Kornel Wolak (clarinet and piano) and Michael Bridge (accordion and piano) are classically trained, international soloists who represent the best of new, young classical musicians – intellect, expertise, talent and just plain fun!

In a classy and dynamic show, Double-Double Duo uniquely fuses classical showpieces with folk, world, jazz, and pop music.

Two-time Canadian Digital Accordion Champion Michael Bridge (accordions/piano) has soloed with the Boston Pops and won the prestigious Calgary Stampede Talent Search, out of 300 young artists.

Highly acclaimed for his musical imagination, Dr. Kornel Wolak (clarinet/piano) has been praised by numerous critics: “Control and a smooth, elegant expressivity are what make Wolak shine.” (Toronto Star)

Since their inaugural performance in 2012, Double-Double Duo has been presented by major arts organizations, including The Ontario Philharmonic, Barrie Concerts, The Royal Ontario Museum, The Chopin Society of Canada and the Calgary Stampede. Double-Double’s music is fun and fiery, as they continue to push the boundaries of live-performance to the next level! They released their debut album “Rock Bach” in November 2015. www.doubledoubleduo.com

collectif9

Montreal’s cutting-edge string ensemble is known for energized, innovative arrangements of classical repertoire, combining the power of an orchestra with the crispness of a chamber ensemble for a unique experience.

collectif9 employs lights, staging, and amplification more commonly seen at rock acts, and heralds a new age in genre-bending classical performance. collectif9 has already performed over 70 concerts across Canada and internationally, from summer appearances at the Festival de Lanaudière and Ottawa Chamberfest, to Québec’s Côte-Nord in February, to Christmas-time in China.

Their debut album, Volksmobiles, was released in February 2016: described as “dazzling” (The WholeNote), the album exudes  “great brio and vitality” (Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review), capturing the brilliant colour and driving energy of a collectif9 live performance. Featuring folk-inspired music by Brahms, Bartók, Schnittke, and André Gagnon, collectif9’s new album also presents the world premiere recording of Canadian composer Geof Holbrook’s Volksmobiles, written for the ensemble.

The musicians and friends met as students at Université de Montréal and McGill University: they wanted to create something different yet complementary to traditional representations of classical music, more relatable to pop culture. Learning from the classical works that have influenced non-classical musicians and the structure of pop concerts, collectif9 looks for ways to break the stigma of inapproachability, searching for new ways of expression within the classical medium, and attempting to foster communication and collaboration between artists and within their community.

collectif9 has received a great deal of support and encouragement, and are very grateful to the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, FACTOR, and Musitechnic. www.collectif9.ca

Cheng² Duo
Thursday January 18, 2018 7:30 pm
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Bryon Cheng (cello) and Silvie Cheng (piano). The obvious affection between the 19 and 26 year old siblings extends deep under their virtuoso fireworks to bring inner life to each dynamic work in their varied repertoire. They were named by CBC Music as one of 2015’s “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30”.

19-year-old cellist Bryan Cheng, a guest soloist with numerous orchestras since his debut at age 10 in Montréal under the baton of Yuli Turovsky, is a 1st-prize winner of the 2016 National Arts Centre Bursary Competition, 1st-prize winner of the 2011 Canadian Music Competition, and 1st-prize winner at the Ontario Music Federation Association Competition in 2009-2011-2012.

26-year-old pianist Silvie Cheng is a recent graduate from the Manhattan School of Music in New York with a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance, and the recipient of the Roy M. Rubinstein Award for exceptional promise in piano performance.

Cheng² Duo’s wide-ranging repertoire for the cello and piano has brought them to present recitals and performances on three continents, in notable venues throughout North America, Europe and Asia (China and South Korea). They have performed at the Aspen Music Festival, Trasimeno Music Festival (Italy), Orford Music Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Festival of the Sound, CAMMAC Festival, and Festival Pontiac Enchanté, and they have been featured several times on CBC Radio Two, as well as on Vermont Public Radio. cheng2duo

Charles Richard-Hamelin
Thursday March 15, 2018 7:30 pm
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Charles Richard-Hamelin, piano, exposes inner voices and harmonic twists using a large palate of colours and a real poetic sense. The tone that he produces from the piano has been described as beyond the capabilities of the actual instrument.

Charles Richard-Hamelin stands out as one of the most important pianists of his generation. He is silver medalist and laureate of the Krystian Zimerman award for the best sonata at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015, won second prize at the Montréal International Musical Competition and third prize and special award for the best performance of a Beethoven sonata at the Seoul International Music Competition in South Korea. In April 2015, he was awarded the prestigious Career Development Award offered by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.

He has appeared in various prestigious festivals including the Prague Spring Festival, La Roque d’Anthéron in France, “Chopin and his Europe” Festival in Warsaw and the Lanaudière Festival in Canada. As a soloist, he has performed with various ensembles including the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Montréal Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio, Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, OFUNAM (Mexico), Korean Symphony Orchestra and I Musici de Montréal.

Originally from Lanaudière in Québec, Charles Richard-Hamelin studied with Paul Surdulescu, Sara Laimon, Boris Berman and André Laplante. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in performance from McGill University in 2011 and a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music in 2013 and received full scholarships in both institutions. He also completed an Artist Diploma program at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal in 2016 and currently works on a regular basis with pianist Jean Saulnier.

His first solo CD, which features late works by Chopin, was released on the Analekta label in September 2015 and received widespread acclaim from critics throughout the world (Diapason, BBC Music Magazine, Le Devoir). A second album, recorded at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City was released in September 2016 under the same label. The artist presents works of Chopin, Beethoven and Enescu. www.charlesrichardhamelin.com

EnChor
Saturday April 14, 2018 7:30 pm
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EnChor was formed in the summer of 2007 by the late Dr. Diane Loomer to encourage “senior singers” to continue to use their talents, sharpen their brains and “keep them off the streets on Friday mornings.” EnChor succeeded beyond her dreams. Within three years their reputation earned them an invitation to Podium 2010, the biennial gathering of Canada’s leading choral conductors, and entrée to the renowned invitation-only international choral festival, Festival 500 Sharing the Voices 2011 in St. John’s Newfoundland. EnChor was the core choir at the BC Choral Federation’s Chorfest May 2014. They performed for the first time at Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach in July 2014 and appear annually with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Artistic Director, Gerald van Wyck, is well known in the Canadian choral community for his work with singers of all ages.  His innate musical talent, versatility and tireless energy are shared at Vancouver Community College, where he lectures in Music History, teaches Choral and Orchestral Conducting, and works with the Madrigal Singers, as well as at West Vancouver United Church where he has been Minister of Music for 28 years. He is also the founder of the Pacific Spirit family of choirs on the North Shore. For over 13 years Gerald was Music Director of the British Columbia Boys Choir, with whom he toured and recorded extensively. Recently he has served as Assistant Conductor to Lion’s Gate Sinfonia Orchestra, and the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, and for five years was conductor of the Vancouver Island Opera Association. enchor.ca