Montreal Chamber Music Festival 2014

Directly after Ritornello Fest, I flew to Montreal to participate in a series of concerts with my friends and fellow laureates of the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank competition. The laureates took turns performing on the noon-hour series called "Bach's Lunch."  Kerry DuWors and I took the opportunity to play together, performing Bach's 2-part Inventions for violin and viola, solo Bach movements, and other violin duos by Leclair and Bartok.  You can read all about the noon hour concerts, reviewed by All Things Strings, here.

In addition the lunch-time concerts, we had the marvellous privilege to perform the orchestral parts to Martin Beaver's Four Seasons and to Mozart's 5 violin concerti, performed so generously by Cho-Liang Lin.

Interview in the RCM "Music Matters" Magazine

Sometime in December 2012 I was interviewed by the Royal Conservatory of Music for their publication called "Music Matters."Here's the result!

One can read the whole issue here.

Carissa Klopoushak named new member of Montreal-based Ensemble ARTefact

Carissa Klopoushak has been asked to join pianist Louise Bessette, cellist Yegor Dyachkov, and clarinetist Simon Aldrich as a member of ARTefact. ARTefact is an ensemble comprised of four of Canada's most exciting musicians. Spirited and like-minded, ARTefact's four members view the ensemble not only as an opportunity to present pieces from the broad and vivid repertoire for clarinet, violin, 'cello and piano, but also as a fount of diverse and compelling repertoire for combinations within its instrumentation; piano trio, clarinet trio, instrumental sonatas, duos and solos. Passionate for the Classical and Romantic repertoire for the various instrumental combinations within ARTefact's configuration, these musicians are also distinct advocates of the music of our time. ARTefact builds on its commitment to new music by commissioning and premiering new works for this ensemble's unique and popular instrumentation, having commissioned pieces from Canadian luminaries such as Serge Arcuri, Michael Oesterle and Nicolas Gilbert.

Drawing from repertoire that traverses the centuries, ARTefact's performances are as riveting as they are engrossing, "of the highest intensity, absolutely searing in its emotional force in live performance". Dedicated to the music of today, devoted to the music of yesterday, ARTefact's imaginative and innovative programming, coupled with an unrivaled energy, make them the only group of its kind on the Canadian chamber music scene.