John Abberger, one of North America’s leading performers on historical oboes, is principal oboist with Tafelmusik. He has performed extensively in North America, Europe and the Far East, and appears regularly with other prominent period-instrument ensembles, including the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Washington Bach Consort, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Voltaire, the Handel and Haydn Society, and Boston Baroque. He is also the artistic director of the Toronto Bach Festival, an organization dedicated to exploring the music of J.S. Bach and its context with historically accurate performing forces. His recording of the Concerto for Oboe by Alessandro Marcello with Tafelmusik was glowingly reviewed by Gramophone Magazine as “one of the best there is” and “alone worth the price of the disc, even if you have other versions.” In addition to many recordings with Tafelmusik and other period instrument ensembles, he has directed, recorded, and produced two discs for the ANALEKTA label, both devoted to the instrumental music of J.S. Bach. Mr. Abberger serves on the faculty at the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, and the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. A native of Orlando, Florida, he received his training at the Juilliard School, and Louisiana State University. In addition, he holds a Performers Certificate in Early Music from New York University.
ELIZABETH ACKER/ Pianist- received her B.F.A.from York University . Versatile in many musical styles, Elizabeth works as an accompanist for classical or jazz repertoire, chamber musician, orchestral pianist, coach, adjudicator, and teacher. Elizabeth’s credits include: keyboardist for Phantom of the Opera, Ass't Music Director for the Broadway cast of “Those Were the Days”, Music Director for Tarragon Theatre’s “A Country in her Throat”. She has performed with the Niagara Symphony, Arraymusic premiered contemporary works with the Esprit Orchestra, as well as many recording engagements for film, TV, radio & ballet,. Currently she plays for Vocachorus of Toronto, plays with the Accolade Trio of York University, and accompanies voice & instrumentalists of all levels. Recently, Elizabeth has been indulging her love of chamber music with summers at the musical retreat, “Heaven”, an invited retreat for professional musicians. She is also a coach/performer at The Vermont Music and Arts Centre in Lyndonville, Vermont, for advanced adult chamber music musicians. She has taught both the Suzuki and traditional methods for over 30 years, and currently teaches privately. As well, Elizabeth is a teacher of yoga and tai chi.
Guy’s first appearance on the professional stage was at the Crest Theatre in Toronto in 1958 when he played thirteen-year-old Howard in Inherit the Wind. Recently, Guy appeared as Hans Blix in the Mirvish presentation of Studio 180’s production of David Hare’s Stuff Happens. He also appeared in Factory Theatre’s production of Missing and at Rochester’s Geva Theatre Center in numerous roles including Dr. Gibbs in Our Town, Noel in the North American premiere of That Was Then by Irish writer Gerard Stembridge, Jack in The Weir, in Hibernatus Interruptus, a festival of new plays (2003) and as Christmas Present or Mr Fezziwig in five productions of A Christmas Carol. He has performed at most major theatres in Canada, as well as in the United States and England. Favourite productions include the Neil Munro directed Saint Joan (Theatre Calgary); Jacob Two-Two’s First Spy Case (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People); Between Pancho Villa and a Naked Woman and The House of Blue Leaves (Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius); The Stillborn Lover (Theatre Passe Muraille) andThree in the Back Two in the Head (Tarragon Theatre and the National Arts Centre). Television series credits include Leo and Me with Michael J. Fox, Love and Hate: The Colin Thatcher Story, and Lt Murphy in the teenage detective series Daring and Grace on CBC/YTV. Guy is also heard as Mr. Bear in the animated series Rupert the Bear. Other television credits include Direction Canada (in German) for German television and Mountain Men for BBC-TV, which was also released as a feature film. His creative talents also extend into the fields of writing and directing. He has been active in new play development, as a guest director and artist-in-residence, and has written articles on contemporary theatre. After early university studies in modern languages, he received an MA (Drama) from Essex University (UK) in 1988. Guy permanently resides with his wife and two children in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Brian Baty attended the University of Toronto where he studied the Double Bass with Joel Quarrington. He is currently principal double bassist of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra and also works as a freelance musician throughout Ontario where he regularly performs with orchestras in Windsor, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Hamilton and Kingston among others. Brian has also mentored and served as principal bassist for the National Academy Orchestra for the past two seasons. As a teacher, Brian has been a double bass Instructor at Lakehead University and the Kincardine Summer Music Festival and also maintains a private studio at his home in Kitchener, Ontario.
Julie Baumgartel has performed with Tafelmusik and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra across Europe, North America and Asia. Now living in Kitchener-Waterloo, she frequently performs with the K-W Symphony and Nota Bene Baroque Players. She has been featured in numerous CBC radio broadcasts and performs chamber music regularly with the Gallery Players of Niagara, with the Factory Arts Quartet as the in-residence ensemble of InnerChamber in Stratford and at the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound. From 2003-2012 she was conductor of the KWS Youth Sinfonia and has been an instructor at the Wilfrid Laurier University String Academy since 2011. She performs on a Paulo Antonio Testore violin made in Italy in 1740.
David began his studies on the violin at the age of seven. His family having relocated numerous times allowed David to experience instruction from a number of teachers in various methods. David’s introduction to orchestral playing was with the Niagara Youth Orchestra in St. Catharines. After high school David earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Northwestern College in Roseville Minnesota. During his time in Minneapolis David was able to tour internationally as Concert master of the Continental Singers and Orchestra and of the Communique Singers and Orchestra. While in Minneapolis David studied with Roger Frisch, Associate Concert Master of the Minnesota Orchestra. Upon returning to St. Catharines David studied with Deryck Aird of the Bradley Institute of Music and at that time, Concert Master of the Niagara Symphony. David has been a member of the Niagara Symphony Association since 1989 and has also worked for the District School Board of Niagara as a secondary school music educator since 1989. He currently teaches music at Centennial High in Welland. David and his wife Deborah met while preparing a faculty recital for the Laura Secord Music Department where David began teaching. Since then they have formed the chamber ensemble now known as Glissandi; together with their friend and colleague Douglas Miller, principal flute with the Niagara Symphony. The past twelve years have been very full as the demand for their particular style of chamber music has increased. Performances and audiences have varied greatly providing many rich experiences. One of those was a concert tour of Southern England in the spring of 1997. Upon returning from that tour Glissandi set out to record their first CD entitled Serenity. He enjoys both teaching and performing and is looking forward to much more of the same. David and his wife Deborah have three children: Matthew, Nicholas, and Jessica.
Deborah Braun (harpist) is a native of St. Catharines and began her harp studies locally with Doris Scharing. She subsequently studied with Eilene Malone of the Eastman School of Music, Suzanne Thomas of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and Elaine Pamphilon of Cambridge, England. In additional to extensive solo and ensemble playing, she is harpist with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra and Glissandi.
Principal cellist of the Niagara Symphony, Gordon Cleland has performed across North America. He has appeared as soloist with the Niagara Symphony and for the Debut Series in Montreal. He has extensive experience as a chamber musician, notably with violinist Atis Bankas at the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival and with pianist Karin Di Bella at Brock University. Gordon has broadcast frequently for CBC FM Radio and has performed on TV5, the international French television network. Gordon is the cello instructor at Brock University. He has been a featured performer for the Concertino Program of Jeunesses musicales, whose artists are carefully chosen for their pedagogical skills and their ability to communicate with young people. Gordon has adjudicated music festivals across Canada and runs a private studio in the Niagara region.
Judith is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University where she studied with members of the Penderecki String Quartet. She has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra, continuing her summer studies in Banff, at the Orford Arts Centre and has participated in a number of QuartetFests at Wilfrid Laurier University. An avid chamber musician, Judith has performed on series such as the KWS’s Baroque and Beyond, Leith Summer Festival, INNERchamber, Perimeter Institute’s Bistro Series, Festival of the Sound, and the KWMS to name just a few. As an educator, Judith is very active in the Kitchener-Waterloo community teaching at Wilfrid Laurier, University of Waterloo (Conrad Grebel), Eastwood Collegiate as well as maintaining a small private studio. Judith is part of the resident faculty for IMC (Interprovincial Music Camp) and has acted as mentor to the young violists of the National Academy Orchestra at the Brott Festival in Hamilton. She is also in high demand as a clinician across Southern Ontario. Judith has held the position of Associate Principal Viola with the KWS since October, 2002 and maintains an active freelance career across Southern Ontario. She lives in Kitchener with her husband, Jeff.
Canadian soprano Sheila Dietrich is a versatile and in-demand young performer whose style and vocal technique shine in both concert and operatic roles. Ms. Dietrich has appeared as a concert soloist with ensembles across Canada including Les Violons du Roy, Capella Intima, The Toronto Continuo Collective, Nota Bene Baroque Players, TACTUS, The Toronto Classical Singers under Jurgen Petrenko, The Elora Festival Singers and The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir under Noel Edison, The Guelph Chamber Choir under Gerald Neufeld, and The Bach Elgar Choir under Howard Dyck. Operatic roles include Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors | Menotti), Pitti-Sing (The Mikado | Sullivan), Belinda (Dido & Aeneas | Purcell), Venus (La Dafne | Gagliano), Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Britten), Abigail Williams (The Crucible | Ward) and La Petite Chaperon Rouge (La Foret Bleue | Aubert). A Kitchener-Waterloo native, Ms. Dietrich received her Bachelor of Music Performance and Opera Diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University where she studied with Victor Martens. Ms. Dietrich continues to study with Laura Pudwell. In 2015, Ms. Dietrich made her Carnegie Hall debut as a featured soloist in an evening devoted to the music of Purcell under the direction of Richard Egarr. She was also a finalist in the 2015 New York Oratorio Society Solo Competition and was awarded the Johannes Somary Prize. More information, including a full rep list, and upcoming performance dates, can be found at Sheila’s website: www.sheiladietrich.com.
The Eybler Quartet came together in 2004 to explore the works of the first century and a half 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. The Toronto-based ensemble’s live performances have consistently garnered praise as “glowing and committed”, “spirited” and “lively and energizing”. Their recording with clarinetist Jane Booth won praise from Gramophone for being “totally engaging performances that breathe life into Backofen’s music”; their Haydn Op. 33 garnered this praise in Early Music America: “The Eybler Quartet’s rendition of Op. 33 by Joseph Haydn… is simply a treasure. The sound of the strings is warm but not overly vibrated or assertive; the articulation is clear but not didactic; the tempos are beautifully chosen, the ensemble perfect, and the intonation absolutely pure. This is music-making that reflects the deeply human and attractive qualities found in Haydn the composer…” Violinist Julia Wedman and violist Patrick G. Jordan, are both members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Violinist Aisslinn Nosky is a former member of Tafelmusik and currently Concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society and Principal Guest Conductor of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. Aisslinn and Julia are also members of I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble. Cellist Margaret Gay, Artistic Director of the Gallery Players of Niagara, is much in demand as both a modern and period instrument player; she is also a founding member of the innovative and genre-bending Ensemble Polaris. The Eybler Quartet harnesses a unique combination of talents and skills: razor-sharp ensemble skills, technical prowess, expertise in period instrument performance and an unquenchable passion for the repertoire. In 2018 the group released its’ 5th CD, Beethoven Op. 18 nos. 1-3. The group’s four other recordings feature world premieres of Eybler’s Opus 1, world premieres of Backofen quintets coupled with Mozart’s clarinet quintet featuring Jane Booth, Haydn's six quartets Op. 33, complete on 2 CDs and the world premiere of Johann Baptist Vanhal’s Op. 6 quartets.
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 Eybler Quartet, and Ensemble Polaris, a group exploring the traditional music of various Nordic countries. She is the 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 Carmel Bach Festival, Stratford, Elora, Parry Sound, Grand River Baroque, and Lameque Baroque Music festivals, as well as teaching ‘cello and coaching chamber music at the Toronto Board of Education Music Camp, and the University of New Brunswick Summer Music Camp. Margaret can be heard on numerous CD’s, including a recent release from Analekta of Joseph Leopold Eybler's string quartets Op. 1, 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.
After studies at Cornell University and SUNY at Stony Brook, Thomas Georgi moved to Australia where he was a violinist in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. After ten years of Aussie sunshine, Tom moved back to North America where, in the hustle and bustle of Toronto, he could play with Tafelmusik. As the weather is so often overcast in Toronto, Tom found he had plenty of time to broaden his musical horizons to include the viola d'amore, on which he performed all over the world. His website, www.violadamore.com, promotes the wider understanding of the instrument. His solo recordings for the Bis label may be heard for free at www.bis.se.
Violinist Rona Goldensher’s playing has been described by the Globe and Mail as having an “on-the-edge, inspired freshness”. Originally from New York City, Rona received her Bachelor and Master of Music from the Mannes College of Music. Currently a Creative Director of Nota Bene Baroque Players, she has performed and toured throughout North America and Europe as well as the Middle East and Japan with many ensembles including Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Toronto) , Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (San Francisco), Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and Orchestra of St. Lukes (New York), City Musick (Chicago), Elora Festival Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. As a chamber musician, Rona was longtime founding member and first violinist of Toronto’s Windermere String Quartet a core member of Toronto’s Talisker Players, and continues to collaborate on chamber music projects from early to new music at various venues and festival in Ontario. Her recording credits include Sony, Harmonia Mundi, Analekta, Pipistrelle, Newport Classics and MHS/ Musicmasters. Rona is on the faculty of the Beckett School at Laurier and teaches privately.
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 at Curtis, she was a concerto soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Upon finishing her studies, Mario Bernardi chose her to be a member of the newly formed National Arts Centre Orchestra. He further gave her the honour of playing Harry Somers' Suite for Harp and Chamber Orchestra at the orchestra's New York debut performance. Erica is currently a member of Toronto's Esprit Orchestra with whom she played Alex Pauk's harp concerto on the orchestra's inaugural European tour in 1999. She also plays in the Hamilton Philharmonic and is frequently featured as a concerto soloist. Erica's love of chamber music is highlighted by her long association with colleagues and groups such as flutist Robert Aitken with whom she performed in Hong Kong in 2009, oboist Lawrence Cherney, Trio Lyra, Tapestry New Opera Works and the newly formed Trio Désirée. Her collaboration with Swedish horn virtuoso Sören Hermansson has resulted in discovering old works and commissioning new ones for French horn and harp. Two CD's of their repertoire are available on the BIS label. Erica is a charter member of New Music Concerts with whom she has recorded three albums for Naxos featuring the music of Toru Takemitsu (awarded «Editor's Choice» by Grammophone magazine), George Crumb and Elliott Carter. Two recently released CD's on the CMC's Centrediscs label spotlight the music of Jeffrey Ryan and Marjan Mozetich. Erica has encouraged many prominent Canadian composers to write major works for harp. A few examples are Oskar Morawetz, Alexina Louie, Milton Barnes, Harry Freedman, Lothar Klein, Rodney Sharman and Chris Paul Harman. In 1995, Erica won a Juno for her solo BIS CD «Erica Goodman Plays Canadian Harp Music». In 1980, her BIS recording «Flute and Harp» with Robert Aitken was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque. NOW Magazine selected her as Best Canadian Classical Musician in its 1996 «Best of Toronto» readers' Poll. Website: ericagoodman.tripod.com
Toronto based violinist Valerie Gordon is an avid performer and teacher. Currently she is on the faculty of the Kingsway Conservatory, where she strives to instil a sense of wonder in her students. Recent activities include performances and recordings with Handel and Haydn Society (Boston), Aradia Ensemble (Toronto), performances with Opera Atelier, Tafelmusik, Holland Baroque Society (The Netherlands), Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, Bourbon Baroque, and concerts with Elixir Baroque Ensemble- of which she is a founding member. Valerie has completed a Bachelor’s Degree from McGill University in Montreal, an Artist’s Diploma from The Glenn Gould School in Toronto, and a Master’s Degree in Early Music from Indiana University in 2013.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Gryphon Trio has impressed international audiences and the press with its highly refined, dynamic performances and has firmly established itself as one of the world’s preeminent piano trios. With a repertoire that ranges from the traditional to the contemporary and from European classicism to modern-day multimedia, the Gryphons are committed to redefining chamber music for the 21st century. The Trio tours regularly throughout North America and Europe and their 20 recordings are an encyclopedia of works for the genre. They have commissioned over 75 new works, and regularly collaborate on projects that push the boundaries of chamber music. Honours include two Juno Awards for Classical Album of the Year, and the prestigious 2013 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts from the Canada Council. Deeply committed to the education of the next generation of audiences and performers alike, the Gryphons frequently conduct masterclasses and workshops at universities and conservatories, and are Artists-in-Residence at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music and Trinity College. Gryphon cellist Roman Borys is Artistic Director of Ottawa’s Chamberfest. Annalee Patipatanakoon and Jamie Parker serve as the festival’s Artistic Advisors in addition to their responsibilities at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, where Mr. Parker is the Rupert E. Edwards Chair in Piano Performance and Ms. Patipatanakoon is Associate Professor of Violin.
Lucas Harris studied the lute at the Civica scuola di musica di Milano and then at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen. H has been playing lute with Tafelmusik since 1999, and has made many contributions to Toronto’s thriving music scene, including the creation of the Toronto Continuo Collective, the Vesuvius Ensemble, and the Lute Legends Ensemble. He is on faculty at the Tafelmusik Summer and Winter Institutes, Oberlin's Baroque Performance Institute, and the Vancouver Early Music's Baroque Vocal Programme. In 2014 Lucas completed graduate studies in choral conducting and was chosen as the Artistic Director of the Toronto Chamber Choir. He has also directed projects for the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Les voix baroques, and the Toronto Consort.
Patrick Jordan, a native of West Texas, studied with Susan Schoenfeld before moving to Boston in 1981 to study with Walter Trampler. Mr. Jordan 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. 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; he is currently 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.
Kantele player Arja Kastinen (b. 1963) has led a busy performing career in Finland for close to 30 years, and has also given concerts in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, Ireland, Serbia, the USA, Canada, Russia, Vietnam and Brazil. In 2000 she was the first Finnish folk musician to complete the Doctor of Music degree at Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, inspired by and focusing on the ancient kantele improvisation tradition from Karelia. Arja Kastinen can he heard on over twenty-five CDs, including several solo recordings, and has published numerous articles and books on various aspects of kantele playing. http://www.temps.fi/en/arja-kastinen/
Musician Penner MacKay has been living and breathing drumming for more than forty years. His work has accompanied numerous television shows (“Off the Map”), major theatrical productions (Shaw Festival), and movie soundtracks (“The Snow Walker”). In the late 70’s he was part of the Juno Award Winning group “Myles and Lenny.” In the 80’s he toured North America with singer/songwriter Dan Hill. Most recently, ‘Accordion Crimes’, on which Penner played percussion, was listed as one of CBC musicologist Jurgen Gothe’s favourite CD’s of 2006. This versatile musician has conducted workshops for all age groups from troubled teens, to university students, to senior citizens. He’s also worked with corporations like Royal LePage, using drumming as an exercise in team building and co-operation. In 1992, with the help of artist/craftsman Rod Hillier, Penner created a set of thunderous tunable drums from wine barrels. Inspired by the Japanese Taiko drummers, and given that the two men live in the winery region of Niagara, these drums made perfect sense; they are completely unique, impressive works of art that make the ground tremble. And so was born ‘The Barrelhouse Drum Company.’ Having studied all styles of drumming, Penner has been passing his extensive knowledge along to students for 20 years. In 2006, he helped to launch “Drums Along the Niagara,’ Niagara-on-the-Lake’s annual drumming festival. In 2006, he received the town’s cultural award for volunteering. Personable, dynamic, and inspiring, when it comes to performance and percussion, Penner is one of Canada’s great communicators.
Eric is a producer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist performing in the studio and in concert on: jazz, classical, finger style acoustic and electric guitar; classical and jazz chromatic and diatonic harmonicas, celtic and jazz violin and mandolin; accordion, clarinet, banjo, tablas drums and didgeridoo. He was a member of the multiple Juno award winning country vocal group “THE MERCEY BROTHERS”, performed in shows at Casino Fallsview, COUNTRY CLASSICS, Memories from the attic, SIX CHIX and HOLIDAY PARTY. Performed harmonicas in Shaw Festival Theatre’s production of FLOYD COLLINS. Canadian tour of DON MESSER’S VIOLIN with Frank Leahey. Presently on call guitarist with KITCHENER-WATERLOO SYPHONY and is a featured jazz, country and classic guitarist at various concerts in Canada. Eric keeps busy teaching the various instruments he plays at his recording studio MAHAR MUSIC STUDIO in Bolton Ontario when he’s not mountain biking or skiing.
James Mason is highly regarded as one of Canada’s most prominent oboists. He came to Canada in 1975, accepting the position of Principal Oboe with the Saskatoon Symphony and Lecturer in Woodwinds at the University of Saskatchewan. Since 1979 he has been the Principal Oboe of the KitchenerWaterloo Symphony and Canadian Chamber Ensemble. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in Germany, Holland, Spain, South America and Japan as well as the United States and Canada. Mr. Mason has many recordings to his credit and is heard regularly on CBC radio, for which he has recorded most of the standard chamber music and solo oboe repertoire, along with several new works for oboe and orchestra and oboe and strings written specifically for him. Mr. Mason has appeared as guest Principal Oboe with the Boston, Toronto and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, along with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Since 1981 he has been a regular performer at both the Elora Festival and the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, Ontario. Over the years, Mason has been a very familiar face in the musical life of southwestern Ontario. He and his wife, violinist Julie Baumgartel, were founding Artistic Directors of the Grand River Baroque Festival. Jim has also appeared as performer, audience member and heckler at INNERchamber in Stratford. He has performed and recorded on numerous occasions with the Gallery Players. He was on the faculty at Wifrid Laurier University for 37 years. In 2000, in recognition of his contribution to the arts, Mason was given the Kitchener Waterloo Arts Award for Music.
Terry McKenna enjoys performing a wide range of musical styles on period and modern lutes and guitars. He’s been with the Toronto Consort for more than 20 years now (!) and also plays with Ensemble Polaris and the Toronto Masque Theatre as well as guest appearances with I Furiosi, Musica Franca and Opera Atelier, among others. In addition to historical-based repertoire, Terry welcomes opportunities to perform contemporary scores by composers such as James Rolfe, Omar Daniel, Peter Hannan, John Beckwith and Harry Freedman. Terry has participated on many recordings and broadcasts and finally did his own feature project, Throw the House Out of the Windowe (and Other Damn Fine Dance Tunes) on the Marquis Classics label. Another one is in the works – stay tuned! Terry gets great satisfaction from teaching guitar and lute at Wilfrid Laurier University. He also enjoys composing and performing music for his wife Susan Kennedy’s youth theatre project Playmakers! Terry lives in Stratford, Ontario (where he performs with the Stratford Festival) with Susan and their four children, two dogs, three cats, 1 frog, 1 turtle, 2 cute new anoles and 3 goldfish…
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Borys Medicky performs widely as a harpsichord soloist and continuo player. He co-directs the Toronto Continuo Collective, an all-continuo ensemble dedicated to fostering an increased interest in the stylish basso continuo accompaniment of seventeenth-century vocal and instrumental music. From 2006-2014 he was the artistic director of the Kitchener-based Nota Bene Baroque Players. He has served as organist of the Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist in Toronto for over a decade. As a performer he is known for his strong interest in historical dance and its influence on instrumental music. In addition he carries out harpsichord maintenance and repair duties for institutions and private owners, and completed his first harpsichord-building project in the autumn of 2009. When not involved in something musical, he can usually be found engrossed in anything readable.
Douglas Miller is a versatile flutist who is active within various symphony orchestras, chamber music series, mega-musicals and records for film and television. He has performed with the Toronto Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Kitchener Waterloo Orchestra, and is current principal flute of the Niagara Symphony. As theatre musician, he has recently completed 15 months in the Toronto production of The Sound of Music and has played in many Toronto productions such as Phantom of the Opera, and Les Miserables. In The Lion King, and The Lord of the Rings, he played a collection of ethnic bamboo flutes, several of which he built himself. . In 2005 he toured North America with Hal Princes’ production of EVITA, celebrating the show’s 25th anniversary. He has been a member of the Shaw Festival Orchestra in various productions since 1991 and returns for their 2011 production of My Fair Lady. He is heard on the soundtracks of many films and TV series such as CBC’s Road to Avonlea and David Suzuki’s Nature of Things. Mr. Miller’s diverse education includes a Master of Music in flute from University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Music and Licentiate with Distinction in saxophone from McGill University, where he completed a year of graduate studies in recording engineering. A graduate of the Royal Conservatory’s Orchestral Training Program, he also spent a year of Advanced Studies in Music at the Banff Centre followed by private studies in Vienna. He is a founding member of The Gallery Players of Niagara and has produced three CDs with his trio Glissandi. He has recently premiered and co-produced his own orchestral show, “Flutes en Route! a showcase of ethnic flutes from around the world. He makes his home in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Andy Moro is a Euro/Omushkego Cree multi-disciplinary artist. His work includes performance installation, set, projection lighting and audio design with companies across the country. He is a co-founder/director with Tara Beagan of ARTICLE 11, named for the article in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, stating: Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalize, maintain, protect and develop past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature. ARTICLE 11 is currently touring Reckoning – a triptych tackling the fallout from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Their installation DECLARATION has been featured at the Royal Ontario Museum, the National Arts Centre and Calgary City Hall and DECLARATION: ReMatriation - an international Indigenous collaboration at the Edinburgh Festival. Upcoming, ARTICLE 11 premieres Deer Woman this June at the Kia Mau Festival, Aotearoa.
Niagara Violinist Charlene Nagel is a long standing member of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, having joined in 1975, and has held the position of Principal Second Violin since 1989. Being born into a family filled with music and musicians, Charlene’s studies began at a very early age with her father, violinist and baroque specialist Deryck Aird. Charlene has played with numerous ensembles and is a well known musical presence in the Niagara Region. Her versatility and enthusiasm for the great diversity of musical genres make her equally adept at performances from baroque ensemble to rock band. She makes her home in St. Davids Ontario.
_by_sian_richards_photography_5314__small.jpg "Charlotte nediger (closeup) by sian richards photography 5314")
A native of southwestern Ontario, harpsichordist Charlotte Nediger joined the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra as principal keyboard player in 1980 at age 21 and has held that position ever since. She has an extensive background in music research, and works behind the scenes at Tafelmusik as Assistant to the Music Director, Librarian, and Programme Editor. She also oversees Tafelmusik's Artist Training Programmes, notably as Artistic Coordinator of the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. As a performer Charlotte is one of few keyboard players to specialize in orchestral continuo playing. Charlotte holds Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Western Ontario and a Solo Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands. Charlotte teaches at the University of Toronto and the Glenn Gould School.
Kwagiulth and Stó:lō First Nations, English, Irish and Scottish mezzo-soprano Marion Newman is firmly established as one of Canada’s most accomplished singers in works ranging from Vivaldi to Vivier. Noted for her “ sumptuous mezzo tone and impressive vocal agility”, Marion’s operatic roles include Carmen and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and the title role in Toronto Masque Theatre’s The Lesson of Da Ji. On the concert stage Marion has performed with the Victoria Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, National Ballet of Canada, Portland Baroque Orchestra, CapriCCio Vocal Ensemble, The Elmer Iseler Singers, San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, Kingston Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Elora Festival Singers and the St Lawrence Choir. Her extensive repertoire includes Handel's Messiah, De Falla's El Amor Brujo, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Beethoven Ninth Symphony, Copland's In The Beginning and Bach's St. John Passion, Magnificat, and Cantata no. 4. Marion has performed in many world premieres of several operas/chamber works that speak toher First Nations identity, including the 2017 premiere of Jennifer Butler’s Klee Wyck Woman with Emily Carr String Quartet at ISCM World New Music Days in Vancouver and the role of Dr. Wilson in the premiere of Marie Clements and Brian Current’s powerful Missing with City Opera Vancouver/Pacific Opera Victoria. Recent engagements for Marion include Regina Symphony in their Forward Currents Festival. Marion premiered Bramwell Tovey’s song cycle “Ancestral Voices” with Vancouver Symphony, touring to Winnipeg, Toronto and Ottawa. Marion looks forward to her debut with Edmonton Opera as the Mother in Hansel and Gretel in 2019 and to the premiere in the title role of Shanawdithit with Tapestry Opera/Opera on the Avalon.
Joan Nicks is adjunct professor of film and popular culture, Brock University, with long experience as a film programmer, critic and juror of media and film festivals. Her writing has appeared in various edited books and journals. She is the recipient of teaching awards, research grants, and the Laura Sabina Award (2003) in recognition of women’s contributions to the arts in Niagara. Joan is co-editor of Covering Niagara: Studies in Local Popular Culture (2010), and Slippery Pastimes: Reading the Popular in Canadian Culture (2002): Wilfrid Laurier University Press. Her collaborative research on local popular culture includes blackface minstrel shows, early movie-going and theatres, and the role of newspapers in fueling fandom. She programs film series for the Niagara Falls History Museum, and is working on a history of lost movie theatres and post-WWII motel culture in the cross-border city, Niagara Falls, Ontario. She collaborates with The Gallery Players of Niagara for special silent film events with live music accompaniment. Her curated image-projections for Chorus Niagara concerts include: “A Holocaust Memoir” (2011); “A Might Cry” (2013), commissioned in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812; and “The World Remembers: the war to end all wars” (2014). She curated image-projections for the Toronto premiere of composer Larry Nickel’s Requiem for Peace performed by the Orpheus Choir and conducted by Robert Cooper (2012); and “The End of Innocence - WWI” (2014).
Aisslinn Nosky is a versatile and charismatic musician who brings passion and fervour to every project she pursues. She performs in solo and chamber music recitals across North America, Europe and Asia. Recent triumphs include performing concertos with the Calgary Philharmonic and with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, as well as giving the world premiere of "Stand Still"- a new piece for solo violin by Michael Oesterle comissioned by Aisslinn with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Highlights of the 2011/2012 season find her performing Vivaldi's Four Seasons both in Boston with the Handel and Haydn Society and at the Lameque International Baroque Festival and guest directing the Thunder Bay Symphony. She is often in demand as a leader and concertmaster and has led the Grand River Baroque Festival Players, Arion Baroque Orchestra, and Collegium Musicum Hanyang. Aisslinn has recently been named concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. Since 2005, Aisslinn has been a highly active member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.
Michelle is a versatile freelance violinist in the greater Toronto area. She received her Master’s degree at the University of Toronto specializing in Baroque violin. Michelle is a member of the Elixir Baroque Ensemble and the Windermere String Quartet and performs often with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Nota Bene Baroque Players and Talisker Players. She is also a violin teacher at the Kingsway Conservatory of Music.
Christine Passmore (horn) performs regularly with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Esprit Orchestra and the Hannaford Street Silver Band. She was featured in the 2009 production of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George (Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake) and has played musicals, recitals, and chamber music at The Shaw ever since. Christine also performed in the Toronto productions of Les Miserables, The Lord of the Rings, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Sound of Music. On natural horn she has been heard with groups including Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Opera Atelier, the Aradia Ensemble, L’Orchestra Classica di Santa Croce, Batignano, Tuscany, Italy, the Philadelphia Classical Orchestra, the Chicago Opera Theater, and the Smithsonian Chamber Players (Baltimore, MD). Christine holds degrees from the University of Western Ontario and Indiana University.
Canadian guitarist, conductor, composer and arranger Timothy Phelan has performed in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Cuba, Martinique, Europe and Scandinavia. He made his CBC debut recording at the age of eighteen as concerto soloist with Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, and he has since been heard in solo, concerto and chamber music broadcasts over CBC Television & Radio, Radio France, Radio Caribbean, Cuban Radio & Television, and Mexican Radio. He is a regular guest soloist, conductor, teacher and lecturer at international guitar festivals in Canada, the USA, Mexico and Europe. A passionate and accomplished chamber musician, Tim collaborates in several duos with celebrated musicians, including fellow Canadian guitarist Emma Rush, Niagara Symphony Principal Flutist Doug Miller, violinist Julia Wedman of Canada's revered Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and most recently, with Swedish cellist Kristin Malmborg in Aurora Polaris Cello & Guitar Duo. Tim is also a member of The Gallery Players of Niagara, performing with, among others, the Eybler String Quartet and members of Tafelmusik, and he has been involved in the performance and acclaimed recording of new transcriptions of Schumann song cycles for voice, strings and guitar, with world-renowned Canadian baritone Brett Polegato. Tim is a prolific arranger of music for solo guitar, guitar ensemble, and various chamber music combinations of guitar with other instruments. Much of his work as a composer has been dedicated to expanding the repertoire for guitar with choir, and he has collaborated with many of Canada's finest choral ensembles, even writing works for choir with symphony orchestra and guitar. Most recently, Tim has been composing new works for guitar orchestra, and conducting their premieres in Sweden, Germany and Mexico. A graduate of the University of Toronto, and a former director of the University of Toronto Guitar Orchestra, Tim currently teaches at Brock University.
Grammy-nominated Laura Pudwell’s reputation as a superb vocalist has been well-established as a result of her performances in London, Paris, Salzburg, Houston, Vienna and Boston. Her vast repertoire ranges from early music to contemporary works. Ms. Pudwell is equally at home on the opera, oratorio or recital stage, and has received international acclaim for her recordings. A frequent guest of many national and international presenters, Ms. Pudwell has had the privilege of working with many outstanding conductors, including Hans Graf, Hervé Niquet, Andrew Parrott, Ivars Taurens, Bernard Labadie, Lydia Adams, Howard Dyck and Robert Cooper. On the opera stage, she has performed across Canada with such companies as Opera Atelier, the Calgary Opera, Vancouver Early Music and Festival Vancouver, as well as with the Houston Grand Opera and the Cleveland Opera. Her many roles include Cornelia (Giulio Cesare), Marcelina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Nerone and Arnalta (L’Incoronazione di Poppea) and Dido/Sorceress (Dido & Aeneas), which also was an award-winning recording performed by Ms. Pudwell in Paris. Laura Pudwell is a regular participant in many festivals, including Festival Vancouver, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Banff Summer Festival, the Elora Festival, the Boston Early Music Festival and the WinterPark Bach Festival in Orlando. Ms. Pudwell appears regularly with the Toronto Consort, and is a frequent guest soloist with Tafelmusik, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Toronto Chamber Choir, Symphony Nova Scotia, the St. Lawrence Choir, Le Concert Spirituel and the Menno Singers. Ms. Pudwell lives in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario with her husband and two children.
Violist Anna Redekop has studied with founding Juilliard String Quartet violinist Robert Koff in Boston, as well as at the Royal Conservatory of Music with Rennie Regehr and Steven Dann. She performs regularly as the founding violist of the Madawaska String Quartet and as the violist of the Shaw Festival’s Ensemble-in-Residence, the Blue Spruce Quartet. As founding violist of the Madawaska String Quartet, she’s performed at the Festival of the Sound, the Elora Festival, the Festival Iberoamericano in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the Royal Conservatory’s Koerner Hall, as well as at many other international festivals and series, with collaborators such as Measha Brueggergosman, Jan Lisiecki, Adrianne Piezconka and Robert Kortgaard. In addition to her role as a chamber musician, she performs regularly with groups such as the National Ballet of Canada, Esprit Orchestra, Tapestry New Opera Company and the Queen of Puddings Music Theatre. CBC broadcasts include numerous chamber and orchestral performances throughout Canada. Anna has also performed and recorded with artists such as Jann Arden, Anne Murray, Bruce Cockburn, Sarah Slean, the Cowboy Junkies, Michael Buble and Tom Cochrane. She has performed at the Juno Awards and has recorded various film and television soundtracks. In addition, she’s served on faculty and coached chamber music at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Kincardine Summer Music Festival and Music at Port Milford.
Hamilton tenor Bud Roach maintains a busy schedule of performances from the Baroque to the contemporary. Recent highlights include performances with the Toronto Consort, Soundstreams, the role of the Sailor in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Les Violons du Roy (Richard Egarr, conductor) in Montreal, Quebec City, and Carnegie Hall, appearances with the Hamilton Philharmonic, and a new recording (along with performances in Toronto and New York) with his ensemble Capella Intima. Bud’s recordings for the Musica Omnia label have been recognized internationally as ground-breaking achievements in historically-informed performance practice. “Roach is marvellous throughout….Five stars” (Early Music Today, UK). Recent recital appearances include Toronto (Early Music Centre), the Midtown Concert Series (New York), and the Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Series (“revelatory concerts”- Early Music America, 2013). Highlights for the 2016-17 season include concert appearances with the Toronto Consort, La Chapelle de Quebec, the Hamilton Philharmonic, Bach Elgar Choir, Nota Bene Baroque Players, the Menno Singers, the Spiritus Ensemble, Soundstreams Canada, Talisker Players (Cole Porter), and Toronto Masque Theatre, as well as solo recitals in Boston, New York, Guelph, and Thunder Bay. With Capella Intima, Bud leads programmes in Hamilton, Toronto, and Kitchener, and will also be presenting a lecture/recital on the self-accompanied performance tradition of the alfabeto aria at the Historical Performance Institute, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University. Bud is also the founder and Artistic Director of the successful HAMMER BAROQUE concert series, presenting some of Canada’s finest early music performers. www.budroach.com
A graduate of the performance programme at the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Patricia Kern, Baritone David Roth has sung on the opera and concert stage in Canada, the US, Great Britain, and Germany. He has appeared recently in concert with notable organisations such as Tafelmusik, The Toronto Consort, La Chapelle de Québec, I Furiosi, The Alderborough Connection, and Capella Intima. He has sung in the professional choruses of the COC and Opera Atalier, and appeared as Figaro and Don Alfonso in Weimar, Germany, with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar and Theater Rudolstadt respectively.
Brian Solomon is of Anishinaabe and Irish descent, born in the remote community of Shebahonaning / Killarney, located in the Manitoulin District of Northern Ontario, Canada. The bedrock in the area is among the oldest on earth. There are white mountains of quartz, silica and granite. There are clean bodies of fresh water the size of seas in every direction. Animals, Plants and Humans have thrived in the region since before the iceage, and Solomon’s ancestors have been on that land a very long time. This immense fortune he was born into informs his work greatly. These were his first teachers. Solomon followed first in the tradition of visual art in the region – the surrounding lands are one of the birthplaces of Eastern Woodland Art, and many contemporary artists are drawn here to practice. He began his Visual Art practice learning from some of these artists. While working as a portrait artist in his teenage years in Sudbury Ontario, Solomon discovered theatre, traditional and contemporary dance. He moved to Toronto to train at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and later received a Masters in Performance from the Laban Centre (UK). Solomon then performed in dance and theatre for dozens of creators from across Canada, the US and Europe, earning several Dora and Gemini award nominations. As a creator his work is multidisciplinary, raw, challenging and present. He has created a community work with over 40 interpreters, solos in trees, and animated installations of landfill. Solomon’s work has toured nationally and internationally. It has been presented at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre and nGbK – neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst Berlin. A co-creation with German visual artist Judy Ross on their film "the Filmmaker", won best prize for experimental film at Watch Out! film festival in Macedonia. Solomon was also a recipient of a REVEAL Indigenous Arts Award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation. He has taught his practice in numerous shelters, friendship centres, dance and theatre companies and in universitie. Solomon is passionate about helping people relearn about their forgotten bodies, and take back the space those bodies occupy. Find out more at electricmoose.ca
Maho Sone Grazzini is a versatile harpsichord soloist and continuo accompanist. Originally from Japan, she holds degrees from Indiana University’s Early Music Institute, where she studied with Elisabeth Wright, Nigel North, and Stanley Ritchie, and from the San Francisco Conservatory, where she studied with Corey Jamason. She appears frequently with the Bloomington Bach Cantata project.
Laura Thomas is a conductor, arranger, composer, percussionist and teacher. She is Music Director of the Niagara Youth Orchestra and the Dundas Valley Orchestra, as well as Artistic Director of the Hamilton/Niagara area WomEnchant Chorus. She is the Principal Percussionist of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra where she also served as Associate Conductor for thirteen years. Along with acclaimed flutist Douglas Miller, she developed the Flutes en Route! programs of orchestral, ensemble and educational concerts. Her guest conducting appearances include Symphony on the Bay, the Huronia Symphony, Etobicoke Philharmonic, the North York Concert Orchestra, and the Bard Chamber Orchestra. She also held positions as Artistic Director of the Niagara based choir, Choralis Camerata and Director of the Niagara College Jazz Band. Ms. Thomas holds a masters degree in conducting from New York’s prestigious Bard College, where she studied with Harold Farberman. She is also a graduate of Hamilton’s Mohawk College and McMaster University, where she studied percussion and composition.
Christopher Verrette has been a member of the violin section of Tafelmusik since 1993 and is a frequent soloist and leader with the orchestra. He holds a Bachelor of Music and a Performer's Certificate from Indiana University and has contributed to the development of early music in the American Midwest as a founding member of the Chicago Baroque Ensemble and Ensemble Voltaire (Indianapolis), and as a guest director with the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra and the Bloomington Early Music Festival Orchestra. He collaborates with many other North American ensembles, and can be heard in Toronto with the Musicians in Ordinary and The Toronto Consort. He has also participated in crossover recordings with Terry McKenna and Sylvia Tyson and in soundtracks for film and television.
Currently Principal Second Violinist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Anita enjoys a varied career, displaying versatility in a wide range of musical styles. As an orchestral player, she has performed with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thirteen Strings Ensemble, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and as guest Principal with the Winnipeg Symphony among others. Equally at home as a chamber musician, Anita is a member of the Madawaska String Quartet and has recorded for CBC records and has been broadcasted on CBC Radio’s “Take Five” and “In Performance”. She has appeared in concert with distinguished colleagues at music festivals throughout Canada, including the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, MusicFest Vancouver and the Scotia Festival of Music. Aside from her affinity for performing, Anita is deeply committed to bringing the joy and excitement of music making to our next generation of classical musicians. She is frequently called upon to adjudicate at the Kiwanis Music Festival and has enjoyed coaching students at the Interprovincial Music Camp, University of Ottawa, Acadia University, National Academy Orchestra and KW Youth Symphony.
Violinist Julia Wedman brings an "infectious vitality" to music (Victoria Times Colonist). Her playing has been described as "highly communicative", and "extraordinarily lithe and intuitive" (Globe and Mail). Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Julia completed her studies in music at the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto and Indiana University at Bloomington. With a life long passion for chamber music, she formed her first serious string quartet at age 15. In addition to performances with the Eybler Quartet, she is currently a member the innovative young baroque ensemble I FURIOSI, known for their imaginative and unconventional programming. She joined Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra in 2005, and is regularly featured as a soloist with the group on their home series in Toronto as well as on tours in Canada, the U.S.A, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Germany, China and Korea. Julia's debut solo recording of Heinrich Biber's Mystery Sonatas (Sonoluminus) was released in the spring of 2011 and has received rave reviews. The CD was featured in the July 2011 issue of Gramophone magazine, saying "Rather exceptionally, one suspects, Wedman has approached Biber's music as a true pilgrim, interpreting key moments in the life of Christ thoughtfully, vividly and with evident personal humility and warmth. Her performances exude humanity and have about them a radiance that somehow transcends the sound of her lovely 1694 instrument."
Violist John Wiebe performs regularly with London Symphonia (formerly Orchestra London), the Nota Bene Baroque Players, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, and many other groups within Southwestern Ontario. This season marks his first joining the creative director team of the Nota Bene Baroque Players. In addition to performing, John is committed to music education, maintaining a private studio in London, working as a clinician with local high school string programs, and coughing with the the London Youth Symphony. He also is a teacher/conductor and program administrator with El Sistema Aeolian, a free after-school strings program through Aeolian Hall in London. John also enjoys non-classical performance, playing guitar in a multi-genre cover band.
Natalie began her musical studies at the age of 3. She started playing violin at the age of 7. At the age of 16 she received the ARCT performance diploma at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and majored in violin performance at the University of Toronto. Her list of teachers includes Scott St. John, Annalee Patipatanakoon, and Katharine Rapoport. Natalie also has an extensive background in music theory and composition, having studied with Abigail Richardson and Alexander Rapoport. She is currently studying jazz with renowned Indonesian saxophonist Budi Winarto. She actively performs in orchestras, chamber music, musical theatres, jazz and pop concerts. She is currently a core member in the tutti first violin section of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, and she is the principle second violinist and librarian of the newly formed Summerhill Orchestra. She has also been playing with Sudbury Symphony, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Opera York, National Academy Orchestra, Windsor Symphony, and many more. Natalie is very active in musical theatre and has played in shows on violin and other instruments for both classical and contemporary productions. She has also been active as violinist and vocalist in numerous bands in the past 15 years with a wide spectrum of genres including pop, folk, R&B, jazz, rock and metal, performed in numerous bars, weddings, corporate events and broadcasted television productions, and had appeared in soundtracks and albums. She is the violinist and lead female vocal in her primary Spanish fusion band, Urban-Gypsy Trio. She is a singer-songwriter, and also works and performs with fellow singer-songwriters and various groups on both acoustic and electric violin. In her spare time Natalie enjoys reading, writing, and playing more music.