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The Sound of Music Festival <\/strong>is not happening this year, but Burlington, Ontario will still get its summer festival. <\/p>\n The city has just named MRG Live<\/strong> as the new operator for a free, two-day Burlington waterfront music festival in Spencer Smith Park this summer. Known as one of the largest free music events in the country, Sound of Music had run into significant financial problems<\/a> in recent years, and was reliant on government funding<\/a> to continue its four-and-a-half-decade legacy. <\/p>\n Inside Halton <\/em>reports<\/a> that “on Monday, Dec. 1, staff identified MRG Live Ltd. as the top applicant from 12 potential operators that submitted proposals.” MRG Live has offices in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto and experience \u201cproducing multi-day festivals, civic celebrations, artisan markets, and large family focused events.\u201d<\/p>\n Back in October, city council decided not to provide funding for the proposed 2026 edition of Sound of Music Festival and instead provide its $150,000 of base funding to a potential new waterfront music festival. The new event is currently scheduled to take place within the weekend of June 19-21, 2026, but that has yet to be fully confirmed.<\/p>\n The husband-and-wife duo of <\/strong>Bette MacDonald <\/strong>and Maynard Morrison <\/strong>have been named as co-hosts of the 2026 East Coast Music Awards<\/strong>, which will be taking place in Sydney, Nova Scotia, on May 21. The couple are both active in T.V. and theatre, with MacDonald starring in the television series Rideau Hall <\/em>and Mr. D<\/em>. and the holiday theatre show Christmas in Cape Breton<\/em>. Morrison has been active in the Cape Breton theatre scene for over three decades and was a founding member of the Cape Breton Summertime Revue <\/em>stage show, which featured MacDonald. <\/p>\n \u201cTheir contributions to Atlantic Canadian arts and culture are unparalleled, and their presence brings a uniquely Cape Breton spirit to this year\u2019s celebration,: says ECMA executive director Bob Hallett.<\/p>\n \u2013 In partnership with Alberta Music<\/strong>, the lucrative Edmonton Arts Prizes<\/strong> recognize work published, created or shown in 2025. It celebrates artists from a range of art forms and practices, recognizing their work, and investing in their continued experimentation and creation. for the Edmonton Music Prize<\/strong> is now accepting submissions, with a Jan. 19, 2026, deadline. Apply here<\/a>. Prizes for film and visual arts have the same deadline. The primary prize recipient in each category will be awarded $15<\/span>,000<\/span>, and two secondary prizes of $5<\/span>,000<\/span> will be awarded to the runners up. Earlier music prize winners include include marg\u00f8<\/strong>, HAIDEE<\/strong>, Emmet Michael<\/strong>, n\u00eahiyawak, Nuela Charles <\/strong>and Audrey Ochoa.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\nAwards News<\/h2>\n