Istvan Anhalt is known as an innovative, evocative composer. He is considered a founding father of electroacoustic music in Canada and was responsible for establishing the Electronic Music Studio at McGill University. His body of work is remarkably diverse and his large-scale pieces have been called some of the most important Canadian compositions of the late 20th century. A former professor of music at McGill University and former head of music at Queen's University, he is also well known for fostering the development of many of Canada's most promising young artists, composers and music scholars.