Nick Halley

Debut Atlantic alumnus Nick Halley is a drummer/percussionist, keyboardist, composer, and conductor based in Nova Scotia, Canada. Nick is Assistant Director of Music of The Cathedral Church of All Saints and is Founder & Artistic Director of Capella Regalis Choirs. Nick was Assistant Music Director of The University of Kings College, and, while there, founded and directed The King’s Chorus. Nick was known to Canadian audiences as host of CBC’s national radio program, ‘Choral Concert’, and he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contribution to the arts, principally for his work with Capella Regalis. As a drummer and world percussionist, Nick performs internationally with a wide range of musicians.

Haig Beylerian

Haig Beylerian is a Canadian-Armenian guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. Born in Toronto to a musical family and shaped by both Western and Armenian culture, his work spans the classical tradition, folk heritage, and pop he grew up with. He received a Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from Dalhousie University, where he studied under Doug Reach, Jeff Torbert, Scott MacMillan, and Don Ross. Beylerian has toured extensively across North America and Asia as a performer, scored for film and theatre, and contributed to numerous recordings as both composer and session guitarist — collaborating with internationally acclaimed artists including Rufus Wainwright and Serouj Kradjian. He currently resides in Nova Scotia, where he maintains an active career as a performer, producer, and educator. His catalogue includes Solo Guitar, Armenian Folk Music For Guitar, and Armenian Folk Music For Guitar Vol. 2 — a series that reflects his commitment to preserving and reinterpreting the Armenian musical tradition through the guitar.

Chris Donnelly

Debut Atlantic alumnus Chris Donnelly’s repertoire is an eclectic mix of jazz, improvisation, original compositions, and classical music. Formerly a Steinway artist and instructor at the University of Toronto, he has resided in Nova Scotia since 2025. Unfortunately, the fact that he was nominated for some Juno awards eons ago still follows him around to this day. Chris is currently living in Chester, NS, with his wife, two Yorkies, and multiple families of deer. He teaches at the local high school, writes video game music, enjoys playing music with friends, and will talk anyone’s ear off about music and education.

Lambert, a Montréal-based violist with a doctorate in viola performance from McGill University, has built a distinguished career as a performer, educator, and chamber musician. He is regularly invited to perform with major ensembles such as Les Violons du Roy, the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and serves as principal violist of the Orchestre symphonique de Laval. As a founding member of the Lloyd Carr-Harris String Quartet and longtime member of the Molinari Quartet, Lambert’s artistry has been recognized with numerous Prix Opus distinctions from the Conseil québécois de la musique, underscoring his contribution to Québec’s concert scene. He is also a respected pedagogue at both McGill University and the Université du Québec à Montréal, and a cultural commentator on Radio-Canada.

Chloé Dumoulin has garnered international acclaim for her sensitive touch, rich tonal palette, and dynamic musical presence. Named among CBC’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30,” Dumoulin has performed extensively across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia, appearing as soloist with orchestras such as the Orchestre Métropolitain and the Orchestre symphonique de Laval. A laureate of major competitions including the Concours Prix d’Europe, she holds a double master’s degree in solo and collaborative piano and has graduated with an Artist Diploma from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London as a Leverhulme Arts Scholar. An ardent chamber musician, she has collaborated with instrumentalists and vocalists on renowned festivals and recital series.

Together, Lambert and Dumoulin released their acclaimed album Nouveau Lyrisme in June 2025, a richly curated collection of contemporary works for viola and piano that explores lyrical expression across the modern Québec repertoire. The recording—noted for its intimate dialogue, bold contrasts, and emotional depth—has been recognized with a Prix Opus nomination, highlighting the duo’s artistic vision and impact on the contemporary chamber music landscape.

They perform regularly in Canada, Europe, and China, appearing at festivals and prestigious venues such as Jeunesses Musicales Canada, Place des Arts in Montréal, the Aegean International Arts Festival in Greece, and the Jiangsu Theatre in China. In Winter 2026, Duo Aster will tour Ontario, Québec, and the Maritime provinces with Jeunesses Musicales Canada, sharing their energy and virtuosity with audiences across the country. Alongside their performing career, the duo is deeply committed to cultural mediation and music education, having introduced more than 2,500 students to classical music through the concert series Le Baptême and presenting a concert for young children entitled Mélodies et Gazouillis. Through their passion and long-standing collaboration, Duo Aster offers warm, engaging performances where every audience member can feel connected to the music and the artists.

Clio Theodoridis

Born in Athens, Clio Theodoridis performs regularly as a saxophonist in Quebec and internationally, with appearances across Europe, Asia, and North America at venues such as the Jiangsung Grand Theatre in China, Denkibunka Hall in Japan, Théâtre du Châtelet in France, and the Aegean Arts Festival in Greece, as well as major Canadian events including the Domaine Forget International Festival, La Virée Classique de Montréal, and Jeunesses Musicales Canada. She has participated in prestigious international events such as the World Saxophone Congress SaxOpen in Strasbourg and the NASA Conference, and has received recognition in competitions, including third prize at the Stockholm International Music Competition and laureate honours at the National Young Talents Competition X.O.N in Athens.

Known for the finesse and depth of her playing, she combines delicacy and intensity in her interpretation of the classical saxophone repertoire. She holds a Doctor of Music degree with highest distinction from the Université de Montréal, along with advanced diplomas from the Strasbourg Superior Academy of Music and the Lyon Conservatory.

Now based in Quebec, she performs regularly with Duo Aster, teaches at the Saguenay Conservatory of Music, is a guest professor at the Domaine Forget International Academy, and serves as an ambassador for Henri Selmer Paris.

Jonathan Nemtanu

Pianist Jonathan Nemtanu leads a rich and committed career that blends artistic excellence with cultural leadership. He performs regularly as a chamber musician in Canada, China, Greece, the United States, and France, and is praised for the finesse of his playing and his gift for musical dialogue. He studied with Hervé N’Kaoua at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux, Avedis Kouyoumdjian at the University of Vienna, and Jean Saulnier at the Université de Montréal, where he earned a doctorate in piano performance with the distinction of “exceptional.” He also holds a master’s degree in international arts management from HEC Montréal, reflecting his engagement beyond the stage.

His career includes collaborations with artists such as Nicolas Ellis, Julie Boulianne, the Isidore Quartet, Hélène Collerette, and Marie-Ève Munger, and performances at venues and festivals including Radio France, the Jiangsu Grand Theatre in China, and Orford Musique in Canada. He has appeared as a soloist with ensembles such as Pro Arte, Das Klassik Orchester aus Prag, and the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Symphony Orchestra.

Deeply committed to education and mentorship, he has taught at the Conservatoire de musique de Saguenay, served on juries including the Canadian Music Competition, and founded and directs the Le Baptême concert series in Quebec. He is currently Executive Director of the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, embodying a new generation of artists who combine musical sensitivity with entrepreneurial vision.

Alongside their passion for the traditional chamber music repertoire, the Callisto Quartet values frequent collaboration with living composers. The Callisto Quartet can be heard alongside Frank Morelli on the album From the Soul, for which they recorded Meeelaan by Wynton Marsalis. In collaboration with composer Niloufar Iravani, the Callisto Quartet recorded The Maze for New Focus Records on Sirventès – an album of music celebrating female Iranian composers. The Callisto Quartet has premiered new works by Korine Fujiwara and Ching-Chu Hu at Chamber Music Columbus, Nathaniel Heyder and Saad Haddad at the Caramoor Center, and Annika Socolofsky and Brett Dean at the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. The Callisto Quartet has the great pleasure of performing alongside many of classical music’s eminent artists, including Misha Amory, Ettore Causa, Frank Cohen, Desmond Hoebig, Nina Lee, Avri Levitan, Tai Murray, Tara O’Connor, Lawrence Power, Miguel da Silva, David Shifrin, Gilles Vonsattel, and Paul Watkins.

As dedicated educators, the Callisto Quartet has taught masterclasses at universities including Rice University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Washington, and the University of California Santa Barbara, among others. The Callisto Quartet serves as returning faculty at summer festivals including the Bravo Workshop, Hudson Montessori Conservatory Chamber Music Intensive, and Rocky Ridge Music, where Callisto serves as Faculty Quartet in Residence. From 2022-2024, the Callisto Quartet taught The Performance of Chamber Music at Yale University, and they currently serve as Associated Faculty at Chamber Music Connection in Columbus, Ohio.

The Callisto Quartet formed in 2016 as undergraduate students at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The quartet has since held residencies at Rice University, Yale University, the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia, the Stauffer Center, and the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. The quartet was inspired by the symmetry between Jupiter’s four major moons and the four members of a string quartet, borrowing the name Callisto from Jupiter’s most stable and hospitable moon.

Elinor is the artistic director of Accademia de’ Dissonanti, an ensemble devoted to musical interpretation and research. She has performed throughout the Americas and in Europe in recital and with numerous chamber ensembles and orchestras (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Rosa Barocca, Constantinople, Il Gardellino, Tafelmusik, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, etc.). As a guest leader, conducting Galant and early-Classical ensemble repertoire from the cello, she has worked with London Symphonia (Ontario), Kingston Baroque Consort, Dorian Baroque, Siren Baroque, and others. Elinor has recently performed concertos with Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Mercury Chamber Orchestra (Houston), and the Telemann Suite for viola da gamba and orchestra with Symphony Nova Scotia.

Recipient of grants and prizes supporting performance and research, including the US-Italy Fulbright Fellowship, a research residency at the Orpheus Institute in Ghent, she will collaborate in 2025 on a research project with musicologist Nicholas Baragwanath working on using hexachordal solfeggio in practice.

Elinor holds degrees from McGill, Mannes, and Juilliard. She teaches Baroque cello and performance practice at McGill University and the Université de Montréal and was a Visiting Fellow in Music (2020–2023) at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. Frey was awarded Québec’s Opus Prize for “Performer of the Year” in 2021.