Renée Silberman

Founder and Director of Serenata Music Concerts



Renée Silberman, essayist on topics of musical interest, has authored program notes for performances in concert halls in Canada and the U.S. Her material accompanies all recitals on the Serenata Music Series. She has provided material for concerts at Carnegie Hall and for events at Baruch College in Manhattan. Ms. Silberman has also contributed the liner notes to many CDs, including those by Sergiu Schwartz, violin and Alec Chien, piano, by the Serafin String Quartet, and by Coenraad Bloemendal, cello, and Erica Goodman, harp.


Recognized for meticulous scholarship and a lively style (“according to Renée Silberman’s uncommonly informative program annotations….[which] shed much interesting light,” Harris Goldsmith in New York Concert Review), she creates articles richly detailed, educational and entertaining. With a background in cultural history, she places the purely musical aspects of her writings within the context of the times. She explores the interrelationship of the dynamics of cultural movements that influenced composers and the inner motivations pressing composers to seek new directions. Her research embraces subjects ranging from Purcell and English song to the art of modern French song; from the quartets of Haydn to those of Bartok and Shostakovich; from Court orchestras to concentration camp orchestras.


Renée completed biographical sketches of Maria Rosé and Gordon Jeffery, which appear in the volume London: 100 Fascinating Lives (Lorimer, Toronto, 2005). She has maintained a presence as music columnist for Beat Magazine and The London Yodeller, as a critic and as a commentator on topics of cultural interest.



Following family involvement in music production in Pittsburgh and New York, Renée began an independent career as a concert organizer. After exploring the possibility of presenting events in the 1990s, Renée developed the formal Serenata Music program, which has been in place since 2003. Her enthusiasm remains undiminished, as she sees the series move into its second decade.



Ms. Silberman is recognized for her avid support of musicians at every stage of their artistic development. She encourages music education for people of all ages. Above all, her strong belief in the thrill of live performance is the driving force behind the creation of Serenata Music and its continuing success.

Music director of Orchestra London, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Laval, the National Broadcast Orchestra, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Alain Trudel is one of the most sought after conductors on the Canadian Scene.
A frequent guest with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Trudel will make his debut with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Gävle Symphony Orchestra (Sweden), and with the Saint-Petersburg Cappella Symphony Orchestra during the 2010-2011 season.
Trudel made his Opera de Montréal debut in 2009, Conducting Mozart’s The Magic Flute, as well as the 30th anniversary gala, which was released as a live CD and nominated at L’ADISQ. In 2010 he will make his debut at l’Opéra de Quebec.
Highly committed to the new generation of musicians, Trudel is the conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and has been regularly invited to conduct the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Their recording of Mahler’s 6th Symphony and Le sacre du prinptemps was nominated as “Best Orchestral Album of the Year” at the 2010 Juno Awards.
Beyond the borders of Canada, Trudel has conducted orchestras in the UK, the USA, Japan, Hong-Kong and in Latin America. Highly appreciated for his collaborative spirit, he has worked with many world famous artists, among them Ben Heppner, Anton Kuerti, Measha Brueggergosman, Pinchas Zukermann and Isabel Bayrakdarian.
First known to the public as a trombone soloist, Alain Trudel made his solo debut at the age of 18, with Charles Dutoit with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. He has been guest soloist with leading orchestras on five continents, and was the first Canadian to be a Yamaha international artist.
Alain is very happy to come back to his roots, as he will be Hannaford Street Silver Band’s principal guest conductor at the start of the 2010-2011season.
Alain Trudel is the recipient of numerous Awards, among them the Virginia Parker, Le grand prix du disque Président de la République de l’Académie Charles Cros (France), and more recently the Heinz Unger Prize for conducting. He has also been named an Ambassador of Canadian Music by the CMC.

Charles Neidich (U.S.A.) Hailed by the New Yorker as "a master of his instrument and beyond a clarinetist”, Charles Neidich has been described as one of the most mesmerizing musicians performing before the public today. He regularly appears as a soloist and as collaborator in chamber music programs with leading ensembles including the Saint Louis Symphony, Minneapolis Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, I Musici di Montreal, Tafelmusik, Handel/Haydn Society, Royal Philharmonic, Deutsches Philharmonic, MDR Symphony, Yomiuri Symphony, National Symphony of Taiwan, and the Juilliard, Guarneri, Brentano, American, Mendelssohn, Carmina, Colorado, and Cavani String Quartets.

Mr. Neidich has performed throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States, and is a sought after participant at many summer festivals such as the Marlboro and Sarasota festivals in the USA, the Orford and Domaines Forget festivals in Canada, BBC Proms in England, Festival Consonances and Pontivy in France, Corsi Internazionali di Perfezionamento in Italy, Kuhmo, Crusell Week, Turku, and Korsholm festivals in Finland, the Apeldoorn Festival in Holland, Music from Moritzburg in Germany, the Kirishima and Lilia summer festivals in Japan, and the Beijing Festival in China.

When Charles Neidich began studying clarinet with his father, Irving Neidich at the age of 7, he had already started piano lessons with his mother, Litsa Gania Neidich. He continued studying both instruments, but the clarinet gradually won out, and he went at the age of 17 to continue studying with the noted clarinet teacher, Leon Russianoff. After 4 years at Yale University where he majored in Anthropology, Charles Neidich went to the Moscow State Conservatory as the first recipient of a Fulbright grant to study in the Soviet Union. He studied in Moscow for 3 years as a student of the clarinetist, Boris Dikov, and the pianist, Kirill Vinogradov.

Known as a leading exponent of period instrument performance practice (he is the founder of the noted period instrument wind ensemble, “Mozzafiato”.) Charles Neidich was one of the first soloists to improvise cadenzas and ornament classical concertos. He has performed his restoration of the Mozart Concerto throughout the world both on modern and period instruments. Mr. Neidich has been influential in restoring original versions of works and bringing them before the public. A list of the clarinet classics he has restored to their original form includes works as diverse as the previously mentioned Mozart Concerto, Concerti of Weber and Copland, the Soireest cke of Robert Schumann and the Andante and Allegro of Ernest Chausson.

Mr. Neidich is also an ardent exponent of new music and has premiered works by Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, Edison Denisov, Helmut Lachenmann, William Schuman, Ralph Shapey, Joan Tower, Katia Tchemberdji, Vasilii Lobanov and others. He has championed John Corigliano's Concerto, performing it throughout the United States notably with the Syracuse and Jacksonville Symphonies in performances many have called definitive.

His recordings are available on the Sony Classical, Sony Vivarte, Deutsche Grammophon, Musicmasters, Hyperion, and Bridge labels. For Aaron Copland's centennial, he released the world premiere recording of his reconstruction of the original version of Copland's Clarinet Concerto with “I Musici di Montreal” for the Chandos label. Mr. Neidich has turned his attention in a serious way to conducting, and has appeared with the Avanti chamber Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Helsinki, at the B'stad Festivalin Sweden, the Kirishima Festival in Japan, with the New World and the San Diego Symphonies (in a triple role of conductor, soloist, and composer), and in Bulgaria with the Plovdiv State Philharmonic.

Very active in education, Charles Neidich is on the faculties of the Juilliard School, Queens College of the City University of New York, the Manhattan School, and the Mannes College of Music, and has held visiting positions at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, the Yale School of Music, and Michigan State University. He is in demand for master classes around the world and for innovative lecture concerts he has devised such as "Old is New: how playing old music on period instruments is like playing new music on modern instruments," and "Craft and Drama: how understanding how Brahms composed makes for a more compelling performance."

With his wife, Ayako Oshima, he has published a book on the basics of clarinet technique for the Japanese publisher, TOA Ongaku inc. Last Spring, Charles Neidich was the recipient of the William Schuman Award given by the Juilliard School for outstanding performance and scholarship.

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Japanese pianist Mariko Furukawa was born in 1982, began her studies of the piano at the age of five and graduated high school from the Toho Conservatory. While studying in Japan, Mariko won the First prize twice at Piano Teachers National Association Competition (PTNA) in Japan both at the age of twelve and sixteen, resulting in an invitation to perform in Salt Lake City. In 1998 she was First Prize winner in the All Japan Student’s Piano Competition.

Since Mariko has moved to the states in 2001, she won numerous awards include the Grand Prize at the annual Mannes Concerto Competition, resulting in a performance of with the Mannes Orchestra conducted in Lincoln Center, Grand Prix for excellence in piano performance at the summer festival at American Conservatory in Fontainebleau (France) in 2003, Third Prize at The Chopin competition in Asia which sent her as a delegate to the International Chopin Competition 2005 in Poland, and her recent achievement is the First Prize at Dorothey MacKenzie Prize (NY), and Third Prize at Porto International Piano Competition (Portugal) in fall of 2006. She was also a finalist at the Kosciusko Foundation Chopin Competition in New York in 2003.

In 2004 her performance of Chopin was broadcast on the Radio as part of the “Young Artist Showcase” at WQXR. Mariko is an active chamber musician as well and she won the Mannes Chamber Music Competition in 2004, resulting in a performance with the Orion String Quartet. She has performed at numerous major halls throughout New York and Japan which include Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, United Nations, Steinway Salon, Yamaha Salon, Union Club, Goethe Institute, German consulate, French Consulate. She also appeared in master classes given by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Vladimir Krainev, Richard Goode, Cyprien Katsaris, Idil Bilet, Philippe Entremont, Dmitri Bashkirov, Ewa Poblocka.

Since she came to New York. Mariko studied in The Juilliard School and The Mannes College of Music where her major teacher was Jerome Rose and Jacob Lateiner. Her major teachers include Yoriko Takahashi, Koji Shimoda.

David has appeared on our stage in 2010, 2011and recently in 2017. He is one of the most remarkable talents of the new generation. With his personal style, incomparable stage presence and refined ear, he has wowed audiences and critics everywhere in North America: "a deeply musical pianist" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), "a virtuoso in the best sense of the word" (La Presse), "...wide-ranging musical imagination, phenomenal technique, and an unerring lightness of being" (The Toronto Star). His first solo disc, dedicated to the works of Corigliano and Rzewski, was launched to great applause on Endeavour in 2004, and was followed up in 2006 by an equally successful recording of Fauré's complete Nocturnes. His most recent release consists of the 24 Preludes and Fugues of Shostakovich on the ATMA label (2008). David Jalbert has also recorded two cello and piano discs with his long-standing musical partner Denise Djokic, the first for Sony Classical in 2002, and the second for Endeavour in 2005 (Folklore, nominated for a Juno Award and listed in the top 15 of the Billboard charts), as well as a CD with French horn player Louis-Philippe Marsolais for the German label Oehms Classics. Mr. Jalbert performs regularly with his dynamic piano trio (with violinist Jasper Wood and cellist Yegor Dyachkov) under the name "Triple Forte". He has collaborated with the Alcan Quartet, as well as with pianists Anton Kuerti and Naida Cole. Mr. Jalbert is the 2007 winner of the prestigious Virginia Parker Prize of the Canada Council for the Arts, and is now Piano Faculty at the University of Ottawa.

David Jalbert has been a guest soloist with many great orchestras, such as the Montreal Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra and the National Symphony of Ireland, and has collaborated with conductors like Skitch Henderson, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bramwell Tovey, Jacques Lacombe, Marc David, Dmitry Liss and Mario Bernardi. He has performed in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe; his vast repertoire of solo and chamber music stretches from Bach to Ligeti. Mr. Jalbert's interests in literature, cinema, rock'n'roll and blues shine through in his musical selections, which can be heard regularly on CBC Radio and Radio-Canada broadcasts.

David Jalbert holds two Artist Diplomas: one from the Juilliard School in New York, the other from the Glenn Gould Professional School in Toronto. He received his Master’s Degree from the Université de Montréal at age 21, winning the Governor General’s Gold Medal for the best results of all of the University's graduate students. His main teachers have been Jerome Lowenthal, Marc Durand, André Laplante and Pauline Charron. He has also worked with Leon Fleisher, John Perry, Claude Frank, Gilbert Kalish and Marylin Engle.

David Jalbert performed at Baruch College in New York in February, 2010.

Serenata Music was pleased to welcome back the young (now 15 years old) Canadian pianist Anastasia
Rizikov for her second appearance on our stage. Since her last performance she has won two major piano competitions in Italy and New York, and has been concertizing regularly in North America. She performed in New York at the Aaron Silberman series at Baruch College, City University of New York in November 2012. In September of 2013 she presented 11 concerts in the Debut Atlantic series in Atlantic Canada. She recently delighted London audiences with her January, 2014 debut with Orchestra London. She returned to Halifax in February to perform with the Atlantic Symphony. Her talent has been recognized by the Glenn Gould foundation which donated a Yamaha grand piano to encourage excellence in her artistic development.
When she last appeared here as a precocious thirteen year old she was already showing signs of being “one to watch”. She was performing numerous solo concerts in major US cities such as Detroit, Chicago, Binghamton, New York City, New Jersey City, and Washington, and returned to these cities every fall for solo performances. Anastasia gave two performances of Kabalevsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the International Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Debbaut in Sarnia, Ontario, and in Port Huron, Michigan. In 2009, she performed as guest soloist with the Northwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Holian and in 2010 with the Plymouth Symphony Orchestra in Michigan conducted by Nan Washburn, in performances of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor. She also performed the string quartet arrangement of the Chopin in Binghamton, NY, under the leadership of Steinway artist John Covelli. Closer to her Toronto home, Anastasia has performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Toronto Sinfonietta, conducted by Matthew Jaskiewicz; and made concert appearances in London and Toronto.

Anastasia is currently on the international competition circuit, winning many awards in the process. In May 2011, she captured first prize in the Rotary International Piano Competition in Palma de Mallorca, Spain – choosing to enter the more challenging Category A (up to 28 year old) – the youngest person in the competition’s 18 years to do so – and winning over players twice her age! She will return to Spain for a series of solo recitals, as well as a concerto performance with Balearic Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, Anastasia won first place in the Thousand Islands International Piano Competition for Young People (Cape Vincent, USA). She also won first place at American Protégé 2010 International Piano and Strings Competition and performed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall. She had already performed at Carnegie Hall when, in 2009, Anastasia became the first place winner at the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition. In 2008, representing Canada, Anastasia performed with great success in the Kremlin at the international festival “Moscow Meets Friends”, organized by Vladimir Spivakov’s International Charity Foundation; she was awarded the Festival’s medal and diploma. Also in 2008, Anastasia had the honour of performing at the fourth “Young Stars of the Young Century” Gala Concert organized by Vladimir Spivakov’s Charity Foundation, which took place in the Toronto Centre for The Arts. In 2006, Anastasia became the first place winner at The Vladimir Horowitz International Young Pianists Competition in Kiev, Ukraine, again, representing Canada. She was also given a special award for Best Artistic Performance and, at age seven, made her orchestral debut, performing Polunin's Concertino in A minor with the National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, conducted by Mykola Diadiura.

Nationally, Anastasia is also a first prize winner at both the Canadian Music Competition (CMC) and the Canadian Chopin Competition. The Chopin competition, held every five years, lead to Anastasia’s appearance at a gala winners’ concert at Koerner Hall in Toronto. Annually, Anastasia wins first place at several local competitions in the Greater Toronto Area, including Markham Music Festival, Yips Music Festival, North York Music Festival, Peel Music Festival, Davenport Music Festival, Toronto Music Competition, Kiwanis Music Festival of Greater Toronto, Kiwanis Provincial Music Festival, and the Canadian Music Competition (CMC).

Anastasia has given interviews and performed at Toronto’s Classical 96.3 FM radio station, CBC Television news, Russian MIX TV, and the Ukrainian TV programs Svitohliad and Kontakt. An excerpt of one of her videos was even briefly shown on The Oprah Show during a feature on gifted children. Anastasia studies with award-winning Master of Music Maia Spis, teacher at the Nadia Music Academy in Toronto. She has played in master classes for Anatoly Ryabov (Professor at the Conservatory of Moscow), Oxana Yablonskaya (Professor at the Juilliard School of Music), and has worked with Olga Kern (winner of the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition). Anastasia began her studies at age five, and since then showed unparalleled dedication to both practice and performance.

Fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, and English, Anastasia does spend rare moments away from the piano. She loves to read because “it is like entering a whole different world and experiencing the role of my favorite character – so my imagination goes wild!” She also loves animals, shopping, and she treasures her friendships, which are difficult to foster, given her practice and travel schedule. “I always look forward to seeing my friends, although I rarely see them. When I do, I feel like one of them, not like an adult – the way I feel most of times.” Her dreams are to become a renowned and accomplished pianist with beautiful dresses on stage, and to “touch the hearts of the audience.”

Trio Désiré is composed of three dynamic musicians who perform an eclectic repetoire.
Désirée Till; Soprano, Erica Goodman; Harpist, and Coenraad Bloemendal; Cellist.
Born in Zurich, the Dutch soprano Désirée Till grew up in Switzerland where she also studied singing and graduated (B.MUS) at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Bern, Switzerland. This led to further studies at the Zurich Opera and to her operatic debut as Olga in Léhar’s Merry Widow. In Switzerland she performed many roles.
Most recently she completed her masters in Music Interpretation at the Université de Montréal, École de musique Vincent d’Indy. Big influences for her work on stage have been in theatres in Switzerland, Vienna, and Germany)
In 2008 she sung Adele (Fledermaus) in a production from the atelier d’opéra at the Université de Montréal with Jean-François Rivest. Also in 2008, Désirée Till performed for the first time at the Toronto Summer Music Academy and Festival’s Ariadne auf Naxos the role of Zerbinetta.

Erica Goodman; Harpist
A native of Toronto, Erica Goodman is acclaimed as one of the world’s outstanding solo harpists. She received her training at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), the National Music Camp (Interlochen, Michigan) and the Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia). Already a concert performer in her teens, Erica played under the baton of Igor Stravinsky when he recorded in Toronto.
While studying at Curtis, she won a concerto competition and was rewarded with a solo appearance with the famed Philadelphia Orchestra. Upon finishing her studies, Mario Bernardi chose her to be a member of the newly formed National Arts Centre Orchestra. Erica is currently a member of Toronto’s Esprit Orchestra which specializes in contemporary music and plays with Barbara Croall’s “Ergo Ensemble” which promotes Canadian contemporary music at home and abroad.
Erica’s love of chamber music is highlighted by her long association with colleagues and groups such as flutist Robert Aitken, oboist Lawrence Cherney and Trio Lyra and with Swedish horn virtuoso Sören Hermansson.
Erica is a charter member of Toronto’s New Music Concerts Ensemble. She is a “regular” on the summer festival circuit, Erica has appeared at The Scotia Festival, the Festival of the Sound, the Elora Festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Festival.
Following a concert at the North American New Music Festival in Buffalo NY, music critic Richard Chon extolled, “…a stunningly virtuosic harpist whose very presence on the scene is an incentive for the creation of new works.” Canadian composers thus inspired include Alexina Louie, Oskar Morawetz, Milton Barnes, Marjan Mozetich, Harry Freedman, Lothar Klein, Rodney Sharman and Chris Paul Harman.
In addition to her international concert performances, Erica Goodman has made many recordings on the CBC, Marquis, BIS, Opening Day, Avalon, Centrediscs and Naxos labels. In 1995, she won a Juno for her solo BIS CD “Erica Goodman Plays Canadian Harp Music". In 1980, Erica won the Grand Prix du Disque for her BIS recording “Flute and Harp” with Robert Aitken. NOW Magazine selected her as Best Canadian Classical Musician in its 1996 “Best of Toronto” readers’ poll.

Coenraad Bloemendal; Cellist
Coenraad Bloemendal was born in Amsterdam and did his training at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Carel van Leeuwen Boomkamp. He did his postgraduate work with the legendary cellist Janos Starker at Indiana University in the US. After moving to Canada in 1971, Coenraad Bloemendal joined the Camerata Canada chamber ensemble and quickly established himself as one of the country’s most outstanding cellists.
As a soloist he has played he has played the major concert works. With pianist Valerie Tryon, his duo partner of 25 years, Bloemendal has performed most of the repertoire for cello and piano both in concert and for CBC radio. He has played with Glenn Gould on CBC Television’s "Music in our Time" which led to participation in other recording projects with the great pianist. Coenraad Bloemendal has played with many chamber groups including Camerata Canada the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, The Toronto Chamber Players and The Rembrandt Trio. He has played at numerous festivals such as the Stratford Festival, the Guelph Spring Festival, The Collingwood Festival the Orford and the Shaw Festivals. He also toured North and South America, Europe and the United Kingdom. Coenraad Bloemendal has recorded extensively on different labels such as Sony, Dorian, Crystal, CBC and Marquis Classics. His latest album Reflections with Erica Goodman can be heard frequently on Classical 96.3.

We were pleased to welcome 17 year old Canadian pianist, Jan Lisiecki, back to London in 2012. following a wonderful appearance with Orchestra London this year and a concert at the Stratford Summer Music Festival. Jan has recently recorded two Mozart concertos under Maestro Christian Zacharias with the Kammerorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks with Deutche Grammaphon. Born in Calgary, Jan has appeared around the world with orchestras and with the New Zealand String Quartet, Quatuor Ébène, and the Penderecki String Quartet.
He returned to our stage in January of 2017 and thrilled the audience with performances of the Bach, Partita No.3 in A Minor, Schumann, Klavierstücke, Chopin, Scherzo No.1 in B Minor, and Nocturnes, Schubert, Impromptus.
On March 2, 2019, Jan graced us again with a program of Ravel, Schumann, Rachmaninoff and Chopin. This was after he had won a Juno award in 2018 and preceded by one week the 2019 Juno awards that were presented in London.

We welcome back Don Thompson who appeared last season with Trio Desiree. This concert he teams up with Guido Basso, Flugelhorn, Reg Schweger, Guitar, and Diana Panton, Vocals, in an afternoon of pure jazz. As outlined on our Biography page, Don is one of Canada's leading jazz musicians and composers having won manifold honours including the Order of Canada in 2009. As a bassist, pianist and vibrophonist since the 1960s he has played worldwide with a who's who of jazz. As a mentor of rising jazz musicians he has recently teamed up with the above group which has been featuring Diana Panton on stage and on recordings.

GUIDO BASSO (Flugelhorn) (born 27 September 1937 in Montreal) is a jazz musician from Montreal. He started playing the trumpet when he was nine. Settling in Toronto in 1960, he became a studio trumpeter. He also occasionally played harmonica in-studio. In 1963, he became a music director for CBLT, a post he held until 1967. He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1994.[1]
He is a trumpeter, flugelhornist, harmonica-player, arranger, composer, conductor. He studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Quebec. His career started in his teens, when singer Vic Damone included him in an international tour.
In 1958 he joined singer Pearl Bailey and her bandleader husband, drummer Louis Bellson, touring North America with them for three years before moving to Toronto to join the studio and television scene there. Beginning in 1975, he frequently organized and led big band concerts at Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition featuring jazz luminaries including Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. He can be heard on hundreds of record albums, playing and recording with stars from Buddy Rich and Oliver Jones to Carol Welsman and Diana Krall. He is currently featured on vocalist Diana Panton’s release “Pink”.
Guido Basso was a charter member of Rob McConnell’s group, The Boss Brass, and the Rob McConnell Tentet, playing with The Boss Brass as a featured soloist throughout their lifetime, and appearing on 30 Boss Brass recordings. He was part of the “Sound of Toronto” series of reunion concerts of the Boss Brass in 2008.

REG SCHWAGER (guitar) was born May 7, 1962 in Leiden, The Netherlands. He is today, and has been for many years, one of Canada’s leading jazz guitarists. When he was three years old, his family movedfrom Holland to New Zealand where he studied Suzuki violin. When he was six, his family moved again, this time to Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. There he took music lessons in recorder, flute and piano before settling on the guitar as his main instrument. By the age of 15, he was playing jazz gigs in big band and small group settings and in duet with his sister Jeannette.
It was at two jazz workshops conducted by Phil Nimmons -- at the University of Toronto (1978) and the Banff Centre (1979) -- that Reg met some of the musicians he would begin working with soon after he moved to Toronto in 1979. They included fellow students Renee Rosnes and Ralph Bowen and faculty members including Nimmons, Dave McMurdo, Herbie Spanier and Pat LaBarbera. Since then he has worked steadily on the Toronto jazz scene and in other musical areas including new music (New Music Concerts, Hemispheres and Sound Pressure, among others) and improvised music (with musicians such as Misha Mengelberg and Han Bennink).
Reg has toured extensively across Canada and worldwide with George Shearing, Diana Krall, Peter Appleyard, Rob McConnell and many others. He appears on over 80 commercially released recordings with such artists as Junior Mance, Gary Burton, George Shearing and Mel Torme;. CDs released under his own name include Resonance, Border Town and Live at Mezzetta. He has written hundreds of jazz compositions, some with lyrics by Jeannette Lambert. His arrangements for big band have been recorded by the Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra, and his arrangements for string orchestra and jazz ensemble appear on Mike Murley's CD The Melody Lingers On (CBC> Records).
For the past seven years he has maintained a popular weblog devoted to news about Brazilian music at bmth.blogspot.com. He has attended workshops and classes with such Brazilian masters as Guinga, Dori Caymmi, Marcos Silva, Jovino Santos Neto, Paulo Sergio Santos and Hamilton de Holanda, mainly at the California-Brazil Camp.He is the winner of the National Jazz Awards 'Guitarist of the Year' for several years.

DIANA PANTON (Vocals) is being heralded as one of the brightest lights on the jazz scene today. Her aesthetic sense has attracted the attention of some of the jazz world’s most respected masters. When legendary Canadian multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson first heard Panton sing at age 19, he recommended she audition for the reputed jazz workshop at the Banff Center for the Arts (Canada). There, she studied under Norma Winstone (and in subsequent visits, Sheila Jordan and Jay Clayton).
While at Banff, she was invited to perform with Thompson at the famed ”Blue Room”. “She really knocked me out that night, “ Thompson said. “She was so young but she had a lot of depth and real feeling. It surprised me right away.” Following that performance, Thompson told Panton to contact him when she was ready to record an album. She did—some 10 years later!
Before recording her first album, Panton first completed an honours masters degree in French literature and fulfilled a teaching engagement at the University of Paris (France), followed by a position as a sessional lecturer at McMaster University (Canada). She then completed a teaching degree. During this time, she also produced and performed a number of sold-out concerts with emerging jazz prodigy, pianist David Braid.
When the time finally arrived to go into the studio, national award-winning guitarist Reg Schwager was invited to join Don Thompson for some stellar accompaniment behind Panton’s pure vocals. The late great Montreal jazz critic Len Dobbin called ...yesterday perhaps (2005) one of the finest debut CDs he had heard in years. Diana was featured on the cover VIEW Magazine and NOW Magazine. The album made the NOW Magazine's TOP 10 Discs of the Year. This album was released in Japan in 2011 and was awarded the Silver Disc Award for Best Vocal Jazz Release of the year by the country's prestigious Jazz Critique Magazine.
Success continued with Hamilton Music Awards, Juno and National Jazz Awards nominations for her sophomore release, if the moon turns green... (2007) - a thematic album about the moon and the stars. Diana was one of four jazz vocalists selected worldwide to showcase at the prestigious Jazz a Juan Revelations (Juan-les-Pins, France) where she was voted Premiere Dauphine by the Juan public. In 2011, the album made the Top 2 on the annual jazz sales chart for Eslite, Taiwan's most important chain store.
Diana's third album, pink (2009), is a narrative concept album about the twists and turns of new love. It features superb accompaniment once again from Reg Schwager and Don Thompson along with a highlight appearance from Canada's premier horn player Guido Basso. The album was awarded a Silver Disc Award for Best Vocal Recording of 2010 by Japan's Jazz Critique Magazine, as well as a nomination for Favourite Jazz Artist at the 2010 Canadian Independent Music Awards. The disc made the Top 3 annual jazz chart in Taiwan for best online CD sales in 2011.
Diana's fourth album, to Brazil with love (2011), is a tribute to the samba and bossa nova traditions of Brazil. The album features the most adventurous instrumentation to date. Maninho Costa and Silas Silva add Brazilian rhythms on drums and percussion, while Kiki Misumi on cello and Bill McBirnie on flute add colour and texture. Don and Reg are still the mainstay of the trio and provide delightful accompaniment and soloing throughout. The album appeared on a number of Best of 2011 lists, including those of Japan's Jazz Critique Magazine, Tim Perlich, JAZZ.FM's hosts Jaymz Bee and John Devenish. The album also ranked #1 for eight weeks on the jazz sales chart in Greater China and Singapore. All three of Diana's most recent albums appeared simultaneously on the Top Ten jazz sales chart for 12 weeks in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The album was nominated for a JUNO, a Canadian Independent Music Award and an American Independent Music Award. It won the 2012 Juno Awards for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Diana's latest release, Christmas Kiss, is a delightful mixture of carefully selected chestnuts, obscure gems and new originals. This album is sure to become a seasonal favourite! "The quality and the mood of the music on this CD is very different from your typical seasonal disc; you don't have to play it only in December. Personally, I could listen to this recording all year long ..." (Guido Basso).

ERIKA RAUM
Known for her "engaging sensitivity and a gorgeously full tone," [THE STRAD], violinist Erika Raum continues developing a following here in her native country and internationally. Playing professionally since the age of twelve, Ms. Raum quickly rose through the ranks by taking first place at the 1992 Joseph Szigeti International Violin Competition in Budapest as well as the award for best interpretation of a Mozart concerto. She has returned on many occasions to perform in Hungary, Portugal, Sweden, Austria, Germany, England, Italy and France. She has appeared as guest artist with such orchestras as the Budapest Radio Orchestra, the Szombathely Symphony Orchestra, the Austro-Hungarian Orchestra, and the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra.

A distinguished musician abroad, Erika also performs frequently throughout her homeland with orchestral appearances in cities such as Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa, Victoria, Halifax, Laval and Edmonton. Both a recitalist and chamber musician, some of her recent international highlights include the Festival Pablo Casals in Prades France, Beethoven Festival in Warsaw, the BargeMusic Festival in New York, Seattle Chamber Music Festival and past invitation include the Budapest Spring Festival, Szombathely Festival in Hungary, Carnegie Hall as well as the Caramoor and Prussia Cove festivals. Her performances are often heard on an array of radio networks like CBC across Canada and the NPR in the USA. In the 2010.11 season, Erika will perform in concerto with orchestras and will be featured in recital at the 2011 NAC Prairie Scenes.

Erika is a member of the ARC Ensemble (Artists of the Royal Conservatory), a chamber group specializing in the rediscovery of great 20th century composers and their music, with an emphasis on those whose lives were interrupted or even lost during the Holocaust. So far, they have released two CDs on the RCA Red Seal label, both of which were nominated for Grammy Awards. The Strad Magazine even gave Erika special mention for her performance noting that Erika had them “hanging on to her every note”. Further recordings include a partnership with internationally renowned pianist Anton Kuerti which produced a critically acclaimed world premiere recording of Carl Czerny's piano and violin works on the CBC Musica Viva label. Her most recent release for the Arktos label consists of the Brahms Horn Trio and another recording premiere: Pantheon by the esteemed composer (and mother!) Elizabeth Raum. She is also currently completing a disc of the complete violin and piano works of Krystof Penderecki with pianist Lydia Wong.

Erika is a graduate of the University of Toronto where she studied with the late Professor Lorand Fenyves and was awarded the prestigious Eaton Scholarship upon her graduation. She is also a recipient of The Canada Council for the Arts - Career Development Grant. Ms. Raum is currently on the faculties of The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto and the University of Toronto. She lives in Toronto with her husband, distinguished Canadian composer, Omar Daniel, their three-year-old daughter Roslein, and bouncing triplet babies Eero, Oskar, and Roxanne.

STEPHAN SYLVESTRE
Stéphan Sylvestre ranks among the most sought-after and brilliant Canadian pianists of the new generation and enjoys an active performing career as a recitalist, orchestra soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. Critics on both sides of the Atlantic have bestowed lavish praise on his performances: “…his natural talent reminds one of the great Artur Rubinstein…” (La Presse, Montreal), “…somewhat reminiscent of the young Kempff” (La Scena Musicale, Canada), “… He is one of those musicians who plays a work, first, for its own sake, then for himself, and finally, for the audience, which is privileged to be witness to his search for the very heart of the work.” (Le Droit, Ottawa), “…masterly brilliant virtuosity and monumentality,” (Flovo Cultury,Czech Republic), “…such effortless simplicity is a joy.” (Edinburghguide.com). The New Winnipeg Magazine also described him in the following terms: “ Some pianists are able to coax their instrument into doing just about anything. With seemingly little effort and a few quiet sorrowful notes they stir up a passionate response. Stéphan Sylvestre is such an artist”.

His numerous concert tours and performances have taken place in major concert halls, universities and concert organizations throughout Canada, United States, Brazil, the Middle East, France, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, England, Czech Republic, Russia and the Netherlands. Notable venues include the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), St. Martin-in-the-Fields (London), the St-Petersburg Conservatory (Russia), Place des Arts (Montreal), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), the Four Seasons Centre (Toronto) and Massey Hall (Toronto). He has appeared with several Canadian orchestras and he has performed in the major international festivals in Canada, including Ottawa, Parry Sound, Lanaudière, Domaine Forget and Orford. Mr. Sylvestre was also recently Pianist-In-Residence at Barrie’s Colour of Music Festival in Ontario. Stéphan Sylvestre is heard regularly on the French and English networks of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Suisse Romande and has performed live for the BBC in the United Kingdom.

He has collaborated with internationally renowned artists such as James Campbell, James Sommerville, Ransom Wilson, Martin Beaver, Rivka Golani, Susan Hoeppner, the Penderecki String Quartet, the New Zealand Quartet, Quartuor Arthur-Leblanc, Quatuor Alcan and members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra among many others. He was also a member of Trio Contrastes until 2002. His first two recordings on the Atma label were selected among Outstanding Records of the Year by Radio-Canada’s weekly record review. His third recording, a live recital of works by Martinu, Schumann, Chopin and Ravel, and his fourth recording with James Campbell and James Sommerville released on the Marquis label were also praised by critics. His latest recording of Brahms’s late solo piano works was recently released on the label Prod. XXI:21. A critique in WholeNote magazine recently said: Sylvestre masterful performance is a welcome presence in our sometimes harsh and too-technologically advanced world”. Stéphan Sylvestre is invited regularly to give master classes and conferences abroad and he has been a member of several national and international juries, including the Canadian Music Competition, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition, the Glenn Gould School and the Montreal International Piano Competition. In addition to his active performing and recording schedule, Stephan Sylvestre is also Assistant Professor of Piano and head of keyboard studies at The University of Western Ontario. He is presently working on recording the works for violin and piano by Karol Szymanovski with violinist Jerzy Kaplanek, which has been supported by a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

JULIAN MILKIS, Clarinet
A true “cross-over artist” and Benny Goodman’s only student, Julian Milkis is an internationally acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, and jazz clarinetist. The Hamburg Abendblatt praised his “Beautiful sustaining sound and great virtuosity”; the Edmond Journal called his performance of the Nielson Clarinet Concerto a “triumph”, while Moscow’s Nezavisimaya Gazyeta wrote, “simply the best clarinetist in the world!”
Mr. Milkis has appeared on major world stages throughout the Far East, Europe, and the Americas: New York's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center; the Salles Pleyel and Gaveau, Paris; the Great Halls of the Moscow Conserv-atory and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic; Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall and Weston Recital Hall; and the National Concert Hall in Taipei, among others.
He has been soloist with the Toronto Symphony, State Symphony Orchestra of Russia, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Novosibirsk Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Vivaldi Chamber Orchestra, Hamburg Mozarteum, Edmonton Symphony, L'Orchestre Nationale de Lyon, L'Orchestre Symphonique Française, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Divertissement Chamber Orchestra, Hermitage Chamber Orchestra, and Musica Viva.
Mr. Milkis has performed chamber music with Valery Afanasiev, Yuri Bashmet, Gérard Causse, Alexander Kniazev, Misha Maisky, Alexander Rudin, the Borodin String Quartet, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, the St. Petersburg String Quartet, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, and the St. Peter's Trio. A participant in prominent music festivals in France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Turkey, New York, and Canada, Mr. Milkis has performed for radio and tele-vision broadcast throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Since 1991, he has performed regularly by invitation at Sviatoslav's Richter's December Evenings chamber music festival in Moscow.
A proponent of the jazz clarinet, as well, Mr. Milkis is dedicated to promoting today's music and expanding the clarinet repertoire. Works written for him include concertos by Moravetz, Petrova, Tishenko, Weinberg, and others. He has worked closely with Giya Kancheli and Olivier Messiaen.
Mr. Milkis has recorded for Warner Classics' Lontano, the French Suoni e Colori, Sony's Russian division CEAUX, Melodiya, and Russian Season.
As a full scholarship student at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, Julian Milkis studied with Leon Russianoff. A Canadian citizen, he won the Canada Council and Floyd Chalmers awards for four consecutive years.Mr. Milkis holds a Masters Degree in Russian Literature from Norwich University, Vermont, and is keenly interested in all aspects of the fine arts.
http://www.julianmilkis.com/

FIONA WU, piano
Fiona was born in Toronto in 1993. She began studying piano at the age of 6, later studying and earning academic recognition with high honours at the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM). She began concertizing at the age of 12, when she became the student of Anna Gnatenko, previously an acclaimed professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Fiona remains to this day a top student and close friend of hers. At 16, she received her ARCT Piano Performance diploma with first class honours. In 2011, Fiona continued her musical studies with musical pedagogue Henri-Paul Sicsic at the University of Toronto.
As an active performer of choral music, Fiona is an alumnus of the Toronto Children's Chorus and is currently a member of the Women's Chamber Choir of the University of Toronto. Fiona regularly attends choral festivals in Canada and abroad.
Fiona Wu is a member of the RCM teacher's association and maintains a teaching studio in Toronto. Fiona Wu is an aspiring polyglot. She enjoys reading, travelling and conversation.

Serenata Music welcomes Triple Forte back to London. Triple Forte brings together three of Canada’s most prominent soloists. Violinist Jasper Wood, cellist Yegor Dyachkov and pianist David Jalbert have joined forces to create this sought-after piano trio. They have captured critics’ and audiences’ attention with their passion, intelligence and sensitivity, not to mention the sheer joy that they bring to the stage: “This was a splendid concert. I’d miss sunshine, football or Santa for music like this any day.” (The Globe and Mail).
Triple Forte was born in 2003 and was an instant success, performing over 35 concert in its first active season. Tours have now taken them through Ontario, Québec, British Columbia, Newfoundland, the Maritime provinces and California. The group has recorded several broadcasts for CBC radio, showcasing an already wide-ranging repertoire. Their first disc, released on ATMA in 2012, is dedicated to early 20th-century masterpieces by Ravel, Shostakovich and Ives and drew rave reviews: ” Triple Forte, in musical terms, means as loud as possible, but this all-Canadian piano trio excels in fine nuance, not noise… Changing rhythmic and expressive gears with deceptive ease, Triple Forte entrance with their single-minded grace, finding a sensible balance between musical muscle and subtle expression throughout.” (Toronto Star)
Violinist JASPER WOOD has established himself as a major talent of his generation. He made his first public appearance at the age of five, and has since captured the hearts of music lovers everywhere with his “thrilling virtuosity” (The Strad) and his “sweet tunefulness edged in melancholy” (Washington Post). An acclaimed competition winner, Wood has developed a flourishing reputation as a sought-after soloist with major orchestras including Canada’s Montreal and Toronto Symphonies and as a recital/chamber musician throughout North America and Europe. He has been awarded both the coveted Sylva Gelber Prize (1996) and the prestigious Virginia Parker Award (2004) from the Canada Council for the Arts. Mr. Wood has ten solo and violin/piano CD recordings on the Endeavor Classics, Analekta, Centrediscs, Disques Pelleas and Naxos labels. Jasper Wood is professor of violin at the University of British Columbia.
“YAGOR DYACHKOV is undoubtedly a cellist of great stature: the natural bowing, the rich, deep sound, the total concentration, the interpretative sense, he has it all.” (La Presse, Montréal). Cellist Yegor Dyachkov was named Canadian “Artist of the Year” in 2000. An impressive recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician, he tours internationally, and his performances are broadcast and televised in Canada and abroad. His schedule includes invitations from the Évian, Kronberg, Tanglewood and Vancouver festivals as well as from the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Phiharmonic of Flanders, the Montréal Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Yegor Dyachkov has premiered works dedicated to him such as the Sonata by Jacques Hétu, Ironman by Michael Oesterle, as well as Menuhin : Présence by the late André Prévost. Winning the Orford International Competition led to an invitation from the Chandos label to record his debut CD in 1997. His other acclaimed recordings can be found on the Brioso, Pelléas and Analekta labels. Born in Moscow in 1974, Yegor Dyachkov‘s principal mentors have been Aleksandr Fedorchenko in Moscow, Yuli Turovsky in Montréal and Boris Pergamenschikow in Cologne.
Pianist DAVID JALBERT, with his personal style, incomparable stage presence and refined ear, has made himself one of the flag-bearers of the new generation: “Jalbert dazzles with skill, style and taste… with all the finesse and exuberance a listener could want” (Toronto Star). Mr. Jalbert won several competitions, the Canada Council’s Sylva Gelber award, and earned a Gold Medal of the Governor General for his Masters Degree (Université de Montréal). His studies also took him to Toronto’s Glenn Gould School and to the Juilliard School in New York. His first solo disc (works of Corigliano and Rzewski, released on Endeavour Classics in 2004) was followed up in 2006 by his acclaimed recording of Fauré’s Complete Nocturnes. He also recorded twice with cellist Denise Djokic, with whom he earned a Juno nomination in 2005 for Folklore. He recently recorded Bach’s Goldberg Variations which he played for Serenata Music in November, 2011. David Jalbert is professor of piano at the University of Ottawa and performs regularly across North America.
To hear Triple Forte go to their website videos- http://www.tripleforte.ca/en/videos/#prettyPhoto

Serenata Music and the London Jewish Federation present
"Banned Composers, Forbidden Music", in memory of the 75th
anniversary of Kristallnacht.

MOSHE HAMMER, violin, WINONA ZELENKA, Cello, JOSHUA GRUNMANN, piano,
in program of Mendelsshon, Tyberg, Schulhoff, and Weinberg.

MOSHE HAMMER was born in Budapest March 29, 1946. His family moved to Israel where he studied with Ilona Feher, graduating in 1967 from the Rubin Academy of Music at the University of Tel-Aviv. He studied briefly in 1967 with Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School, then 1968-9 with Jascha Heifetz in Los Angeles, where he participated in the chamber music concerts of Heifetz and the cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. He studied 1969-70 with Yehudi Menuhin in London, and won a medal in 1970 at the Thibaud Competition in Paris. He became a Canadian in 1975. He has been associate concertmaster of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic a member of the Calgary-based piano trio One Third Ninth. He played in the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra (as concertmaster and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (as principal violin). In September 1984 he performed in China on a trip sponsored by the Government of Canada. He was a founding member of the Amadeus Ensemble, and became a member of Da Camera Ensemble. Beginning in 1997 Mr. Hammer was a member of the Galaxy Trio. In addition to ensemble work, he has been a soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and other orchestras in North America and Europe, and has been heard frequently on CBC radio broadcasts.
 Mr. Hammer taught 1980-2 at York University and has adjudicated at festivals and offered master classes at schools throughout Canada and Europe. In 2007 he founded the non-profit educational program The Hammer Band - From Violence to Violins. The program provides free violin lessons (including an instrument), weekly rehearsals, and performance opportunities to at-risk youth in Toronto's urban elementary schools. In its first year, the program accomodated 30 students in two schools, and by 2011 it had reached 300 students in 15 schools. The Hammer Band has been featured in concert with the Rotterdam Philharmonic at Roy Thomson Hall (February 2010) and has been profiled on TVOntario and CBC.

WINONA ZELENKA, born in Canada, is a graduate of the Toronto Royal Conservatory and of Indiana University, where she was a student of Vladimir Orloff, Janos Starker, and William Pleeth. She had her concerto debut at the age of 13 with the Calgary Philharmonic, and her solo debut at Carnegie Recital Hall at the age of 17. She began her professional career at the age of 22 as assistant principal cellist of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and subsequently held third chair positions in the Halle Orchestra of Manchester and the National Ballet Orchestra in Toronto. She has also worked with the Radio Orchestra of Saarbrucken, the BBC Symphony, the BBC Philharmonic, the Canadian Opera Company, the Esprit Ensemble, and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. She has been a member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since 2001, currently as assistant principal cellist of the orchestra. Winona Zelenka is one of Canadaʼs finest cellists, known as a soloist, chamber musician and leading orchestral musician. In June 2010 she released her first CD set of the Bach Suites for Solo Cello, which she played on the “Starker Guarnerius” made in 1707, which has received international acclaim and in 2011 was nominated for a JUNO award in the category of solo/chamber music CD. With June 2012 came the release of her second CD, a collaboration with the celebrated pianist Connie Shih in French works for cello and piano. She has been a cello soloist on such notable film scores as Atom Egoyan’s “Adoration” (2008), István Szabó’s “Being Julia” (2004), and the IMAX film “Under The Sea” (2009). Her films with Moving Head Productions include interviews for BOLD TV and a complete performance of the Cassadó Suite for Solo Cello, viewed by thousands on YouTube. Ms. Zelenka, a proponent of new music, performed the world premiere of “Invocation II’” for cello and orchestra (with Huronia Sinfonietta), a work written for her by Canadian composer Michael Pepa, as well as the world premiere in 2006 of Chris Paul Harman’s “Sonata for Solo Cello”, also written for her as an accompaniment to Bach’s Sixth Suite.

JOSHUA GRUNMANN. Born in London, Ontario, Grundmann graduated with a B.Music and a B.A. in French from Western University and a M.A. in music from the Université de Montreal where he held a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship. Based in London, Ontario and Toronto, Mr. Grunmann has established himself as a coach, accompanist and chamber music artist. He has performed in recital with a long list of Canada’s finest singers, including Nathalie Paulin, Mary Lou Fallis, Theodore Baerg, Gary Relyea, John Tessier and Anita Krause, Monica Whicher, and Russell Braun. He was the repetiteur for Orchestra London's presentation of Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore in 2001 and a repetiteur at the Banff Centre in 2002 and 2003 for the Opera as Theatre Program and for the first Banff Centre production of the opera Filumena by John Estacio. He has also been a Faculty member at the Young Artist training program of Songfest, in California and in the state of Washington where he performed with violinist Maria Newman and soprano Juliana Gondek. He was on the faculty as the vocal coach/accompanist at Iowa State University's Music Department where he also served as music director for Opera Studio performance.
He has worked with living composers such as John Harbison, John Estacio and Dorothy Chang (for whom he premiered Songs of Wood and Water). His vocal accompanying repertoire ranges from early Elizabethan songs to contemporary songs based on fridge-magnet poetry. He is also an avid chamber musician and has collaborated with the Madawaska String Quartet in a performance of the Brahms F minor Piano Quintet. Other recent recitals have been with oboist Ian Franklin, with tenors Colin Ainsworth and Neal Banerjee as well as with Jonathan Sturm, concertmaster of the Des Moines Symphony. He has played live on the radio for KMZT in Los Angeles and National Public Radio in Iowa and has been heard on CBC's Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. In 2006-07, he initiated a series, Larksong Recitals, in London, Ontario. Mr. Grunmann has performed numerous times on the Serenata Music series, as well as in New York on the Aaron Silberman Recital series at Baruch College, with Theodore Baerg, Monica Whicher, and clarinetist Charles Neidich, and at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto as soloist and with violinist Mary Elizabeth Brown.

We welcome the Eybler Quartet in its premier performance in the Serenata Music concert series.
AISSLINN NOSKY, JULIA WEDMAN, violins, MARGARET GAY, cello, PATRICK JORDAN, viola.

The Eybler Quartet came together in late 2004 to explore the works of the first century of the string quartet, with a healthy attention to lesser known composers such as their namesake, Joseph Leopold Edler von Eybler. The group plays on instruments appropriate to the period of the music it performs. In its brief but busy existence, the Toronto-based ensemble has consistently garnered praise for their “glowing and committed”, “spirited” and “lively and energizing” live performances. Violinists Julia Wedman and Aisslinn Nosky, and violist Patrick G. Jordan, are all members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; Julia and Aisslinn are also members of I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble. ‘Cellist Margaret Gay is much in demand as both a modern and period instrument player. The group brings a unique combination of talents and skills: years of collective experience as chamber musicians, technical prowess, experience in period instrument performance and an unquenchable passion for the repertoire. The group’s premiere recording of Eybler’s Opus 1 is also the world premiere recording of these pieces.

Born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Aisslinn Nosky is known as a versatile musician who brings passion and fervour to every project she pursues. Since her solo debut with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra at the age of eight, she has performed in solo and chamber music recitals across North America, Europe and Asia.
Aisslinn has been a member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra since 2005. As Canada’s period instrument orchestra, Tafelmusik is greatly in demand internationally. Before joining Tafelmusik, Aisslinn was Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra (from 2003-2005) and appeared as Guest Concertmaster with Symphony Nova Scotia on several occasions.
As a member of I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble, Aisslinn has helped to bring an enthusiastic new audience to baroque music. For almost a decade, I FURIOSI has presented its own flamboyant and inventive concert series in Toronto. In 2007 the ensemble became the first classical music group to headline Toronto's Pride celebrations. The rest of 2007 found ‘The Furious Ones’ appearing at the Henley Festival and the Tudeley Festival in the United Kingdom, and Tage Fur Alte Musik in Regensburg, Germany. In 2008 they will appear at the Galway Early Music Festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival and The Lamèque International Baroque Festival. I FURIOSI released its first self-produced CD ‘Defiled Is My (Middle) Name’ to great critical acclaim in 2006. The group’s next disc is set to be released by Sono Luminus in the fall of 2008.
Aisslinn's chamber groups are numerous and diverse. As a member of the Kirby String Quartet, Aisslinn plays a wide range of eclectic repertoire. The Kirby Quartet can be seen playing recitals across Canada as well as serving as faculty at the Advanced Chamber Music Workshop in Langley, B.C. She can also be spotted playing after hours with such bands as The Hidden Cameras, Hunter Valentine, and Rock Plaza Central.
Aisslinn completed her studies with Heilwig von Koenigsloew at the Nanaimo Conservatory and with Lorand Fenyves at the Royal Conservatory Of Music in Toronto.

Violinist Julia Wedman brings an "infectious vitality" to music (Victoria Times Colonist) and has been described as "extraordinarily intuitive" (Globe and Mail). Studies at the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto and Indiana University at Bloomington focused her search for musical understanding, inspiring a passion for historically informed, period performance. One critic described her as a musician who "likes to play all music as if were written yesterday".
Julia is one of the newest members of internationally renowned Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. She is quickly becoming known for her solo performances with the group and is featured regularly on the orchestra's Toronto concert series and tours including recent performances in Canada, the U.S.A., Europe and Asia. She is also featured on the orchestra's latest Juno-nominated recording of Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico. Julia is a member of the innovative young baroque ensemble, I FURIOSI, and recently produced their debut CD for the Dorian label, Crazy, which will be released in September 2008. She loves to perform with her string quartets - the Eybler Quartet, period performance specialists who perform rarely heard classical works and the dynamic Kirby String Quartet, who play everything from Purcell to John Zorn. As a freelance violinist in Toronto, Julia performed with the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet Company, Via Salzburg Chamber Orchestra, Toronto Consort and Aradia Baroque Ensemble, with whom she recorded over 15 CDs for Naxos. In the summertime she loves to travel and in 2008 she has performances at the Galway Early Music Festival (Ireland), Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Lameque International Festival of Baroque Music (New Brunswick) and the Klang und Raum Festival (Germany).

After completing a Bachelor of Music degree at Boston University School for the Arts, Margaret Gay accepted an invitation to the Banff Centre for Fine Arts, where she completed the winter programme. From there she moved to Toronto, where she earned a Master’s degree at the University of Toronto and began a remarkably active freelance career performing on both modern and period ‘cello. Margaret performs regularly with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, Opera Atelier, Mississauga Sinfonia, Baroque Music Beside The Grange, the Baroque Players of Hamilton, and Ensemble Polaris, a group exploring the traditional music of various Nordic countries. She is Artistic Director of The Gallery Players of Niagara, an organization based in the Niagara Region that presents chamber music. She was for many years a member of Modern Quartet, a string quartet dedicated to the performance of new works, the Burdocks, a foursome specializing in works of the 20th century, and Critical Band. In the summers she has performed at the Stratford, Elora, Parry Sound, Grand River Baroque, and Lameque Baroque Music festivals. She is currently a member of the Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra. Margaret can be heard on numerous CD’s, including a recent release from Ensemble Polaris, Not Much Is Worse Than A Troll, a Hungaroton disc of 17th century English theatre music, Ah! How Sweet It Is To Love, O Bali, from New Music Concerts, and, A Curious Collection for the Common Flute.

Patrick Jordan, a native of West Texas, studied with Susan Schoenfeld before moving to Boston in 1981 to study with Walter Trampler. Patrick holds a Bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory and an Artist's Diploma in Chamber Music from the Longy School, where he began several years' study with Eugene Lehner. Now a resident of Toronto, Mr. Jordan is a member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with which he tours throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, Asia and Europe. He is also the Artistic Administrator and violist with the Gallery Players of Niagara, and Principal Violist of the Carmel Bach Festival. He has been a member of the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra since 1997 and has appeared with the New York Collegium as well as the American Classical Soloists. While living in Boston, he performed regularly with D.C. Hall's Band (a recreation of a 19th-century dance and concert band), the van Swieten Quartet, a period instrument string quartet, and the Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra. He was a member of the Boston Quartet, a modern instrument string quartet, and the Really Eclectic String Quartet (RESQ), a group that explored popular dance and lyrical music from many cultures. From 1988 to 1993 he was Lecturer in Violin and Viola at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA; from 2002-2005 he was on the faculty of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He has recorded for Sony, Sony Classical, Dorian, Newport Classic, NorthStar, Analekta and Northeastern.

To hear the Eybler Quartet go to:
http://www.eyblerquartet.com/recordings.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o1tnZrT60E

Jazz For All Ages: a tribute to the jazz legends.
With four outstanding Canadian jazz musicians:
Alain Trudel, Trombone, Orchestra London's director for three years and internationally recognized trombone virtuoso, now orchestra and opera conductor at Western University.
Gene DiNovi, Piano, the doyen of Canadian jazz pianists, broadcaster, composer, arranger, historian of popular music.
Neil Swainson, Bass, composer, teacher, has played with major bands and artists including George Shearing, and on five Juno award winning recordings.
Ted Warren, Drums. teacher, percussionist for many artist and bands such as the Boss Brass, recipient of The Jazz Report’s “Drummer of the Year” Award in 1996.
See the London Yodeller Oct.9 for an article by Renée.

Saturday, December 20, 2014,
Wolf Performance Hall, 8 P.M.
Quartetto Gelato, Music with grace and humour
Peter DeSotto, violin, tenor, Peter has appeared in leading roles in numerous opera and theatre productions and was a member of The Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 11 years, and was voted Musician Of The Year in 1999 by the Toronto Musicians Association.
Alexander Sevastian, accordion, piano, bandoneon) has won four International Accordion Competitions.
Elizabeth McLellan, cello, is currently enjoying maternity leave. We are pleased to have cellist Lydia Munchinsky, a graduate of The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto join the quartet this evening. Lydia Munchinsky (nee Helsdon) grew up near Aylmer Ontario and began piano lessons at the age of four. She began studying cello when she was ten, and at the ages of ten and twelve performed for Dr. Suzuki at the International Suzuki Conventions in Australia and Korea. Lydia currently lives and works as a freelance musician and teacher in Toronto.
Colin Maier oboe, clarinet, english horn, violin, 5-string banjo, acoustic/electric bass, piano, saxophone, flute, guitar, mandolin, musical saw. He is also a dancer, actor, stuntman, singer, choreographer, acrobat and martial-artist. He has played with orchestras and acted on stage in many productions including the Vancouver Olympics.
With a performance repertoire that spans the globe including classical masterworks, operatic arias, the sizzling energy of tangos, gypsy and folk songs, the group’s theatrical stage presence and relaxed humor establishes an intimate rapport with audiences worldwide.

Tickets are now on sale for the January 10, 2015 "The London Connection" concert.

We are saddened by the recent problems with Orchestra London. In order to provide Orchestra London audiences with comparable music Serenata Music is offering any Orchestra London ticket holder to present a ticket at one of our concerts to receive a Serenata Music concert ticket at half price. If you have bought a Serenata Music ticket please bring your Orchestra London ticket and we will give you a free ticket to one of our 2015 Serenata Music concerts. For further information please call 519-433-8332.

For a list of London Holiday musical events see Renée Silberman's article in the December issue of the London Yodeller.

Saturday, January 10, 2015, 8 P.M. Wolf Performance Hall.
Six Musical Artists well known to London audiences will play a variety of music suited to various instrumental combinations by Britten, Reineke, Loeffler and Mozart.
Ian Franklin, oboe, appointed principal oboe with the Victoria symphony at age 17, he then moved to the Regina Symphony and then Orchestra London. As a soloist he has played with many orchestras, as well as recitalist, and member of wind ensembles such as the Aeolian Winds with whom he has recorded. Franklin taught at the National Music Camp of Canada, the Nova Scotia Youth Symphony, and served as a mentor for the National Academy Orchestra. He is currently oboe instructor at Western University.
Mary Beth Brown, violin, has served as concertmaster under many prominent conductors including Alain Trudel of Orchestra London. She is currently concertmaster of the Juno-winning chamber orchestra Sinfonia Toronto. She has toured in Europe, Asia, North and South America, taught widely and helped organize the El Sistema program in London. Ms. Brown is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Montreal.
Sharon Wei, viola, is a graduate of Western University. She was on the faculty at Stanford University prior to joining the Western faculty . Ms. Wei also has performed as principal violist with many orchestras. As a recitalist she performs in Europe and North America and is a founding member of the Made in Canada Quartet.
Jeremy Hake, cello, A graduate of Stony Brook University, Jeremy has performed with several North American orchestras, participated in master classes and at the Steans Institute for Young Artists at the Ravinia Festiva. Prior to joining Orchestra London, Jeremy was Assistant Principal Cello of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.
Josh Grunmann, piano, has performed on the Serenata stage for many years as an accompanist, soloist and chamber musician.As well as his performances on the Serenata Music series, he has played in New York on the Aaron Silberman Recital series at Baruch College, with Theodore Baerg, Monica Whicher, and clarinetist Charles Neidich, and at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto as soloist and with violinist Mary Elizabeth Brown.
Ron George, French horn. Principal horn with Orchestra London since 1979, member of the faculty at Western University, he has played with many orchestras such as the Canadian Opera Company, National Arts Centre, and others, and toured with the Calgary Philharmonic and Opera Atelier. His chamber music playing includes the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, and the Westben Arts Festival

In view of the current situation affecting Orchestra London, Serenata Music wishes to offer Orchestra London ticket holders the opportunity to continue to hear good music. Bring your Orchestra London ticket and we will give you a Serenata Music ticket for half price for one of our remaining two concerts.

Alon Goldstein, piano, in a program bridging the gap between the Romantic and the Modern musical periods. Works by Shubert, Liszt, Janáček, and Debussy provide an eclectic survey of where music was heading prior to the disrupting events of the first half of the 20th century.
Note there is a change in the program.
Schubert, Sonata No.19 in C minor;
Liszt, From Années de pèrelinage; Last scene from Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde;
Janacek, Piano Sonata I.X.1905;
Debussy, Selections from Preludes, Book II.
It is a pleasure to welcome back Alon Goldstein to the Serenata Music stage after a four year absence. He is one of the most original and sensitive pianists of his generation, admired for his musical intelligence, dynamic personality, artistic vision and innovative programming. He has played with the Israel, London, Radio France, and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras as well as the Philadelphia, San Francisco, Baltimore, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, and Vancouver symphonies under such conductors as Zubin Mehta, Herbert Blomstedt, Vladimir Jurowski, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Leon Fleisher, Peter Oundjian, Yoel Levi and others. Over the past several years he has also taught and played at the Steans Institute of the Ravinia Festival, New York’s International Keyboard Festival and "Tel Hai” international piano master classes held in Israel. He recently played and recorded the Mendelssohn Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 with the Israel Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yoav Talmi. This collaboration scored a major success on a 17-concert Latin American tour. In addition to his solo performances he plays with the the Goldstein-Peled-Fiterstein Trio.
For more information see http://www.alongoldstein.com/index.htm

We are continuing our support of the musicians of Orchestra London Canada and their audience by offering Orchestra London ticket holders a Serenata Music concert ticket at half price. Please bring your Orchestra London ticket May 2, 2015

Concerts of interest:
May 3, 3 P.M. London Youth Symphony and London community Orchestra. http://www.lco-on/ca
May 4, 8 P.M. London Promenade Orchestra.
http://www.londonpromenadeorchestra.ca
Musicians of Orchestra London
https://www.facebook.com/orchestralondoncanadamusicians
AN AFTERNOON AT THE PROMS Sunday April 26, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. Metropolitan United Church, 468 Wellington St, London, ON
THE LONDON CONNECTION
Wednesday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. Dundas Street United Church, 482 Dundas St., London, ON
TICKETS FOR BOTH PERFORMANCES: $10 - $50 available at the door, or online at: musiciansorchestralondon.wordpress.com

The Canadian Guitar Quartet, featuring Julien Bissaillon, Renaud Côté-Giguère, Bruno Roussel and Louis Trépanier

Since its debut in 1999, the Canadian Guitar Quartet has toured extensively in North and South America, from one standing ovation to the next, establishing a reputation as one of the finest guitar ensembles in the world. The CGQ has appeared with orchestra across Canada, and has recorded three critically acclaimed CDs.
The quartet has been broadcast on both CBC and Radio-Canada, has had a special performance feature on Bravo! Television, was featured in the webcast at Chicago’s Northwestern University, on CBC’s overseas networks, and in various international magazines. Following the CGQ’s first concert at the 92Street Y in New York, part of the Art of the Guitar series, Don Witter Jr., of the New York Classical Guitar Society, wrote: “The Canadian Guitar Quartet made one of the greatest New York City Debuts of any artistic ensemble in decades … STUNNING !!!”.
Concerts in some of Canada’s most prestigious concert halls, such as the Winspear Center, the Palais Montcalm, the Glenn Gould Studio, and National Gallery of Canada, as well as their performances in seminal events such as the Guitar Foundation of America’s annual convention, Yale’s Guitar Extravaganza, the Norfolk and Ottawa chamber music festivals, have allowed the Canadian Guitar Quartet to develop an international reputation. The mix of dynamic original music and classical masterpieces make a CGQ concert an unforgettable experience.
“The Canadian Guitar Quartet tackles all with great brilliance and an optimal mastery of their instruments” (Guitart magazine – ITALY).
www.canadianguitarquartet.com/ for more information.
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Saturday, January 16, 2016, 8 P.M. The London Connection 2 with Joe Lanza, violin, Scott St. John, violin, viola, Christine Newland, cello, Andrew Chung, violin, and Graham Lord, clarinet, playing Brahms B flat opus 67 string quartet and and Mozart's Clarinet quintet.
We are thrilled to feature a distinguished group of London based musicians performing two great works from the musical literature; Lanza, Chung, Newland and Lord, are all members of the WePlayOn musicians of Orchestra London while Scott St. John is an internationally recognized violinist and violist.

On Saturday, March 4, 2016, 8 P.M. at St. John, the Evangelist Anglican Church, Serenata Music is proud to have organists Angus Sinclair and Michael Bloss in a program of Bach, Mendelssohn, Cabena and Cook played on the two-manual, 19-stop, 26-rank Kney organ which was installed in the church in 1984.
Mr. Kney has built numerous organs which are located throughout North America including the one in Roy Thompson Hall. This is a unique opportunity for Londoners to hear two well known Canadian organists play on an instrument made in London in the hall for which it was designed and to honour its builder. Further information about our artists can be found at http://www.stpaulscathedral.on.ca/music/music-staff/angus-sinclair, http://www.organixconcerts.ca/2006/bios/michaelBloss.html and http://londonyodeller.ca/london/gabriel-kney-organ-builder-master-craftsman/

Saturday, February 24, 2018,
8 P.M. Tom Allen, CBC broadcaster (Shift, CBC Radio 2) and Musical Storyteller, and Lori Gemmell, harp.Death of Hercules, Song of Nymphs, Marjan Mozetich.
The Crowne of Ariaden, R. Murray Schaefer

March 17, 2018 The London Connection 3. An all Schubert program with Scott St. John, violin, Katie McBean, viola, Fiona Robson, cello, Joe Phillips, double bass, and Angela Park, piano. If you suspect something fishy, you're right. It's the marvellous Trout Quintet. But you will also hear the String Trio in B-flat, and the spectacular Fantasy for Violin & Piano.

Composers guitarist Oliver Whitehead and pianist Steve Holowitz have put together a fascinating program of music, poems and paintings in seven sections most of which have a connection to London and South-Western Ontario. Using the poems of Governor General Award winning poet James Reaney, Colleen Thibaudeau, and Emile Nelligan, Whitehead and Holowitz have created a songbook that is inherently Canadian. The Opera in Nine Paintings presents a musical view of local art as imagined by Whitehead and Linda Nicholas using paintings from Museum London. The book Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham is the basis of a song cycle by Holowitz. In addition both Whitehead and Holowitz will each play an original solo composition. They will be joined by well known London musicians, Ingrid Crozman, flute, Patrick Theriault, cello, Sonja Gustafson, soprano, and Adam Iannetta, baritone. Unfortunately cellist Christine Newland will not be able to play this concert and will be replaced by Patrick Theriault.

The ENSEMBLE MADE IN CANADA delighted the audience with London première of The Mosaique Project, a wonderful, diverse Canadian work. The 14 piano quartets by Canadian composers truly depicted the Canadian landscape. Elissa Lee, violin, Sharon Wei,viola, Cameron Crozman, cello, and Angela Park, piano immersed themselves into the music and carried the audience along with them on a delightful journey. It was a joy to hear an original Canadian work played so beautifully. The quartet completed the evening with the Piano Quartet in E flat major, Opus 47 by Robert Schumann demonstrating their command of the standard repertoire.
In June 2021 they won the Junao award for classical album of the Canadian composition Mosäique.

We brought Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear to play with London Symphonia, Saturday, April 30, 2022. Mr. Goodyear is an accomplished concert pianist, improviser and composer. He has performed with, and has been commissioned by many of the major orchestras and chamber music organizations around the world. He has been nominated for a Juno award and his own transcriptions and original works have received great notice.

JAMES EHNES AND THE GIANTS
Saturday, May 20, 7:30 P.M. Metropolitan United Church, London.
James Ehnes was born in Brandon, Manitoba and began violin studies at age 4. He performed with L'Orchestre symphonique de Montreal at age 13. He graduated from the Juilliard School in 1997. He has performed with orchestras, chamber music groups and given recitals throughout the world as well in London, Ontario. His recordings have been awarded Grammies and Junos. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.