in Canada and the global landscape. Alongside groundbreaking exhibitions and works from the historical cannon, the AGO has produced a range of musical events, offering moments of live performance that entertain visitors and help foster a sense of community at the museum. From baroque to punk rock, a diverse lineup of musicians and other performance artists have graced the stage in Walker Court, bringing vibrancy to the sometimes-reserved world of fine art. That list includes globally impactful artists like Grace Jones, The Halluci Nation, Peaches, Molly Johnson and several others.  

“Live art as we know it in today’s North American context came into museums in the second half of the 20th century, reflecting the breadth of the creative community and varied sources of inspiration that many artists, regardless of their discipline, had at the core of their practice,” explains Bojana Stancic, Program Curator of Performance and Live projects at the AGO. “For audiences, it meant museums becoming a space of community themselves, social interaction and exploration of art practices of the moment. After-hour programs have been in vogue in the last two decades to explicitly engage the next generation of visitors to think about the museum as a dynamic environment for contemporary practices and culture.  Music is often at the core of liveliness in the museum, despite its acoustic challenges. It bleeds through the halls, uncontained, and invokes a dimension of the images seen on the walls in a different and unique way.  It underscores the potential of the communal experience, and vibrancy of art and its institution.” 

Here are some notable highlights from the last five decades of musical performance at the AGO.

Opening event for The Warhol Look: Glamour, Style, Fashion, February 17, 1998. Art Gallery of Ontario. Photo © AGO.

Sunday Afternoon Concert Series  

The AGO’s rich tradition of live music dates back roughly 50 years to the mid 1970s, when several of Canada’s top chamber music ensembles, choral groups, and jazz musicians frequented the Gallery’s Sunday Afternoon Concert Series. Performing live in Walker Court, these musicians provided a compelling show for audiences as well as a sonic experience for visitors perusing the Gallery. In 1979, the AGO welcomed Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson (1925 – 2007) to perform in Walker Court alongside The Jane Fair Quartet. The Sunday Afternoon Concert Series continued until the mid 1990s.

First Thursday, February 5, 2015 with Grandmaster Flash in celebration of the exhibition Jean Michel Basquiat: Now's the Time. Photo © AGO.

First Thursdays 

One of the AGO’s most renowned evening event series, First Thursdays was launched in 2012 and ran until 2019. This monthly late-night extravaganza featured live music and DJs, pop-up talks, performance art presentations, hands-on artmaking projects, civic and academic partnerships and more. It became a staple of Toronto event culture and a hub for artists across disciplines.  In 2015, to mark the opening of the exhibition Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time was headlined by pioneering hip hop DJ, Grand Master Flash. The sold-out event featured accompanying performances by Toronto acts Bonjay and the Yes Yes Y’all DJs.   

AGO First Thursdays: An Evening of Words and Song with Patti Smith. March 7, 2013. Photo © AGO

Exhibitions Featuring Musicians  

On occasion, exhibitions at the AGO can exclusively feature the work or ephemera of musical artists like Leonard Cohen: Everybody Knows (2022), David Bowie Is (2013) or the upcoming Paul McCartney Photographs 1963 – 64: Eyes of the Storm. In 2013, the AGO exhibited the work of rock icon Patti Smith and welcomed her into the Gallery for a live performance. The exhibition Patti Smith: Camera Solo featured approximately 70 black and white photographs taken with Smith's vintage Polaroid camera, alongside personal objects and a Super 8 film directed by the musician. Smith also performed two exclusive sets in Walker Court, featuring songs accompanied by acoustic guitar and grand piano, as well as various readings of her poetry.

Opening event for the exhibition, The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, December 6, 2024. Art Gallery of Ontario. Michie Mee performing. Photo © AGO.

AGO Friday Nights  

AGO Friday Nights is the most recent late-night event series bringing live and community projects into the Gallery. Taking a different shape each month, Friday Nights offers visitors a dynamic experience that includes exhibition openings, musical performance, art making and new media projects, all inspired by AGO exhibitions. In celebration of the opening of The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in 21st Century in 2024, the AGO welcomed the Godmother of Canadian hip hop, Michie Mee for a live performance in Walker Court. The event was one of the most well attended in recent AGO history. On May 2025, a recent edition of AGO Friday Nights, Toronto-based Latin musician Amanda Martinez performed songs from her acclaimed album Recuerdo, in celebration of the opening of the AGO exhibition of the same name. 

Continuing the Gallery’s legacy of live music, on May 15 the AGO will celebrate 125 years with a massive birthday party featuring performances by Toronto’s DJ Clymaxxx on mainstage in Walker Court and in-gallery performances by students from Royal Conservatory of Music, amongst other offerings. AGO 125 Friday night festivities will continue into the summer with swing dancing May 23, drag performer Amanda Roberts June 20 and DJ Delicious July 11.  

In celebration of the AGO’s 125th anniversary, Foyer is highlighting foundational moments in the Gallery’s history that have helped make the AGO the institution it is today. Learn more about AGO history here on AGO.ca