As the founder of MPD Culture Consultants, Menon Dwarka is an arts leader with over 30 years of experience in executive director, artistic director, and community arts leadership positions in both Canada and the United States. Menon's expertise lies in leveraging technology to create diverse programming and administrative spaces, while also applying a post-colonial lens to IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Success) initiatives.

Menon has successfully guided arts and culture organizations of all scales, including grassroots organizations such as Toronto's 918 Bathurst Centre, where he served as both Artistic and Executive Director. He has also been a valued board member for organizations such as the Canadian Opera Company, where he was chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee. In the United States, Menon led the music departments at the 92nd Street Y and Harlem School of the Arts and served as the Executive Director of the Greenwich House Music School. As Senior Vice President of Arts Consulting Group, Menon completed IDEAS audits for the Winnipeg Symphony, ArrayMusic, and the Toronto Musicians Association.

My Background

Menon's cross-sector work has established public/private sector partnerships and ensured the long-term sustainability of arts spaces and venues in urban and suburban settings through strategic planning and capacity-building efforts for QuadReal developers.

Menon is a public speaker and has been featured on platforms including CBC Television, WBAI Radio, TVOntario's The Agenda, and The Walrus Talks. His expertise is also showcased through regular appearances on Sesame Street. He was a part of the inaugural cohort of the Banff/Toronto Arts Council Cultural Leaders Lab and served on the City of Toronto's Economic Development and Culture's Strategic Planning Committee, a group specifically formed to advise the City on the creation of Toronto's 2018-2022 Culture Plan.

Menon’s past clients including Alberta Ballet, Anandam Dancetheatre Productions, Array Music, Artpark, Boston Lyric Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Center of Creative Arts – St. Louis, Indigenous Curatorial Collective, Hannaford Silver Street Band, José Mateo Ballet Theatre, Levitt Pavilion Denver, Miami City Ballet, Museum of North Vancouver, Parsons School of Design, Peninsula Youth Orchestra, Phoenix Boys Choir, Printed Matter, Royal Ontario Museum, Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra, Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto Musicians Association, Toronto Public Library, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and Wavelength Music Festivals and Workman Arts.

Dwarka holds BMus and MMus degrees in Music Composition from the University of Toronto, and was an ABD Ph.D. candidate at SUNY Stony Brook.