2022/23 – Debut Atlantic

Liam&LaLa

Debut Atlantic — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:52:33 +0000

Liam&LaLa is a new cello/piano duo composed of two of Canada’s brightest young talents, cellist David Liam Roberts and pianist LaLa Lee. The duo are dedicated to innovative programming and unforgettably engaging performances. In November 2020, they made their recital debut for Cecilia Concerts at the Lilian Piercey Concert Hall in Halifax, to great acclaim. Despite having formed under the extraordinary circumstances of the ongoing pandemic, the duo has quickly developed a unique and exciting artistic voice.

Individually, David Liam and LaLa are both establishing themselves as two of the most promising emerging Canadian musicians. David Liam is the winner of the 1st Prize and Grand Award at the 2018 National Music Festival of Canada as well as the esteemed 2020 Michael Measures 2nd Prize, while LaLa performs extensively throughout China and Canada and has played concerti with orchestras including the Shanghai Philharmonic, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, and Symphony Nova Scotia. Both artists have been featured on CBC’s list of Canada’s 30 Top Classical Musicians Under 30 and are recipients of The Royal Conservatory’s most prestigious scholarships.

David Liam Roberts

Winner of the 2021 Canada Council for the Arts’ Michael Measures 1st Prize, David Liam Roberts has established a reputation as one of Canada’s most promising cellists. David Liam was awarded both the 1st Prize and Grand Award at the 2018 National Music Festival of Canada and recently won 1st Prize of the 2022 biennial WMC McLellan Competition after performing the Schumann Cello Concerto as soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in the competition’s final round.

Upcoming engagements include a 3-week recital tour of the Atlantic provinces in March 2023 with pianist LaLa Lee as 2022-23 Debut Atlantic touring artists. Recent engagements include a solo appearance with the Winnipeg Symphony in a subscription concert performing double cello concerti with Yuri Hooker (conducted by Daniel Raiskin), recorded concerts presented by the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg and Virtuosi Concerts, and a solo recital in collaboration with Winnipeg’s Polycoro Chamber Choir and multimedia artist Taylor McArthur.

Chamber music has been an integral part of David Liam’s life since he started busking with his older siblings at age 5, playing Métis fiddle tunes in his home province of Manitoba. Recent highlights have been collaborating with pianist Nicolas Namoradze and violinists Joel Link (Dover Quartet) and Scott St. John at the Toronto Summer Music Festival. David Liam is a regular extra with the Toronto Symphony since the 2021-22 season.

David Liam plays a Ruggeri-model cello that was made for him in 2017 by Winnipeg-based luthier, Garth Lee.

LaLa Lee

Praised for her sensitive expression and profound understanding of music, LaLa Lee is described by Juno Award winning composer Dinuk Wijeratne as “undoubtedly a talent to watch”. The 21-year-old pianist has delighted audiences worldwide with solo, chamber, and orchestral performances and was named as one of CBC’s 30 Hot Classical Musicians under 30. In the past, she has been invited to perform at a private function for Renée Fleming and Alexander Shelley and was a Featured Artist at the Scotia Festival of Music where she collaborated with Phil Myers, former Principal Horn of the New York Philharmonic.

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, LaLa gave a recital entitled “Beethoven’s Birthday Bash” at Mazzoleni Hall featuring only his works and performed two violin sonatas with her duo partner in a Beethoven Violin Sonata marathon concert at the Concerts@100 Series. Despite the pandemic, she continued the year-long celebration with two more all-Beethoven recitals at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance’s Beethoven Festival in October. She also gave four recitals for Cecilia Concerts and will perform Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto with Ensemble Testori in Milan, Italy as well as Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 with Mandle Philharmonic in Toronto.

Despite her young age, LaLa has performed with many great musicians including conductors Bernhard Gueller, Muhai Tang, Dinuk Wijeratne, and Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. She has played with orchestras including the Shanghai Philharmonic, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Nova Sinfonia, and Chebucto Symphony Orchestra. In 2018 alone, LaLa was the youngest finalist at the SteppingStone Competition; gave an extensive recital tour across 4 cities in China over 5 days for the China International Music Festival; performed in halls such as the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, Shanghai Symphony Hall, and Hefei Grand Theatre, Poly Culture Group; and taught her first masterclass at the Changzhou Music School.

LaLa is regularly programmed at concert series such as Cecilia Concerts and The Music Room Chamber Players Series. She has been featured in recitals at Morningside Music Bridge, Orford Music Festival, and Scotia Festival of Music. LaLa has had the distinct honour of performing in masterclasses for Martha Argerich, the late Leon Fleisher, Scott St John, and Andrew Armstrong; and has worked with Janina Fialkowska, Denise Djokic, Walter Delahunt, and Tim Fain. Since the age of 5, she began playing fundraising concerts for the IWK Children’s Hospital and Foundation, The Great Big Dig, Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and Gilda’s Club.

Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, LaLa is currently studying to earn her Bachelor’s of Music (Honours) at the Glenn Gould School of Music, in the studio of John Perry and David Louie. She has been awarded the prestigious Henry Hung Foundation full scholarship and stipend. From the age of three, LaLa began learning piano, studying at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and with Lynn Stodola of Dalhousie University. When she is not found at the piano, LaLa enjoys baking, writing, and being outdoors.

The New Cohort

Debut Atlantic — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:52:20 +0000

Founded in the early days of the COVID 19 pandemic, The New Cohort was formed by Keith Hamm and Julie Hereish to explore chamber music possibilities while in household isolation.A deep dive into the repertoire for viola and cello has led to many performance engagements online and outdoors. Livestream events include concerts for the Edmonton Symphony’s Stage to Screen series, Doors Open for Music at Southminster in Ottawa, The Homestage Tour for Rosebud Theatre, and Xenia Concerts. The New Cohort has also appeared in festival performances across Canada, including the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival, and the Sweetwater Music Festival.

Keith Hamm

Keith Hamm, viola, is a native of Rosebud, Alberta. He received his training at the Glenn Gould School of Music under the instruction of Steven Dann, and at the Mount Royal Conservatory with Nicholas Pulos. While still a student, Keith was named Principal Violist of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and performed there for eight seasons. In the fall of 2019, Keith took up that same position with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

A dedicated chamber musician, Keith has been invited to perform at the Ravinia Festival as guest violist with the Royal Conservatory’s Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Stratford Summer Music, Sweetwater Music Festival, and Music By The Sea in Bamfield, BC. Keith has performed as a guest artist with the Juno-winning Amici Ensemble, and frequently performs with Continuum Contemporary Music, Skylight Series in Toronto’s Distillery District, Echo Chamber Toronto, and Stereo Live as performer and producer. Keith is Founder and Artistic Director of the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival in Rosebud, Alberta, and is the co-founder and violist of the Rosebud String Quartet. From 2000 – 2003, Keith was the fiddler for the Calgary Flames.

Keith is an alumnus of the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove, the Sarasota Music Festival, and programs at the Banff Centre. Keith has been featured on CBC Radio, Toronto’s Classical 96.3, Minnesota Public Radio, and has been named one of Canada’s Hottest 30 Classical Musicians Under 30 by CBC.

Julie Hereish

Julie Hereish, cello, pursued her studies in her hometown, Montreal and then in Vienna, Austria. In the Fall of 2019, she joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Cello. Previously, she held the same position in the Québec Symphony Orchestra. During her time in Québec City, she co-founded the piano quartet Quatuor Philanthros and the cello octet Élément 8. She is now a member of the High Level Trio, which she founded with two friends and colleagues of the ESO, Ewald Cheung and Ethan Filner. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she co-founded The New Cohort with husband and violist, Keith Hamm. Her chamber music performances have taken her across Canada, where she’s toured with Debut Atlantic and Jeunesses Musicales du Canada.

As a guest artist, Julie joined the Grammy Award winning ARC Ensemble in performance in Toronto. She has also performed with the Canadian Opera Company as guest continuo cellist. She has been featured on CBC Radio and Radio-Canada. Julie has performed throughout Europe and North America, and has appeared extensively with the chamber orchestra Violons du Roy in Québec City. Together with actor Pierre Mayer, Julie created Charlot et Mlle Cello, a theatrical concert experience for children based on Charlie Chaplin’s famous character.

Fondé dans les premiers jours de la pandémie de la COVID-19, The New Cohort a été formé par Keith Hamm et Julie Hereish pour explorer les possibilités de la musique de chambre pendant le confinement à la maison. Une plongée en profondeur dans le répertoire pour alto et violoncelle a conduit à de nombreux engagements de spectacles en ligne et en plein air. Parmi les événements de diffusion en direct, citons les concerts de la série Stage to Screen (Du théâtre à l’écran) de l’Orchestre symphonique d’Edmonton, Doors Open for Music at Southminster (Portes ouvertes pour la musique à Southminster) à Ottawa, The Homestage Tour (Tournée sur scène à domicile) pour le Rosebud Theatre, et la série de concerts Xenia. The New Cohort a également participé à des festivals à travers le Canada, dont le Festival de musique de chambre Rosebud et le Festival de musique Sweetwater.

Keith Hamm

Keith Hamm, alto, est originaire de Rosebud, en Alberta. Il a reçu sa formation à l’École de musique Glenn Gould sous la direction de Steven Dann, et au Conservatoire de Mount Royal avec Nicholas Pulos. Alors qu’il était encore étudiant, Keith a été nommé altiste principal de l’orchestre de la Compagnie d’opéra canadienne et a joué pendant huit saisons. À l’automne 2019, Keith a accepté ce même poste au sein de l’Orchestre symphonique d’Edmonton.

Musicien de chambre dévoué, Keith a joué au Festival Ravinia en tant qu’altiste invité avec l’Ensemble ARC du Royal Conservatory, qui a été nommé pour des prix Grammy, au Festival de musique d’été de Toronto, au Ottawa Chamberfest, au Stratford Summer Music, au festival de musique Sweetwater et au Music By The Sea de Bamfield, en Colombie-Britannique. Keith a joué en tant qu’artiste invité avec l’Ensemble Amici, lauréat d’un prix Juno, et se produit fréquemment avec l’Ensemble de musique contemporaine Continuum, dans les séries de concerts Skylight dans le Distillery District de Toronto, Echo Chamber Toronto, et Stereo Live en tant qu’interprète et producteur. Keith est le fondateur et le directeur artistique du Festival de musique de chambre Rosebud à Rosebud, en Alberta. Il est également cofondateur et altiste du quatuor à cordes Rosebud. De 2000 à 2003, Keith a été le violoneux pour les Flames de Calgary.

Keith est un ancien élève du Séminaire international des musiciens de Prussia Cove, du Festival de musique de Sarasota et des programmes du Centre Banff. Keith a été invité à la radio de la CBC, à l’émission Classical 96.3 de Toronto et à la radio publique du Minnesota, et a été nommé l’un des 30 musiciens classiques canadiens de moins de 30 ans par la CBC.

Julie Hereish

Julie Hereish, violoncelle, a poursuivi ses études dans sa ville natale, Montréal, puis à Vienne, en Autriche. À l’automne 2019, elle s’est jointe à l’Orchestre symphonique d’Edmonton à titre d’assistante violoncelle solo. Auparavant, elle occupait ce même poste au sein de l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec. Pendant son séjour à Québec, elle a cofondé le quatuor de piano Quatuor Philanthros et l’octuor de violoncelles Élément 8. Elle est maintenant membre du High Level Trio, qu’elle a fondé avec deux amis et collègues de l’Orchestre symphonique d’Edmonton, Ewald Cheung et Ethan Filner. Au début de la pandémie de la COVID-19, elle a cofondé The New Cohort avec son mari et altiste, Keith Hamm. Ses concerts de musique de chambre l’ont amenée à parcourir le Canada, où elle a effectué une tournée avec Début Atlantique et Jeunesses Musicales du Canada.

En tant qu’artiste invitée, Julie a rejoint l’Ensemble ARC, lauréat d’un prix Grammy, en spectacle à Toronto. Elle a également rempli le rôle de basse continue en tant que violoncelliste invitée avec la Compagnie d’opéra canadienne. Elle a joué à la radio de la CBC et de Radio-Canada. Julie a donné des concerts dans toute l’Europe et l’Amérique du Nord, et a souvent participé avec l’orchestre de chambre Les Violons du Roy à Québec. Avec le comédien Pierre Mayer, Julie a créé Charlot et Mlle Cello, une expérience de concert théâtral pour enfants basée sur le célèbre personnage de Charlie Chaplin.

Bryn Blackwood

Debut Atlantic — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:52:06 +0000

Bryn Blackwood, pianist

Bryn Blackwood is a solo and collaborative pianist based in Toronto, Ontario, with a keen interest in 20th and 21st century music. As the winner of the 2019 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, he gave a Canadian recital tour, bringing contemporary Canadian music to nine cities across the country over a three-week period. In 2020/2021 Bryn performed in a live streamed recital of works by Canadian composer Jacques Hétu at the Canadian Music Centre, and will make his solo debut with the Vancouver Island Symphony, in Mozart’s Piano Concerto no.20 in D minor.

In 2019 Bryn was featured on the prestigious CBC 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30 List, and won the University of Toronto’s DMA Recital Competition, giving a concert in the Faculty’s Thursday Noon series the next January. As a Guest Artist at the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival 2019, he performed numerous recitals of solo and chamber music. He was a finalist and winner of the Paul J. Bourret Memorial Award for Best Performance of the Test Piece, Franz Liszt’s Paraphrase of Verdi’s Rigoletto at the 2018 Shean Piano Competition. In addition to his solo activities, he is an avid collaborator with singers, and is the pianist for many vocal courses at the University of Toronto.

A recipient of a Joseph-Armand Bombardier SSHRC award for his studies of the Russian-American piano composer Leo Ornstein, he is continuing this research while pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto. Formerly a student of the late acclaimed pedagogue Marietta Orlov, he now studies with Lydia Wong. Bryn received his Bachelor and Masters of Music degrees from Western University and McGill University respectively.

Bryn Blackwood, pianiste

Bryn Blackwood est un pianiste soliste et collaborateur basé à Toronto, en Ontario, qui s’intéresse de près à la musique des XXe et XXIe siècles. En tant que lauréat du Concours national de musique Eckhardt-Gramatté en 2019, il a effectué une tournée canadienne de récitals en présentant la musique canadienne contemporaine dans neuf villes du pays. Au cours des deux dernières saisons malheureusement entachées par la COVID19, Bryn s’est produit dans un récital diffusé en direct d’œuvres du compositeur canadien Jacques Hétu au Centre de musique canadienne et dans un concert pour les Phoenix Sessions du Aeolian Hall à London, en Ontario, en plus d’un certain nombre de récitals à la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Toronto. Il est ravi de revenir aux concerts en personne en 2022.

En 2019, Bryn a figuré sur la liste des 30 musiciens classiques canadiens de moins de 30 ans de la CBC et a remporté le concours de récital du DMA (doctorat en musique) de l’Université de Toronto, donnant un concert dans le cadre de la série Thursday Noon de la faculté au mois de janvier suivant. En tant qu’artiste invité en 2019 au Festival international de musique de Casalmaggiore en Italie, il a donné de nombreux récitals de musique solo et de chambre. Il était finaliste et lauréat du prix commémoratif Paul J. Bourret pour la meilleure interprétation de la pièce d’essai, la Paraphrase de concert sur « Rigoletto » de Verdi par Franz Liszt, au concours de piano Shean en 2018. En plus de ses activités en solo, il est un collaborateur assidu des chanteuses et chanteurs à Toronto, et a été le pianiste de classe pour de nombreux cours de chant à l’Université de Toronto.

Récipiendaire d’une bourse du CRSH Joseph-Armand-Bombardier pour ses études sur le compositeur de piano russo-américain Leo Ornstein, Bryn a poursuivi ces recherches tout en obtenant un doctorat en arts musicaux à l’Université de Toronto. Sa thèse, maintenant publiée, s’intitule « Dissonance Reimagined: Tone Clusters in Leo Ornstein’s Early Piano Music » (Dissonance réimaginée : les clusters dans la musique ancienne pour piano de Leo Ornstein). Ancien élève de la regrettée et célèbre pédagogue Marietta Orlov, il a également étudié avec Lydia Wong, Ilya Poletaev et James Hibbard. Bryn a obtenu son baccalauréat et sa maîtrise en musique de l’Université Western et de l’Université McGill respectivement.

Tracy . Marcel . Dakota

Debut Atlantic — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:51:53 +0000

Hailing from rural Nova Scotia, tenor Marcel d’Entremont and pianist Dakota Scott-Digout together recently won the Wirth Vocal Competition, considered the top music prize of academic institutions across Canada (2018), and are described as having “virtuoso technique and requisite poise” (Joesph So, Ludwig van Toronto). They are joined by in-demand Canadian soprano Tracy Cantin, praised for her “agility, power and dazzling coloratura” Chicago Sun-Times), not to mention her ” interpretive intelligence and stage presence to boot” (Chicago Tribune).

Tracy Cantin

Praised for her “full, gleaming sound” that is “powerful, articulate, and modulated at will” (Chicago Tribune), soprano Tracy Cantin has been enjoying an exciting career performing on some of the biggest stages in North America, including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Santa Fe Opera. Jumping to the forefront of the Canadian music scene, Ms Cantin recently made a surprise mainstage debut at the Canadian Opera Company as the title character in Donizetti’s demanding Anna Bolena, replacing super-star soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, which garnered her rave reviews. She then went on to make her UK debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra as the soprano soloist in Bernstein’s Songfest, a program which she is scheduled to repeat with the Seattle Symphony later this season.

Past performances include Micaëla from Bizet’s Carmen (Calgary Opera), Donna Elvira from Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Pacific Opera Victoria), Chrysothemis from Strauss’ Elektra (Edmonton Opera, Canadian Opera Company), the title role from Donizetti’s Anna Bolena (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Canadian Opera Company), and Brünnhilde’s epic Immolation Scene from Wagner’s Götterdämmerung (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony of Costa Rica). An avid concert performer, Cantin has been heard as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s Requiem, Bernstein’s Songfest, Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass in Ab, and Mozart’s Requiem. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 introduced her to Australian audiences, singing alongside Bryn Terfel with Sir Andrew Davis conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Cantin has recently made critically acclaimed debuts with the Ravinia Festival, Grant Park Festival, Oregon Symphony, Illinois Philharmonic, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

The Prince Edward Island native is a graduate of the world-renowned Ryan Opera Center of Lyric Opera of Chicago, an alumna of the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program as well as the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, and has been the grateful recipient of prestigious awards from the Luminarts Foundation of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Sullivan Foundation, the Sylva Gelber Foundation, the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation and the Licia-Albanese Puccini Foundation. She was the first prize winner in Canada’s Lois Marshall Memorial Competition and holds degrees from McGill University, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Alberta.

Marcel d’Entremont

“I should cite tenor Marcel d’Entremont as a first among equals for his commanding voice and near perfect diction.”

Paula Citron, November 3rd, 2022 –https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2022/11/03/scrutiny-toronto-mendelssohn-choir-justice-namesakes-final oratorio/

“Le ténor Marcel d’Entremont (Tamino) est un vrai talent, de jeu et de chant.”

“Tenor Marcel d’Entremont (Tamino) is a true talent, both vocally and on stage.”

Michel Joanny-Furtin, February 2nd, 2019, Ludwig van Montreal – https://www.ludwig-van.com/montreal/2019/02/02/critique-5/

“As Edgardo, tenor Marcel d’Entremont gave the most polished and stylistic performance of the evening.” Matthew Timmermans, February 1st, 2018, Opera Canada – https://operacanada.ca/review-lucia-di-lammermoor-opera-mcgill/

Tenor Marcel d’Entremont is becoming recognized across Canada for both his powerful voice and sincere stage presence. A former first prize winner of the Atlantic Young Artist Competition, Marcel also placed first in the vocal division of the National Music Festival of Canada where he also claimed the Grand Award for overall best performer. In November of 2018, he was named the winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize at McGill University, which resulted in solo recitals at La Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur in Montréal and the Richard Bradshaw Theatre of the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto.

Marcel has a keen interest in many styles of singing and was a featured soloist for six years with the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, performing alongside musicians from around the world for audiences in the tens of thousands. His East Coast roots inspired his collaboration with 8 composers from Atlantic Canada for Atlantic Arias, a projected fund by the Canada Council for the Arts to combine Maritime folk and popular music with classical art song. Marcel was personally invited to perform at the inauguration ceremony of The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. He is a current Equilibrium Young Artist, which involves performances and masterclasses with soprano Barbara Hannigan, and has been a resident artist at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, the National Arts Center of Canada’s Young Artist Program, the Art of Song Institute with the Toronto Summer Music, and was a Yulanda M. Farris Young Artist with the Vancouver Opera.

Marcel’s opera role performances include Rodolfo in La bohème with Opera Saskatoon, two tours with Jeunesses Musicales du Canada as the title role in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette as well as Alfredo in La Traviata, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Opera McGill, and Il Podesta in La Finta Giardiniera

and Luiz in The Gondoliers with Opera Nova Scotia. He also performed with Tapestry Opera in their 2022 production Tapestry Briefs: Les Short Qui Chantent, a series of mini opera scenes created by Canadian composers and librettists. In concert, he has been the tenor soloist in Elijah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and performed Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with the PEI Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Orchestre classique de Montréal. In 2016 Marcel made his international opera debut as Don Ottavio with Opéra de Rouen in Rouen, France and at the Château de Versailles as a laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques. Marcel also performed the role of Rodolfo over 20 times in a cross-Canada tour of La bohème with Against the Grain Theatre. This production was the first live broadcast of a professional opera in Canada and was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in the category of Best Performing Arts Program. Most recently, Marcel’s curated recital program A World Transformed which tells the tragic story of Matthew Shepard through vocal and piano music as well as spoken word, was presented by Echo Chamber Toronto, in a fully staged and choreographed production. In 2020, Marcel was named one of the Top 30 Under 30 classical musicians in Canada by CBC Music.

Dakota Scott-Digout

“Scott-Digout was the perfect collaborative pianist, showing his dazzling technique but never taking the spotlight from the singer.”

Joseph So, December 1st, 2019, Ludwig van Toronto – https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2019/12/01/scrutiny-prize-song-marcel-dentremont-wirth-vocal prize-winners-recital/

Dakota Scott-Digout is quickly establishing himself as one of Canada’s brightest up-and-coming pianists. Heard in recitals across Canada as both a collaborator and a soloist, he has especially gained praise for his performances of chamber music and art song. Recently, he was heard in a full-length recital on CBC Music during Saturday Afternoon at the Opera alongside Canadian tenor and frequent collaborator Marcel d’Entremont. Dakota is an in-demand and passionate educator in Toronto, where he maintains a full studio of piano students in addition to serving on the artistic team of the Toronto Children’s Chorus. He is a highly sought as a vocal coach and is the pianist for undergraduate vocal classes at the University of Toronto.

Dakota holds degrees in piano performance from Université de Montréal and Mount Allison University. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto where he was named the 2020 winner of the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying, awarded to the top collaborative pianist. He has further refined his skills at the Orford Music Academy and the Barachois Summer Music Festival, and he was an Art of Song Fellow as part of the Toronto Summer Music Festival in the summer of 2021. His principal teachers have included Stephen Runge, Jimmy Brière, and Steven Philcox. Particularly passionate about French vocal repertoire, Dakota’s research interests are centred around early twentieth century performance practice and the mélodies of Gabriel Fauré.

True North Brass

Debut Atlantic — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 11:51:34 +0000

True North Brass

For over twenty years, the True North Brass has been a prominent fixture on the landscape of brass chamber music. In 2018, True North Brass reemerged onto the Canadian and international concert stage with new membership and a new orchestral sound and repertoire, reestablishing itself as one of the world’s finest brass ensembles.

This new membership, representing some of our Canada’s most prominent orchestral brass players, will carry on the True North Brass tradition, equally at home in recital, in music education, or collaborating with symphony orchestras, and emphasizing great Canadian composers and arrangers, while infusing a more traditionally classical colour into their repertoire. Highlights of their 2019 season included recitals at the Waterside and Prince Edward County Festivals, and a recital and teaching residency with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Karen Donnelly was unanimously appointed Principal Trumpet of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada in October 1999, following three successful seasons (1996-1999) as Acting Principal Trumpet and continues to enjoy each year with this wonderful ensemble.

Prior to the NACO, Karen was a freelancer in Montreal, where she performed with most ensembles in the area including the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. Karen held the position of Principal Trumpet with Orchestra London (Canada) from 1994-1996. Ms. Donnelly has been guest Principal Trumpet with the Toronto Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Les Violons du Roi, Calgary Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony, and currently enjoys playing Associate Principal Trumpet with the Sun Valley Music Festival Orchestra.

Karen has been featured soloist with NAC Orchestra, Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra, Kingston Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra London, McGill Symphony Orchestra, Hannaford Silver Street Band, Maple Leaf Brass Band, Parkdale Orchestra, University of Regina Wind Ensemble.

Karen has given master classes and workshops in Europe, Sweden, Mexico, China, United States, United Kingdom and Canada from coast to coast.  As well, she is a coach for Canada’s National Youth Orchestra. Ms. Donnelly joined the teaching staff at the University of Ottawa in 2002, and since 2009, Karen has been assisting with the “Orkidstra” program, the local ‘El Systema’ inspired program.

Most recently, Karen spearheaded an exciting new initiative called the Canadian Women’s Brass Collective. This group of talented musicians presented concerts, master classes and lectures in Toronto during January 2019 over a five-day conference to great acclaim. During the COVID season, CWBC curated an extensive series of online sessions to support musicians to create healthy and effective practice strategies.

Tazmyn Eddy is the Principal Trumpet of l’Orchestre Symphonique de Sherbrooke (QC). He performs regularly with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre Metropolitain, les Grand Ballets Canadien de Montréal, CBC Radio Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and l’Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec among many others. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Orchestral Performance at the University of Victoria, BC, and his Graduate Artist’s Diploma (with distinction) from Le Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal. His principal teachers include Tom Shorthouse, Louis Ranger, Manon Lafrance, and Stéphane Beaulac.

Julie Fauteux, born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, joined the NAC Orchestra in 1999 as Associate Principal Horn. She studied at the Montreal Conservatory with James Somerville, where she finished with a “Premier Prix”. Immediately after the end of her studies, at age 21, she was appointed Principal Horn of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia in Spain, and later in the Real Filharmonica de Galicia, also as Principal Horn, where she remained until coming to Ottawa in 1999.

Julie has played with different orchestras as soloist, including l’Orchestre Symphonique de Sherbrooke, and the Real Filharmonica de Galicia, and won the First Prize in the brass category at the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec music competition. She was also a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for three years. Julie’s orchestral career also included being invited in 1998 to play some concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Mariss Jansons.

Aside from orchestral playing, Julie also enjoys chamber music and teaching. She teaches horn at the Conservatoire de Musique de Gatineau and in Spain taught at the Academy of the “Real Filharmonica de Galicia”. She was a member of the faculty at the Banff Centre in the summer of 2006. She also takes part regularly in the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.

David Pell, one of Canada’s most versatile brass instrumentalists, has been Bass Trombonist of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra since 2006, and Principal Trombonist of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra since 2002. David serves on the faculty of the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould Professional School. He is Artistic Director of the Hannaford Street Silver Band, and has been a member of the Winnipeg Symphony, the Victoria Symphony, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Touring Orchestra.

He has performed on trombone, bass trombone, bass trumpet and euphonium with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, with the Stockholm Chamber Brass and more. David appears as guest Bass Trombone on the recent Canadian Brass recording, Brahms on Brass, on the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Holst’s The Planets and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. He was featured as soloist in the Canadian Opera Company’s acclaimed Ring Cycle and has played on many jingles and soundtracks for film and television.

He has shared stages and recording studios with such varied musicians as Feist, Herbie Hancock, Andre Bocceli, Supertramp’s Roger Hodgeson, Broken Social Scene, Owen Pallet (Final Fantasy), Earth Wind and Fire, Michael Bolton, Sheena Easton, David Foster, Holly Cole, Kenny G and Dudley Moore and has played and toured North America with productions of Wicked, Showboat, Ragtime, Chicago, Urinetown, Phantom of the Opera, Annie Get Your Gun, My Fair Lady, Cats and Evita.

Sasha Johnson began his musical training at age 16, studying brass chamber music and tuba with Sam Pilafian at the Empire Brass Seminar of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Following his undergraduate studies in Toronto and New York, Sasha was the first Canadian tuba player to be accepted to Von Karajan Academy, the orchestra academy of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Having begun his professional career in Berlin, Sasha went on to perform with many other European orchestras including the Berlin Symphony, Berlin State Opera, Radio Orchestra Berlin, Orchestre Symphonique de Radio France, Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble Modern, and Orchestre National Bordeaux. He has performed in such music festivals and concert venues as the Lucerne Festival, Festival d’Aix en Provence, Concertgebouw, Wiener Konzerthaus, Theatre Champs-Elysées, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Salzburg Festival, and BBC Proms, under such eminent conductors as Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Pierre Boulez, Kent Nagano, Essa-Pekka Salonen, Charles Dutoit, Kurt Masur, and Seiji Ozawa.

Sasha is a faculty member at the Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School of Music, and instructor of tuba, low brass, and chamber music at McGill University and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. In January 2009, he was appointed Principal Tuba of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, where he continues today. Sasha was Acting Principal Tuba of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for their 2009/2010, has performed regularly with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, with whom he toured to Europe, Japan, and Carnegie Hall, and recently completed the 2019/20 season as Acting Principal Tuba of the Canadian Opera Company.

In 2015, with conductor and hornist James Sommerville, Sasha founded the Canadian National Brass Project. Their first self-titled recording was ranked among the CBC’s Top Classical Recordings of 2017, and their second recording Constellations was released in March 2020 on the Analekta label.

True North Brass

Depuis plus de vingt ans, True North Brass occupe une place de choix dans le monde de la musique de chambre pour cuivres. En 2018, True North Brass a refait surface sur la scène des concerts canadiens et internationaux avec de nouveaux membres et un nouveau son, ainsi qu’un nouveau répertoire orchestral, s’imposant à nouveau comme l’un des meilleurs ensembles de cuivres au monde.

Cette nouvelle composition de l’ensemble, qui représente certains de nos joueurs de cuivres d’orchestre les plus éminents du Canada, poursuivra la tradition True North Brass, aussi à l’aise en récital qu’en éducation musicale ou en collaboration avec des orchestres symphoniques, et mettant l’accent sur les grands compositeurs et arrangeurs canadiens, tout en insufflant une couleur plus traditionnellement classique à leur répertoire. Les faits saillants de leur saison 2019 comprenaient des récitals aux festivals Waterside et Prince Edward County, ainsi qu’un récital et une résidence d’enseignement avec l’Orchestre national des jeunes du Canada.

Karen Donnelly a été nommée à l’unanimité trompette solo de l’Orchestre du Centre national des Arts du Canada en octobre 1999, après trois saisons couronnées de succès (1996-1999) en tant que trompette solo par intérim, et elle est ravie de faire partie de ce merveilleux ensemble.

Avant de rejoindre l’OCNA, Karen était pigiste à Montréal, où elle s’est produite avec la plupart des ensembles de la région, dont l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Karen a occupé le poste de trompette solo avec Orchestra London (Canada) de 1994 à 1996. Mme Donnelly a été trompette solo invitée de l’Orchestre symphonique de Toronto, l’Orchestre symphonique de St. Louis, Les Violons du Roi, l’Orchestre philharmonique de Calgary et l’Orchestre symphonique de Vancouver. Elle est présentement trompette solo associée à l’Orchestre du festival Sun Valley Music.

Karen a été soliste avec l’Orchestre du CNA, l’Orchestre de chambre Thirteen Strings, l’Orchestre symphonique de Kingston, l’Orchestre symphonique de Saskatoon, Orchestra London, l’Orchestre symphonique de McGill, le Hannaford Silver Street Band, le Maple Leaf Brass Band, l’Orchestre Parkdale et l’ensemble à vent de l’Université de Regina.

Karen a donné des classes de maître et des ateliers en Europe, en Suède, au Mexique, en Chine, aux États-Unis, au Royaume-Uni, et au Canada, d’un océan à l’autre. Elle est également mentore pour l’Orchestre national des jeunes du Canada. Mme Donnelly s’est jointe au personnel enseignant de l’Université d’Ottawa en 2002 et, depuis 2009, elle participe au programme « Orkidstra », le programme local inspiré de « El Systema ».

Plus récemment, Karen a été le fer de lance d’une nouvelle initiative passionnante appelée Canadian Women’s Brass Collective. Ce groupe de musiciennes talentueuses a présenté des concerts, des classes de maître et des conférences à Toronto en janvier 2019 au cours d’une conférence de cinq jours qui a été très applaudie. Pendant la saison de la COVID, la CWBC a organisé une vaste série de sessions en ligne pour aider les musiciennes à créer des stratégies de pratique saines et efficaces.

Tazmyn Eddy est trompette solo de l’Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke (Québec). Il se produit régulièrement avec l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, l’Orchestre métropolitain, les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal, l’Orchestre radiophonique de la CBC, l’Orchestre du Centre national des Arts et l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec, entre autres. Il a obtenu son baccalauréat en interprétation orchestrale à l’Université de Victoria, en Colombie-Britannique, et son diplôme d’artiste (avec distinction) au Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. Tom Shorthouse, Louis Ranger, Manon Lafrance et Stéphane Beaulac ont été ses principaux professeurs.

Julie Fauteux, née à Sherbrooke, Québec, s’est jointe à l’Orchestre du CNA en 1999 à titre de cor solo associé. Elle a étudié au Conservatoire de Montréal avec James Somerville, où elle a terminé ses études avec un « Premier Prix ». Immédiatement après la fin de ses études, à l’âge de 21 ans, elle a été nommée cor principal de l’Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia en Espagne, puis de la Real Filharmonica de Galicia, également en tant que cor principal, où elle est restée jusqu’à son arrivée à Ottawa en 1999.

Julie a joué avec différents orchestres en tant que soliste, dont l’Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke et la Real Filharmonica de Galicia, et a remporté le premier prix dans la catégorie des cuivres au concours de musique de l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec. Elle a également été membre de l’Orchestre national des jeunes du Canada pendant trois ans. Au cours de sa carrière orchestrale, Julie a également été invitée en 1998 à donner quelques concerts avec l’Orchestre philharmonique de Berlin sous la direction de Mariss Jansons.

En plus de faire partie d’orchestres, Julie aime aussi la musique de chambre et l’enseignement. Elle enseigne le cor au Conservatoire de musique de Gatineau et a enseigné en Espagne à l’Académie de la « Real Filharmonica de Galicia ». Elle a fait partie du corps professoral du Banff Centre à l’été 2006. Elle participe aussi régulièrement au Festival de musique de chambre d’Ottawa.

David Pell, l’un des instrumentistes de cuivre les plus polyvalents du Canada, est trombone basse de l’Orchestre du Ballet national du Canada depuis 2006 et trombone principal de l’Orchestre philharmonique de Hamilton depuis 2002. David est membre du corps professoral de l’Université de Toronto et de la Glenn Gould Professional School du Royal Conservatory of Music. Il est directeur artistique de la Hannaford Street Silver Band et a été membre de l’Orchestre symphonique de Winnipeg, de l’Orchestre symphonique de Victoria et du Royal Winnipeg Ballet Touring Orchestra.

Il a joué le trombone basse, le trombone, la trompette basse et l’euphonium avec l’Orchestre symphonique de Toronto, la Compagnie d’opéra canadienne, l’Orchestre du Centre national des Arts, l’Orchestre philharmonique de Calgary, l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, le Stockholm Chamber Brass, etc. David est invité comme trombone basse sur le récent enregistrement du Canadian Brass, « Brahms on Brass », sur l’enregistrement de l’Orchestre symphonique de Toronto des Planètes de Holst et du Sacre du printemps de Stravinsky. Il a été soliste dans l’acclamée Tétralogie de L’Anneau du Nibelung de la Compagnie nationale d’opéra du Canada et a joué dans de nombreuses ritournelles publicitaires et bandes sonores pour le cinéma et la télévision.

Il a partagé des scènes et des studios d’enregistrement avec des musiciens aussi variés que Feist, Herbie Hancock, Andrea Bocelli, Roger Hodgeson de Supertramp, Broken Social Scene, Owen Pallet (Final Fantasy), Earth Wind and Fire, Michael Bolton, Sheena Easton, David Foster, Holly Cole, Kenny G et Dudley Moore, et a joué et effectué des tournées en Amérique du Nord avec les productions de Wicked, Showboat, Ragtime, Chicago, Urinetown, Phantom of the Opera, Annie Get Your Gun, My Fair Lady, Cats et Evita.

Sasha Johnson a commencé sa formation musicale à l’âge de 16 ans, en étudiant la musique de chambre pour cuivres et le tuba avec Sam Pilafian à l’Empire Brass Seminar du Tanglewood Institute de l’Université de Boston. Après ses études de premier cycle à Toronto et à New York, Sasha a été le premier tubiste canadien à être accepté à l’Académie Von Karajan, l’académie d’orchestre de l’Orchestre philharmonique de Berlin.

Après avoir commencé sa carrière professionnelle à Berlin, Sasha s’est produit avec de nombreux autres orchestres européens, notamment l’Orchestre symphonique de Berlin, l’Opéra d’État de Berlin, l’Orchestre de la radio de Berlin, l’Orchestre symphonique de Radio France, l’Orchestre de Paris, l’Ensemble Modern et l’Orchestre national de Bordeaux. Il s’est produit dans des festivals de musique et des salles de concert tels que le Festival de Lucerne, le Festival d’Aix en Provence, le Concertgebouw, le Wiener Konzerthaus, le Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, le Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, le Festival de Salzbourg et les BBC Proms, sous la direction de chefs d’orchestre aussi éminents que Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Pierre Boulez, Kent Nagano, Essa-Pekka Salonen, Charles Dutoit, Kurt Masur et Seiji Ozawa.

Sasha est membre du corps professoral à la Glenn Gould School of Music du Royal Conservatory, et instructeur de tuba, de cuivres graves et de musique de chambre à l’Université McGill et pour l’Orchestre national des jeunes du Canada. En janvier 2009, il a été nommé tuba principal de l’Orchestre du Ballet national du Canada, poste qu’il occupe encore aujourd’hui. Sasha a été tuba principal par intérim de l’Orchestre symphonique de Toronto pour la saison 2009-2010, s’est produit régulièrement avec l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, avec lequel il a effectué une tournée en Europe, au Japon et au Carnegie Hall, et a récemment terminé la saison 2019-2020 en tant que tuba principal par intérim de la Compagnie d’opéra canadienne.

En 2015, avec le chef d’orchestre et corniste James Sommerville, Sasha a fondé le Projet national des cuivres du Canada. Leur premier enregistrement éponyme a été classé parmi les meilleurs enregistrements classiques de 2017 de la CBC, et leur deuxième enregistrement Constellations est sorti en mars 2020 sous l’étiquette Analekta.