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Online video and film

Use this guide to access streaming resources for videos and films (concerts, operas, documentaries, and more)

Welcome! Use this guide to find sources for streaming videos and films, including concerts, operas, masterclasses, documentaries, and more.

Search the Library's Sofia Discovery tool

 

Note: Not all resources can be found through this search tool (catalogue).

Consult the resources on this and other guides to access additional sources.

Online video and film

Video@McGill 

  • Schulich School of Music Performance Archive

    • Growing archive of the Schulich School of Music performances from 2008 – present
    • Includes audio and/or video components for selected performances (Note: Streaming access requires authentication and is restricted to current McGill users)
    • See also the Schulich School of Music YouTube channel for selected video recording performances.
  • CIRMMT Distinguished Lecture Series

    • Access recordings of the CIRMMT Distinguished Lecture series, as well as of Keynote talks and some Seminars
  • Research Alive

    • Schulich School of Music's Research Alive series seeks to bring alive research in music theory, music history and musicology, performance and composition, music education, sound recording, and music technology
    • Access archived video recordings of past Research Alive presentations from 2015 to the present day.

Music videos

  • Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall

    NB: Users must create an account over an McGill IP address (on-campus or via VPN) when accessing this resource for the first time.

    • Live broadcasts of Berlin Philharmonic concerts and an extensive archive of concert videos from past decades
    • Includes portrait and documentary films, educational events, and interviews with members of the Berlin Phil, conductors, and soloists
    • Immersive Audio (Dolby Atmos) three-dimensional sound option aims to reproduce the acoustics of the Philharmonie Berlin Hall. Use of sound systems or headphones that support Dolby Atmos provides an optimal Immersive Audio experience.
    • Note: This database has a limited number of simultaneous users. If you have trouble accessing or receive an error message, please try again later.
  • Medici.tv

    • Over 1,800 music programs including concerts, operas, documentaries, and ballets
    • Majority of films are accessible in HD quality
  • Met Opera on Demand: Student Access

    • Video-streaming archive of the New York Metropolitan Opera
    • Provides access to more than 700 full-length opera performances
    • Note: This database has a limited number of simultaneous users. If you have trouble accessing or receive an error message, please try again later.
  • Music Online: Classical Performance in Video (Alexander Street)

    • Access videos of over 2000 performances, including operas, dance titles, masterclasses, documentaries, and interviews
    • Includes titles from music publishers and performing houses such as C Major Entertainment, EuroArts, Opus Arte, Arthaus Musik, CLC Productions, and the BBC
  • Music Online: Opera in Video (Alexander Street)

    • Video streaming resource
    • Provides access to more than 200 videos of canonical operas, in addition to interviews and documentaries
  • Naxos Video Library

    • Streaming video library
    • Includes full-length classical music performances, opera, ballets, live concerts, and documentaries
    • Note: This database has a limited number of simultaneous users. If you have trouble accessing or receive an error message, please try again later.
  • Qwest.tv

    • Dedicated to jazz, soul, funk, and world music
    • Catalogue features over 500 concerts, documentaries, and rare archival footage
    • Most videos are subtitled in English or French 

Film 

  • Academic Video Online (Alexander Street)

    • Multidisciplinary video platform that includes a substantial component of Music & Performing Arts content (e.g. documentaries, performances, interviews, instructional material)
    • Filter videos by subject area, including anthropology, health, history, psychology, and more
  • Can-Core

    • Streaming video library created for use in Canadian schools
    • Contains Canadian-produced content from a wide range of subject areas, including music
    • Resources relevant to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies are available, with an option to limit the search to Indigenous content only
  • Criterion on Demand

    • Online digital library of feature film titles licensed for Canadian viewing
    • Criterion-on-Demand represents many feature film producers and several independent producers
    • Title selection includes 1920 classics, new releases, foreign films, literary adaptations, documentaries, animated titles, and independent features
    • VPN may be required for off-campus access. Unlimited simultaneous users.
    • NB: Not to be confused with the "Criterion Collection" of remastered films. To view "Criterion Collection" films, please consult the video streaming service Kanopy.
  • Films on Demand

    • Streaming video of selected educational programs
    • Thousands of titles covering a wide range of topics, with content related to music appreciation and history, world music, dance, education, psychology, technology, health, and more
    • Videos have captioning and transcripts are searchable
    • Create and share playlists using premade clips, full videos, or custom segments
  • Kanopy

    • On-demand streaming video service for educational institutions that specializes in independent, arthouse, classic cinema, and documentaries across diverse subjects and disciplines
    • Collections include titles from the Criterion Collection/Janus Films, A&E, History channel, PBS, and many others
    • Can be streamed on various mobile devices
  • National Film Board

    • Collection includes animation, documentaries, experimental films and alternative dramas
    • Showcases films that take a stand on issues of global importance that matter to Canadians - stories about the environment, human rights, international conflict, the arts and more
    • Films can be streamed free of charge or downloaded for personal use for a small fee

Location and contacts

Profile Photo
Music Library Staff
Contact:
Marvin Duchow Music Library
Elizabeth Wirth Music Building
3rd floor - 527 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E3
514-398-4695
Website
Subjects: Music

Librarian

Profile Photo
Cathy Martin
Contact:
527 Sherbrooke St. W, A-317, Montreal, QC, H3A 1E3
514-398-5874
Website

Resource key

  • McGill users only
  • Open access resource
  • Free resource
  • In-library use
  • Catalogue record

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