2018 Fall Cycle: October 2 - November 13, 2018
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October 2, 2018
Ensemble Celandine: Laurel Swinden, Flute; Kristen Day, Bassoon; Talisa Blackman, Piano
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Programme Notes:
Winds and Wires: Trios for Flute, Bassoon and Piano
Works by Canadian Women Composers Worlds Old and New: works by Piazzola, Farrenc, Morawetz and Boulanger |
Performers' Biographies:
Flutist Laurel Swinden enjoys a multi-faceted career as a recitalist, orchestral musician, pedagogue and clinician. Recent recital presentations include performances at National Flute Association Conventions (USA), FESTIBA (USA), Festivales Internacionales Des Flautistas (Peru), China’s Sichuan Conservatory, Canadian Flute Conventions, and the Toronto Latin American Flute Festival. Her performances have been broadcast on NPR and her recordings can be heard on CBC’s streaming audio and Naxos.
As a freelance orchestral musician, Dr. Swinden has performed with orchestras in Ontario and the southern US, including Memphis, Mississippi and New World Symphonies. Laurel is the Principal Flute of the Stratford Symphony, and Assistant Principal Flute/Piccolo of the Scarborough Philharmonic. Dr. Swinden teaches at Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Guelph, the Laurier Conservatory and to flutists worldwide on the roster of Play-With-A-Pro. She has given masterclasses across Canada, in the United States, China and South America. Laurel earned a DMA as a Fellowship recipient at the University of Toronto, where she studied with Nora Schulman. 
Bassoonist Kristin Day has performed extensively across Canada and has toured as far as China. She has appeared with some of the nation’s most recognized orchestras including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Windsor Symphony and the London Symphonia.
Also a devoted teacher, students from Kristin’s studio have won awards at music festivals as well as positions in the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. From 2013-2015 Kristin was also a teaching artist for Sistema New Brunswick, where she mentored at-risk youth in the Moncton area. During her formal studies, Kristin was mentored by the eminent bassoonists John Clouser (The Cleveland Institute of Music), Daniel Matsukawa (Temple University), and Christopher Millard (University of Ottawa) and performed with ensembles such as the National Repertory Orchestra, the National Academy Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. 
Talisa Blackman has performed with orchestras across North America and Russia. Most recently, she appeared as soloist with the Scarborough Philharmonic performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and as soloist with the Georgian Bay Symphony Orchestra, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the National Academy Orchestra. She will perform Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G with Symphony on the Bay in their 2018/2019 season. An accomplished orchestral pianist, Talisa performs with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under the direction of Valery Gergiev. Talisa has collaborated with acclaimed Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, and Canadian baritone Russell Braun. Talisa has also performed with musicians from the Vancouver Symphony and with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra on the TSO concert series Five Small Concerts.
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October 9, 2018
Sarah Fraser Raff, Violin and Jeewon Kim, Violin and Viola
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Programme Notes:
Violin Duos by Leclair and Prokofiev and Mozart Duo for Violin and Viola
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Performers' Biographies:
Sarah Raff Fraser received her formative musical training in Japan. Studying under Koichiro Harada, who was a founding memberand first violinist of the internationally acclaimed Tokyo String Quartet, she gained a Bachelorʼs degree in Music Performance from the prestigious Toho Gakuen Music School in Tokyo. She moved to Canada to continue her studies with the late Lorand Fenyves. She went on to attain a Master of Music in Performance from Toronto University and an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory.
Sarahʼs chamber music experience includes frequent concerts, workshops, recordings, and TV and radio broadcasts in North America, Europe, and Asia. She is a founding member of the Madawaska String Quartet, principal violinist of CONTACT contemporary music ensemble and Seraphine Piano Trio, and has also participated in Master Classes at Aspen Music Festival, the Banff Center for the Arts, Orford Arts Centre, and Lucca Opera, Italy. As an active and versatile freelancer she has played with the Toronto Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, Esprit Orchestra, orchestra of the National Ballet of Canada, Tapestry New Opera, Arraymusic Ensemble, and Soundstreams Canada. She frequently gets booked to play in top musicals. Sarah has also accompanied Rod Stuart, Diana Krall, K-OS, Andrea Bocceli, Cowboy Junkies, Mary J. Blige, Sarah Slean, and the Blue Rodeo. Sarah is currently on the faculty of the Royal Conservatory, Toronto. 
Violinist/violist Jeewon Kim has performed on both instruments as soloist, and chamber and orchestral musician in a variety of ensembles and musical styles. He is second violinist in the Shaw Festival’s resident ensemble, the Blue Spruce Quartet, and freelances in the Greater Toronto area. He has performed with groups such as the Esprit Orchestra, New Music Concerts, Canadian Opera Company, Toronto Operetta Theatre, and many regional orchestras throughout Canada. He also performs regularly with Mirvish Productions.
Jeewon has been substitute violinist with the Madawaska Quartet since the 2016/17 season. He studied chamber music with the late Lorand Fenyves, and members of the St. Lawrence String Quartet and Orford String Quartet. CBC broadcasts include chamber performances with the Accordes String Quartet, New Music Concerts and members of the Esprit Orchestra. He has performed with members of the Florestan Trio, Domus Ensemble, Nash Ensemble and Axelrod String Quartet. Jeewon plays on a 2009 viola made by Joseph Grubaugh & Sigrun Seifert, a 2006 violin by Tetsuo Matsuda, and bows by John Dodd and François Nicolas Voirin. |
October 16, 2018
Ton Beau Quartet with Talisa Blackman
Programme Notes:Johannes Brahms “Piano Quintet in F minor for Strings and Piano"
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Performers' Biographies:
Since its inception in 2010 at the University of Toronto, the Ton Beau String Quartet has been committed to engaging and challenging audiences by presenting a mix of classical quartet gems along with music that is being composed today. With a special focus on contemporary music, the quartet aims to highlight voices of young composers, particularly women composers and composers from under-represented communities.
Each member of the TBSQ is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages through music education. They can be found coaching and teaching several times a week, privately and as part of the Sistema Toronto Academy. As a quartet, they have presented workshops and masterclasses at Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Toronto, the Westport Chamber Music Festival, Vanderbilt University, and many schools in the Greater Toronto Area. The quartet was founded by four graduate students at the University of Toronto, which proved to be an ideal environment for its development as an ensemble. While at the university, the TBSQ received coachings and lessons from such string quartet luminaries as Terry Helmer, Timothy Ying, Eric Nowlin, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. The Ton Beau took a leadership role developing outreach opportunities for the faculty of music, and ran a successful concert series at the University of Toronto Art Centre. In their roles as teaching assistants, the quartet also coached and taught undergraduate students and ensembles. http://www.tonbeauquartet.com/ |
October 23, 2018
Pieces for Piano, Violin and Cello
Programme Notes:Frédéric Chopin
Ballade No. 4 Op. 52 J. S. Bach Suite No. 4 E flat for unaccompanied Cello - Prelude - Allemande - Courante - Sarabande - Gavotte I & II - Gigue Johannes Brahms Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108 - Allegro - Adagio - Un poco presto e con sentimento - Presto agitato Nino Rota, arr. Elliott Braganza Godfather Theme Béla Bartók, trans. Zoltán Székely Roumanian Folk Dances |
Performers' Biographies:
Elliott Braganza, Piano
Originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Elliott has performed across Canada and the United States as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor. In addition to holding a Master's Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Ottawa, Elliott is the recipient of the Faculty of Music Gold Medal from Western University. Elliott also holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa, and since 2013 has worked as a barrister and solicitor at the law firm of McElderry & Morris in Guelph, Ontario. Elliott lives in Guelph along with his wonderful wife Nora. Nora Pellerin, Violin Nora Pellerin completed her undergraduate degree in violin performance at McGill University, followed by a Masters in performance at the University of Ottawa. Gaining experience on both the violin and the viola, she performed as concertmaster for the McGill University and the University of Ottawa Symphony Orchestras. She recently moved to Guelph and is active as a freelancer throughout Ontario. Nora performs with many orchestras, including the Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Windsor and Kingston Symphonies. She has just been appointed principal second for the Georgian Bay Symphony. Nora maintains a string teaching studio in Guelph and has taught extensively in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, and at several music camps, including the Interprovincial Music Camp near Thunder Bay, the Thornhill Chamber Music Institute and at “Summer Music in Galway” in Galway, Ireland. In addition to classical music, Nora is an experienced fiddler, specializing in Métis fiddling. 
Clare Pellerin, Violin
Clare Pellerin began playing violin at age 5. She has studied with Adele Armin and Laura Klurherz, and is currently a student of Mayumi Seiler. Clare studied composition and violin performance at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore and at Colgate University in upstate New York, and recently earned a Master's in Composition and Performance at York University. She has played in the Niagara Symphony, the Toronto Sinfonietta, the Toronto Concert Orchestra, the Ontario Symphony Orchestra, and the Georgian Bay Symphony, and has performed with the Eramosa Ensemble and the Emperor String Quartet, also opening as a soloist for Romeo Scaccia's Toronto debut at the Glenn Gould Studio in 2015. 
Marlena Tureski, Cello
Marlena Tureski, a native of Saskatchewan, began her professional studies at the Victoria Conservatory of Music with James Hunter in 1977, at the same time playing with the Victoria Symphony, the Canadian Chamber Orchestra, and studying with Zara Nelsova in Victoria and Vancouver Master Classes and at the Banff Centre. Other Master Class studies include those with Janos Starker, Leonard Rose and Harvey Shapiro. Marlena Tureski joined the Vancouver Symphony as a tenured member in 1981, and continued playing with the VSO in various positions for over 25 years. Most recently she has been a freelance cellist in Chicago, concentrating on chamber music with members of the Chicago Symphony, Chicago Chamber Musicians and the Lyric Opera. She has also been a regular freelance cellist with the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. Throughout her career of symphonic and chamber music, and many solo performances, Marlena Tureski has continued to inspire private students of all ages, coaching orchestral sections and audition repertoire for aspiring young professionals. At present Marlena Tureski has a private cello studio in Guelph and is Cello Sessional Professor at the University of Guelph. Marlena Tureski is also a freelance cellist in Ontario including the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, the Windsor Symphony, and in Toronto, and is the Artistic Director of both the Guelph Connections Concerts and the St. George Chamber Players and performs as cellist of the Trafalgar Trio. |
October 30, 2018
Hog Town Brass Quintet
Programme Notes:McKee - Escape
Crespo - Vals Peruano Bach - Contrapunctus IX Piazzolla - Oblivion Gershwin - Summertime Bernstein - Selections from West Side Story Lecounha - Malaguena Michel - Trois Pastels sur la Belle Epoque The Ink Spots - I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire Maschwitz/Sherman - A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square The Beach Boys - God Only Knows HBQ - Stray Goat |
Performers' Biographies:
The Hogtown Brass Quintet is a Toronto-based chamber ensemble dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the traditional brass ensemble. Formed in 2013, HBQ is a collaboration among five accomplished and diverse musicians from a variety of musical backgrounds, ranging from Classical to pop to jazz. Already gaining attention with their unique arrangements, collaborations with vocalists and instrumentalists, along with their affinity for non-traditional performance spaces, the mandate of the HBQ is to bring brass chamber music to new audiences and to reinvigorate the classic brass ensemble.
HBQ is committed to presenting unique concert experiences, as well as entertaining and informative educational programs. Equally dedicated to performance and education, HBQ is experienced in presenting music to people of all ages in a variety of settings including workshops, masterclasses, and residencies. In June 2017, HBQ was a featured performer at the TD Toronto Jazz Festival and in October 2017, they released "A Holiday Album, Vol. 1" featuring arrangements by an all-Canadian roster of composers including RJ Satchithananthan, Christian Overton, and Terry Promane. In October 2016, they released their debut recording, "Introducing...", featuring brand new arrangements and original compositions for brass quintet in a variety of styles and genres - from Baroque to Latin dance to funk - just a little taste of what HBQ is all about. "Introducing..." was nominated for a 2017 Toronto Independent Music Award. www.hogtownbrass.com |
November 6, 2018
Trio Moyer
Programme Notes:Music of Central Europe
Trio works for Clarinet, Viola and Piano Alfred Uhl Kleines Konzert (1937)
György Kurtág Hommage à Robert Schumann, op. 15/d
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Trio in Eb Major, KV. 498 “Kegelstatt”
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Performers' Biographies:
London-based chamber music ensemble Trio Moyen is the brainchild of Nova Scotian clarinettist and conductor Scott A. MacDonald. In the summer of 2017, MacDonald invited fellow Don Wright Faculty of Music alumni Jeffrey Komar (viola) and Ethan Lacey (piano) to form the group. They gave their inaugural performance in September 2017 at Bishop Cronyn Memorial Church. Trio Moyen has since performed several times in the London region, and they were even featured as part of Aeolian Hall’s “Emerging Classical Artist Series” this past May. All three musicians are heavily involved in the London classical music scene, collaborating with such groups as Magisterra Soloists, Little London Community Opera, London Community Orchestra, and the Forest City Wind Quintet. Through Trio Moyen, they aim to shed light on some hidden gems of the chamber music repertoire that were written for their particular instrumental combination.
www.facebook.com/TrioMoyen/ |
November 13, 2018
Madawaska String Quartet
Programme Notes:Quartets by Haydn and Shostakovich
Haydn - String Quartet in F minor, Op 20 No 5 Shostakovich - String Quartet no. 3 in F major op 73 |
Performers' Biographies:
Madawaska Quartet:
Sarah Fraser Raff and Jeewon Kim, violins Anna Redekop, viola Amber Ghent, cello Hailed for their “astonishing talent” (Musicworks Magazine), the Madawaska Quartet performs pieces from the mainstream to performance art, and from the Baroque to the present-day. After eleven years of experience as an internationally performing string quartet, in 2012 the MSQ expanded to become the Madawaska Ensemble as a result of collaborations over several years with two fabulous pianists in Leslie Kinton and Brett Kingsbury. The Ensemble adds to the string quartet repertory works for strings and piano, along with featured guest Artists including clarinetist Guy Yehuda in 2013. With a roster of collaborators as diverse as their repertoire, the Madawaska Quartet has appeared with artists such as Sopranos Adrianne Pieczonka and Measha Brueggergosman, pianists Jan Lisiecki, Arthur Rowe and Leslie Kinton, singer/songwriter Bob Wiseman, and dancer/choreographer Julia Aplin. They have performed in such major international festivals as the Festival Iberoamericano in Puerto Rico, the Festival of the Sound, The Elora Festival, the Toronto International Chamber Music Festival, New Music North, and the “Music at Port Milford” International Chamber Music Festival. The Madawaska Quartet has worked as chamber music faculty at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, also performing as part of its “Great Artist Series,” and has given workshops for students and emerging composers at the University of Toronto, York University, the Array New Music Centre, the Composers’ Guild of Canada, and the Canadian Contemporary Music Workshop. As champions of Canadian composers and their works, the MSQ has premiered more than thirty new pieces. They have acted as ensemble in residence at both the Array New Music Centre and the Music Gallery in Toronto. Recent recordings include the Quartet’s debut cd Prefab, which includes Scnittke’s String Quartet no. 3 among other works, and a recording with guitarist Rob MacDonald featuring works by Omar Daniel, Peter Sculthorpe and Christopher William Pierce. http://www.madawaskaquartet.com/ |