From Beethoven to David Bowie, Trailblazing Cello and Marimba Duo Set to Wow Atlantic Canada with Debut Atlantic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2023
From Beethoven to David Bowie, Trailblazing Cello and Marimba Duo Set to Wow Atlantic Canada with Debut Atlantic
K’JIUPUKTUK/HALIFAX, NS – Stick&Bow, “the trailblazing Montreal duo that plays everything from Bach to Radiohead” (CBC Music’s The Intro), unites Canadian marimba player Krystina Marcoux and cellist Juan Sebastian Delgado. Their creative process combines musical narration with humor and storytelling, transforming the listening of familiar works in refreshing and unexpected ways. Stick&Bow is set to embark on a two-week tour with Debut Atlantic, including seven concerts in Nova Scotia, two in New Brunswick, and one in Newfoundland and Labrador. Touring between November 10-26, 2023, they will enthrall audiences with a program titled “All the Madmen” which includes works by living composers, from Canada and abroad, who are rethinking music by pushing the technical limits of what a marimba and cello can do together.
Debut Atlantic is thrilled to present high-calibre artists to audiences across Atlantic Canada. Stick&Bow will begin their tour in Annapolis Royal, NS with King’s Theatre on Friday, November 10th at 7:30pm. Next, they head over to Wolfville, NS, where they will appear at Sunday Music in the Garden Room on Sunday, November 12th for a 2:00pm performance. Afterwards, they are traveling to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Pictou, NS as part of the deCoste Centre for Art & Creativity’s “On the Road” series on Tuesday, November 14th at 7:30pm. Stick&Bow then travels to Tatamagouche, NS on Wednesday, November 15th, where they will perform at The Grace Arts Centre at 7:00pm. On Thursday, November 16th at 7:30pm, they will appear at Théâtre Capitol Theatre’s Empress Theatre in Moncton, NB. Stick&Bow then travels back to Nova Scotia to appear with the Antigonish Performing Arts Series in Antigonish, NS on Friday, November 17th at 7:30pm. The following day, Saturday, November 18, the ensemble will appear with the Dartmouth Community Concert Association at Woodlawn United Church in Dartmouth, NS at 7:00pm. Stick&Bow then fly to Goose Bay, NL to perform at the Lawrence O’Brien Arts Centre on Tuesday, November 21st at 7:30pm. On Saturday, November 25th, Stick&Bow will appear with Musique Royale in Mahone Bay, NS for a morning performance at 11:00am. Stick&Bow finishes their Debut Atlantic tour on Sunday, November 26th at 2:00pm, where they will perform in Bertrand, NB with Musique Saint-Joachim.
In addition to concert engagements, Stick&Bow will be working with young students through the Debut Goes to School! program. This season, Debut Goes to School offers students throughout Atlantic Canada in-person access to outstanding classical and global music artists. Through this program, students are provided the opportunity to participate in live, interactive learning sessions and other events for various age groups and levels of ability.
Debut Atlantic wants to recognize the partners and sponsors that come together to bring these incredible artists to communities and venues of all sizes across our region. It would not be possible without the generous support of sustaining partners, including the Canada Council for the Arts, Arts Nova Scotia, and the Province of New Brunswick. Debut would also like to thank its educational partner, the Nova Scotia Department of Education; and its season partners, including the Halifax Regional Municipality, The Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation, Support4Culture, the Craig Foundation, Pink Larkin, Halcraft Printers, Strategic Arts Management, and InnVest Hotels (Comfort Inn).
Please see the enclosed list of concert dates and artist biography, and come share in a unique performance, rich with passion and exploration.
–
As one of Canada’s most prestigious classical music organizations, Debut Atlantic is committed to developing young artists and establishing new initiatives that enhance the cultural life of Atlantic Canada. Since 1979 it has treated Atlantic audiences to Canada’s most promising young musicians. Celebrating 43 years, Debut Atlantic has featured over 400 artists, gracing the stages of venues from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Full details on Debut Atlantic’s concert seasons and educational programs can be found at www.debutatlantic.ca.
-30-
For further information, please contact:
Erin Sparks – Executive Director
Debut Atlantic
902-429-6812
erin@debutatlantic.ca
-Or-
Elizabeth Upson Perez – Program Officer
Debut Atlantic
902-429-6812
elizabeth@debutatlantic.ca
TOUR SCHEDULE—STICK&BOW
Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
7:30pm, November 10, 2023
King’s Theatre
209 George St.
902-532-7704
www.kingstheatre.ca
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
2:00pm, November 12, 2023
Sunday Music in the Garden Room
KC Irving Environmental Science Centre
Acadia University
artsacadia.acadiau.ca/Sunday_Music_in_the_Garden_Room.html
Pictou, Nova Scotia
7:30pm, November 14, 2023
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
deCoste Performing Centre for Arts & Creativity
1-800-353-5338
decostecentre.ca
Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia
7:00pm, November 15, 2023
The Grace Arts Centre
31 Creamery Rd.
902-657-3500
www.gracejollymore.com
Moncton, New Brunswick
7:30pm, November 16, 2023
Théâtre Capitol Theatre – Empress Theatre
811 Main St
capitol.nb.ca
506-856-4379
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
7:30pm, November 17, 2023
Antigonish Performing Arts Series
Immaculata Hall, St. F.X. University
2360 Notre Dame Ave.
902-867-3909
people.stfx.ca/msteinit/schedule.htm
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
7:00pm, November 18, 2023
Woodlawn United Church
Dartmouth Community Concert Association
54 Woodlawn Rd.
dartmouthcommunityconcert.ca/index.html
Happy Valley – Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
7:30pm, November 21, 2023
Lawrence O’Brien Arts Centre
15-21 Voisey Dr.
709-896-4027
www.obrienartscentre.ca
Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
11:00am, November 25, 2023
Musique Royale
Cecilia’s Retreat
1199 Oakland Rd. RR#2
musiqueroyale.com
Bertrand, New Brunswick
2:00pm, November 26, 2023
Musique Saint-Joachim
Église St-Joachim
650 Boulevard des Acadiens
musiquestjoachim.com
BIOGRAPHY—Stick&Bow
Stick&Bow, “the trailblazing Montreal duo that plays everything from Bach to Radiohead” (CBC Music’s The Intro), unites marimba player Krystina Marcoux and cellist Juan Sebastian Delgado. Classically trained musicians, they present eclectic programs featuring original arrangements of some of the most celebrated works in history, highlighting the potential of their instruments combined. Their creative process combines musical narration with humor and storytelling in which the powerful combination of cello and marimba transforms the listening of familiar works in refreshing and unexpected ways.
Stick&Bow is strongly committed to the music of their time, commissioning works to composers such as Luis Naon, with whom they performed and directed an hour-long film-concert in 2020, alongside Montreal’s ensemble Paramaribo. For their fifth anniversary, in October 2023, they will be premiering a new show entirely dedicated to new music, presenting 10 new works they have commissioned for this special event.
As recording artists, they have released 3 albums in 3 years; their critically acclaimed debut album Resonance with LeafMusic was praised by Toronto’s The WholeNote as “just brilliant” and “totally delightful” and by La Scena Musicale as full of “pleasant surprises” (2019); Bach’s trio sonatas together with renowned baroque expert, Luc Beausejour, showcased a different facet of these young versatile musicians (2021); Veni, vola, veni, offers an incursion into the oft-visited world of Piazzolla through the singular eyes of one of his collaborators from the 1970/80s, the legendary pianist Gustavo Beytelmann. Critic Frederic Cardin mentions that “The encounter between the two young musicians and the Argentinian patriarch, one of the few still alive in the world, is an important one, offering panache not only to this music but also to this duo, which wows the gallery wherever it goes.” Featured in Radio Nacional Argentina, the famous journalist Victor Hugo Morales described their interpretation of Vardarito as among the best interpretations of Piazzolla’s music.
Recent performances brought them around France on a 40-dates tour with Jeunesses Musicales France presenting their animated show Bavela (2022), performances at the prestigious Festival Bach Montréal and Festival du Bout du Monde (Gaspe), a tour in Colombia representing Quebec at the Semaine de la francophonie (2023), 25 concerts all across France in March 2023, an Argentinian tour in December 2022, and many concerts across Quebec in 2023.
First-prize winner at the Latin-American Cello Competition (2008), Juan Sebastian holds a Doctoral degree in cello performance from McGill University and Krystina, first-prize winner of the OSM Competition (2012), holds a PhD from the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et danse de Lyon. Their collaboration has led them to share magical moments with audiences across Canada, from the Magdalen Islands to Vancouver, and around the world, from Colombia to Armenia.