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“There it was in the storefront window: a volume of Beethoven’s sonatas,” says Michael Massey, who at the time was 11, wide-eyed, and beginning piano lessons in his hometown of London, England. 

The bright yellow book that captivated him on the street that day — and awakened him to the world of classical music — still sits on a shelf in his St. Albert home nearly 65 years later.

“I don’t know what came over me that day, but I told my mother I needed that book,” he says. “She bought it for me that Christmas — and I still cherish it to this day.”

Massey’s innate draw to classical music as a child led him to become one of Canada’s most influential artists, garnering him some of the country’s highest honours, including the and the . 

Though he has held various positions throughout his musical career — pianist, cellist, conductor, orchestrator — Massey says his biggest passion is teaching youth. 

“Teaching classical music opens up this enormous world of beauty that most people don’t ever get the chance to delve into,” he says. “It’s the collective artistic ideas of the centuries. It’s the basis of humanity. For me, it’s everything.” 

After immigrating to Edmonton from Europe with his parents in 1957, Massey began formal piano lessons with Jean-Pierre Vetter. He says Vetter was pivotal in shaping his musical development as a teenager and the person who inspired him to mentor others. 

“He brought music to life for me,” says Massey. “And that was it; I knew what I wanted to do.”

On the advice of Vetter, who said a degree would help Massey achieve his dream of teaching, he began his Bachelor of Music studies at the º£½ÇÉçÇø in 1964. 

“The collaboration — the trios, chamber music and working with different violinists and singers — was all really special. It’s something you just don’t get when you study privately. It’s also where I made many of my life-long friends.”

Shortly after, Massey returned to Europe to study at the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland for two years, where he obtained his Diplôme de Virtuosité studying with the eminent pedagogue Louis Hiltbrand. By way of his talent, he earned the Premier Prix de Virtuosité and two solo performances with the renowned Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

Unsure of what to do next, Massey ventured back to Canada and successfully auditioned for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) first as a cellist and later as a pianist, a position he held for 45 years. He has also frequented as a soloist and occasionally as a conductor.

His involvement with the ESO eventually led him to his almost fifty-year career as Music Director of the Edmonton Youth Orchestra Programme (EYO), deemed his greatest contribution to Canadian culture.

During Massey’s tenure with the EYO, the orchestra has doubled from one to two and is considered one of the best programs in the country. He has mentored thousands of young musicians whose own careers — in music or not — have flourished.

“Many wonderful players come through the youth orchestra who go on to be world-class musicians, doctors, engineers and more,” he says. “But what they've all come away with, I think, is more knowledge about music, a love for it, and a place in their life for music to happen — and I think people are better off for it.”

Some of Massey’s students include Grammy- and Juno-nominated trumpet player Jens Lindemann and Andrew Wan, current concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony. The orchestra continues to draw in worldwide audiences, notably Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 2005. 

“Music is imperative for future generations,” he says. “Every single study about the importance of musical education lists the positive aspects and how good it is for all kinds of brain activity: the creative brain activity and even in science and mathematics. That's why Einstein played the violin and why Albert Schweitzer played the organ.”

Today, Massey continues challenging his musical aptitude by writing works for orchestra, both professional and student, chamber groups and solo piano. 

“When I turned 70, I decided to give composing a go,” says Massey. “I’ve started, and I haven’t stopped.” 

As he has been throughout his career, he is humbled to do what he loves every day. 

“What a wonderful way to spend your life… conducting, teaching, playing the piano,” he says. “I’m extremely grateful for finding a job that is my life’s work.”