2025 – 2026
GLENN MORLEY
President
Glenn Morley is a Toronto-based composer, conductor, and musical director with an extensive background in music for theatre, live events, concerts, television, and film media. With credits for more than 2,000 television episodes, he has won three Gemini Awards. His compositions are heard in numerous programs: The Nature of Things, Royal Canadian Air Farce, Freaky Stories, Man Alive, Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, and Twice in a Lifetime. Morley was the music supervisor for ABC/Disney’s The Music Man and Martin & Lewis (Emmy nomination), and garnered a Genie Award nomination for his score to Red Green’s Duct Tape Forever. He has produced and orchestrated the Gino Vanelli album Canto album, Alfie Zappacosta’s album Start Again, and songs for many others.
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He has functioned as composer/musical director for more than 80 stage productions, both in Canada and abroad, including the Stratford, Shaw, and Blythe Festivals. He created the score and sound design for the Sound and Light Show on Parliament Hill (2005-2009), and was musical director for the re-opening ceremonies for Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, and for The Canadian Songbook for the Luminato Festival. Morley has had his works performed by orchestras across Canada, and he frequently conducts/produces recordings for other composers. He has appeared frequently as an expert witness representing SOCAN members in Copyright Board television and cable tariff hearings.
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He is a founding member and past president of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada.
CHERYL LINK
Vice-President
Cheryl Link has worked administratively and creatively in almost every aspect of the music business for more than 23 years. Beginning at FACTOR, and then holding positions at Page Music (music label/distributor), Lacquer Channel (music mastering), BMG Music Publishing, and Casablanca Media, she moved to peermusic in 2005. Cheryl has actively worked to promote the careers of songwriters and artists for her entire professional life. She’s also held positions on the Board of Directors of NDN Talent Collective (bridging the gap between the Indigenous arts community and the mainstream industry), The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, CARAS, and on the Programming Committee at the Canadian Music Publishers Association.
ROBERT BENNETT
Treasurer
Robert Bennett is responsible for the strategic vision of SOCAN’s Finance team, overseeing key financial areas, including operational budget planning, financial projections, and trending analysis, while guiding financial decision-making in support of business objectives and making strategic recommendations to improve SOCAN’s financial standing. Before joining SOCAN, Robert served as Lead Financial Officer, Capital Markets, Technology and Operations with BMO Financial Group, Director of Finance with Edward Jones Canada, and Chief Financial Officer with RBC Dexia Investor Services Trust. Robert is fluently bilingual in English and French, and he is a certified Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and an Executive Master of Business Administration from Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.
MARC OUELLETTE
Marc Ouellette holds a music composition degree from McGill University and underwent further training with Hermann Max in Switzerland, and with Ennio Morricone in Italy at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana. Dividing his time between composing, producing and conducting in many musical genres, Ouellette has won a SOCAN Award and was nominated for Gemini and ADISQ Awards. Over the years, he has written music for several movies, children’s television programs and various independent circus numbers. As an arranger, producer and conductor, he has contributed to concerts and recordings featuring such diverse artists and groups as Isabelle Boulay, Pierre Lapointe, Roch Voisine, The Tea Party, and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He has served as a board member of the Société professionnelle des auteurs et compositeurs du Québec (SPACQ) and of la Société du droit de reproduction des auteurs compositeurs et éditeurs au Canada (SODRAC) in the early 2000’s and was respectively President of both of them. He also sat as board member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) and served as President of the SOCAN Foundation from 2015-2018.
MARK JOWETT
Mark co-founded the Nettwerk Music Group in 1984. He has helped to oversee the company’s creative affairs, as well as the company’s overseas operations and Nettwerk’s publishing division. From its small origins in the 1980s, Nettwerk’s publishing division went on to represent Canadian artist as Sarah McLachlan and the Great Lake Swimmers, Ria Mae, Banners, and Mother Mother, as well as such international artists as Sinead O’Connor, Squeeze, MFDoom, and many others. In the last few years Nettwerk’s publishing arm has become a more boutique publisher, with the hope of serving a smaller group of writers very effectively.
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Beyond his responsibilities at Nettwerk, Mark is presently on the Canadian Music Publishers Association (CMPA) Board and the head of its Programming Committee, and has been on the FACTOR Board and the head of its Programming Committee, as well as on the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) Advisory Committee.
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Mark’s love of music is not only reflected in having been in the industry for almost 40 years; he has continued to play in bands of one kind or another the whole time. He is now a cellist in the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, and is the VP of the Orchestra’s Board. He also plays in a Vancouver based quartet.
LAURENCE LAFOND-BEAULNE
Laurence Lafond-Beaulne is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer. She is a member of the duo Milk&Bone, recipient of a Juno and a Félix, has been nominated several times for the Polaris Prize, at the Adisq gala and the Canadian Screen Awards. She has scored for several films, series, documentaries, video games and three circus shows with Cirque du Soleil and Les 7 doigts. Her voice can be found on many Canadian artist’s albums and she cowrites for several other creators from here and abroad. Three albums and an Ep later, she is today devoting herself to the creation of a first solo project, entitled Soft Fabric, which will see the light of day in 2024.
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Laurence is an environmental activist and committed artist. She co-founded ACT (Artists Citizens on Tour), a movement that promotes eco-responsible practices in the entertainment industry.
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Laurence has observed and experienced several realities specific to the music business as a creator and as a businesswoman. With more than ten years of professional experience in the music business, she understands the subtleties and peculiarities of the french speaking and English speaking industry.
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By joining SOCAN, she wishes to unite her voice with those of others to convey important messages, defend the interests of its members with respect, openness and courage. She also wishes to raise the voices of artists from marginalized groups, help promote local creators and strengthen the value of art in our communities.
JEAN-FRANÇOIS DENIS
Jean-François Denis first discovered electroacoustics during a summer course given by Kevin Austin in 1981 at Concordia University in Montréal. Hooked, he pursued music studies at Mills College in Oakland (California, USA) under David Rosenboom (MFA, 1984). He has worked in live electroacoustics (solo and in ensembles) and works for dance and multimedia from 1982 until the mid-90s.
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He is the founder and director of music publisher Ymx média (1989) and music label empreintes DIGITALes (1990).
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In 1994, for his exceptional commitment to Canadian composers, he was awarded the Friends of Canadian Music Award organized by the Canadian Music Centre (CMC) and the Canadian League of Composers (CLC). In 1995 he was presented the Jean A Chalmers Award for Musical Composition — Presenters’ Award for his contribution to the diffusion of new Canadian (electroacoustic music) work. In 2011 he was awarded the Prix Opus 2009-10: Artistic Director of the Year for his 20-year involvement in sound recording publishing / production.
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Jean-François Denis has also been on several boards of directors: Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM) (for several years, until September 1998; 2009-10), Canadian Music Centre — Québec Region (2001-08), Canadian Music Centre — National (2002-08), Et Marianne et Simon (founder, 2001-08), Les Filles électriques (founder, 2001-07), SOCAN Foundation (2003-09; vice-president 2009-12; president 2012-15; past-president 2015-18), SODRAC (2009-18), and Association des professionnels de l’édition musicale (APEM) (president 2014-20).
SARAH SLEAN
A four-time JUNO and two-time Gemini nominee, Sarah Slean has written and released 11 albums in more than 10 countries as a songwriter and recording artist, but the most unique aspect of her artistry is its breadth. Over her 25-year career she has not only performed internationally with world renowned artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Alanis Morrisette, and Feist, and shared the stage with dozens of professional orchestras, but she has also composed award-winning chamber music, orchestral arrangements (Dan Mangan, James Ehnes, Hawksley Workman), screen scores (Hospital Show, Undeniably Young) and songs for television (CTV’s Cardinal), and the stage adaptation of the CSA-winning film “Maudie.” She is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Composing Residency and recent TV work includes the second season of Detention Adventure for CBC/HBO, alongside Ari Posner and Amin Bhatia, for which they earned a CSA Award for Best Original Music, Fiction. As comfortable in the pop/songwriting world as she is in classical, Sarah’s most recent recognition was for the “Best Classical Album: Choral or Vocal” JUNO Award.Sarah Slean joined SOCAN Board of Directors in November 2021.
JEAN-CHRISTIAN CÉRÉ
Jean-Christian is responsible for leading the Membership department, while creating and delivering cutting-edge, 21st Century services to current and future SOCAN members. His mandate is to ensure that SOCAN extends its place as a vital leader among global music rights organizations, and the MRO of choice for Canada’s music creators. Prior to joining SOCAN, Jean served as General Manager of the Society of Authors and Composers of Quebec (SPACQ) and Astec Industries Inc., and was past President of Casavant Freres. With more than 15 years of executive experience, Jean also holds a law degree, specializing in copyright, from the Université de Montréal, and a Master of Business Administration degree.