Yehonatan Berick, violin
Prizewinner at the 1993 Naumburg competition and a recipient of the 1996-97 Prix Opus, Yehonatan Berick is in high demand internationally as soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. Performances as soloist include Quebec, Winnipeg, Windsor, Ann Arbor, Jerusalem and Haifa Symphonies, and the Israeli, Cincinnati, Montreal and Manitoba Chamber Orchestras, Thirteen Strings and Ensemble Appassionata. Recital offering include the complete Paganini Caprices, and the complete Solo Sonatas and Partitas by Bach. He has collaborated with many world renowned artists. Festival and chamber series include Marlboro, Ravinia, Seattle, Ottawa, Great Lakes, and Music@Menlo. He tours extensively worldwide, and is featured in the world's most important venues, including Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall. On CD, Berick has recorded for the Acoma, Albany, Centaur, Equilibrium, XXI-21, Gasparo, Summit, and Helicon labels. On video, he can be seen on a BluRay dvd Paganini: 24 Caprices. His recordings have won rave reviews in the press. Equally sought after as violin teacher and chamber music mentor, Berick serves as Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa. He has been invited as teacher and artist-in-residence at many festivals, and is featured in masterclasses worldwide. His students hold leading positions in major orchestras, ensembles, and music schools worldwide. Yehonatan Berick is currently plays a 1761 violin by Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi, generously on loan from the University of Ottawa, as well as violin by Honoré Derazey Père from 1852, and a viola by Stanley Kiernoziak from 2003.
www.yehonatanberick.com
www.yehonatanberick.com
Caitlin Boyle, viola
Caitlin Boyle is originally from Dundas, Ontario. She began playing the viola at age three at the Hamilton Suzuki School of Music. Subsquently she completed her Bachelor of Music at the Glenn Gould School, with Steve Dann; an Artist Diploma at the Hochschule fur Musik Muenchen, with Hariolf Schlichtig; a Masters of Music at San Diego State University, with Brian Chen; and a Graduate Diploma at McGill under the guidance of Andre Roy. She has played with the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the Munich Symphony Orchestra. Her passion for chamber music was fostered at the Southern Ontario Chamber Music Institute and the Domaine Forget Chamber Music Sessions and continued to grow through the support of such artists as Richard Lester, Terrence Helmer and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. She has been a member of the Cecilia String Quartet since spring 2006. She is currently going into her second year of the Doctor of Musical Arts Program at the University of Toronto, where she is working with Kathy Rapoport. She plays on a viola made in 2002 by Joseph Curtin. In her spare time she enjoys running, tennis and theatre.
Rachel Desoer, cello
Rachel Desoer is a cellist from Hamilton, Ontario. She studied at the Juilliard School, Oberlin College,
McGill University and the Banff Centre. She graduated from Oberlin in 2008 with a Bachelor of
Music degree. Rachel was the cellist of the Cecilia String Quartet from 2010 to 2018. In this ensemble Rachel toured extensively around the world, recorded 4 albums on the Analekta label and taught chamber music at the University of Toronto. Touring has brought Rachel to inspiring venues such as Wigmore Hall, The Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Konzert Haus Berlin and many more. The Cecilia Quartet also made educational programming a priority and performed hundreds of presentations for schools. In 2014 the quartet created a concert series called Xenia concerts specifically designed for children on the autism spectrum and their families. Exemplifying their commitment to the equal representation of women in music, Rachel spearheaded the commissioning of 4 string quartets by Canadian women composers in 2016. Throughout her schooling and career Rachel has also played recitals and concertos with orchestra. She has also worked in other orchestras, most notably, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company. Rachel plays the 1929 Carlo Guiseppe Oddone cello generously on loan to her from an anonymous donor. She is currently the acting principal cellist of Symphony Nova Scotia.
McGill University and the Banff Centre. She graduated from Oberlin in 2008 with a Bachelor of
Music degree. Rachel was the cellist of the Cecilia String Quartet from 2010 to 2018. In this ensemble Rachel toured extensively around the world, recorded 4 albums on the Analekta label and taught chamber music at the University of Toronto. Touring has brought Rachel to inspiring venues such as Wigmore Hall, The Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Konzert Haus Berlin and many more. The Cecilia Quartet also made educational programming a priority and performed hundreds of presentations for schools. In 2014 the quartet created a concert series called Xenia concerts specifically designed for children on the autism spectrum and their families. Exemplifying their commitment to the equal representation of women in music, Rachel spearheaded the commissioning of 4 string quartets by Canadian women composers in 2016. Throughout her schooling and career Rachel has also played recitals and concertos with orchestra. She has also worked in other orchestras, most notably, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Canadian Opera Company. Rachel plays the 1929 Carlo Guiseppe Oddone cello generously on loan to her from an anonymous donor. She is currently the acting principal cellist of Symphony Nova Scotia.
Csaba Koczó, violin
Hungarian-born violinist Csaba Koczó began his studies in Yugoslavia and then continued in Hungary at the Richter Conservatory in Gyor and the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest. After attaining his bachelor’s degree with distinction at the College of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, he continued his studies in Toronto with Lorand Fenyves and Erika Raum at the Glenn Gould School and the University of Toronto, where he was the recipient of the H. Carter scholarship. Mr. Koczó enjoys a prolific career as a chamber musician and soloist both in Canada and abroad. He has shared the stage with such illustrious musicians as Mayumi Seiler, Steven Isserlis, Scott St.John, Douglas McNabney, Yehonatan Berick and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. As a soloist, he has been featured with the Sandor Frigyes Chamber Orchestra and has also had the opportunity to perform the Beethoven Violin concerto and Vivaldi's Four Seasons. As a founding member of the Banff Competition prizewinning and Dora award nominated Tokai String Quartet, Mr. Koczó has toured across Canada and the US and some of his performances have been broadcast on the CBC and the Hungarian National Radio. He has performed at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, and the Toronto Summer Music Festival where he has worked with Ian Swensen and the Leipzig String Quartet. Mr. Koczó has taught at the Universities of Stanford, Toronto, Kingston, Halifax and Acadia in Wolfville NS, and spends every summer as a faculty member of Music at Port Milford in Picton, ON. In addition, Mr. Koczó was one of the founding members of the Via Salzburg Chamber Orchestra, and is currently Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, and holds a position with the Canadian National Ballet Orchestra where he has been Acting Concertmaster.
www.tokaiquartet.com
www.tokaiquartet.com
FRÉDÉRIC LACROIX, PIANO
Frédéric Lacroix has performed in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. He has made regular radio appearances on the Canadian CBC and SRC or the American NPR. Following the University of Ottawa’s purchase of a fortepiano in 1997, Frédéric has devoted part of his time to the study and performance of music on period keyboard instruments, for which he was recognized as the Westfield Center Performing Scholar for the 2008-09. He has recently performed Mozart piano concertos on the fortepiano with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra and the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra. Intrigued by the seemingly infinite diversity of new music, Frédéric has enjoyed collaborating with composers and performers in the premiere of a number of Canadian and American works. Frédéric is also active as a composer, having composed for the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Society of American Music, the Canadian University Music Society, the Choeur Classique de l’Outaouais and other noted Canadian musicians. His song cycle, Nova Scotia Tartan (2004), is featured on Hail, a disc dedicated to Canadian Art Song. Much in demand as collaborative artist, teacher, adjudicator and composer, he currently teaches at the University of Ottawa. He is equally busy in the summer, having participated in a number of music festivals, in the Ottawa region, throughout Canada, and in the United States. He holds degrees from the University of Montreal, the University of Ottawa, and Cornell University, where herecently completed his Doctorate degree in keyboard performance practice with the influential Malcolm Bilson. His other teachers include Marc Durand, Cynthia Floyd, Andrew Tunis, Jean-Paul Sévilla and Monique Collet-Samyn
Frédéric Lacroix has performed in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. He has made regular radio appearances on the Canadian CBC and SRC or the American NPR. Following the University of Ottawa’s purchase of a fortepiano in 1997, Frédéric has devoted part of his time to the study and performance of music on period keyboard instruments, for which he was recognized as the Westfield Center Performing Scholar for the 2008-09. He has recently performed Mozart piano concertos on the fortepiano with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra and the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra. Intrigued by the seemingly infinite diversity of new music, Frédéric has enjoyed collaborating with composers and performers in the premiere of a number of Canadian and American works. Frédéric is also active as a composer, having composed for the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Society of American Music, the Canadian University Music Society, the Choeur Classique de l’Outaouais and other noted Canadian musicians. His song cycle, Nova Scotia Tartan (2004), is featured on Hail, a disc dedicated to Canadian Art Song. Much in demand as collaborative artist, teacher, adjudicator and composer, he currently teaches at the University of Ottawa. He is equally busy in the summer, having participated in a number of music festivals, in the Ottawa region, throughout Canada, and in the United States. He holds degrees from the University of Montreal, the University of Ottawa, and Cornell University, where herecently completed his Doctorate degree in keyboard performance practice with the influential Malcolm Bilson. His other teachers include Marc Durand, Cynthia Floyd, Andrew Tunis, Jean-Paul Sévilla and Monique Collet-Samyn
KAILI MAIMETS, FLUTE
Flutist, Kaili Maimets, is in demand as an orchestral performer, chamber musician, and soloist. She is currently Acting Second Flute and Piccolo of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada (NACO), and was Second Flute & Piccolo of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony from 2016-2019 and was Principal Flute position of London Symphonia (formerly Orchestra London) from 2012-2019. She has also performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Ballet of Canada. As a soloist, Kaili has performed with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, NACO, the Toronto Concert Orchestra and Orchestra London. An active chamber musician, Kaili is also passionate about performing new music. In addition to regularly collaborating with her brother, composer Riho Esko Maimets, she has performed with Continuum New Music Ensemble in Toronto and the WolfGANG Sessions in Ottawa. Kaili is passionate about teaching flutists of all ages and levels. Her students are consistent winners at local and provincial festivals and exams, as well as being accepted to the Curtis Institute Young Artist Summer Program. Kaili's principal teachers have been Nora Shulman, Denis Bluteau and Camille Watts. She holds an MM from McGill University, BM from the University of Toronto, and A.R.C.T. with Gold Medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada. She received orchestral and chamber training experiences with National Youth Orchestra of Canada, National Academy Orchestra of Canada, Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Banff Festival Orchestra, Scotia Festival of Music, and Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.
www.kailimaimets.com
Flutist, Kaili Maimets, is in demand as an orchestral performer, chamber musician, and soloist. She is currently Acting Second Flute and Piccolo of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada (NACO), and was Second Flute & Piccolo of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony from 2016-2019 and was Principal Flute position of London Symphonia (formerly Orchestra London) from 2012-2019. She has also performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Ballet of Canada. As a soloist, Kaili has performed with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, NACO, the Toronto Concert Orchestra and Orchestra London. An active chamber musician, Kaili is also passionate about performing new music. In addition to regularly collaborating with her brother, composer Riho Esko Maimets, she has performed with Continuum New Music Ensemble in Toronto and the WolfGANG Sessions in Ottawa. Kaili is passionate about teaching flutists of all ages and levels. Her students are consistent winners at local and provincial festivals and exams, as well as being accepted to the Curtis Institute Young Artist Summer Program. Kaili's principal teachers have been Nora Shulman, Denis Bluteau and Camille Watts. She holds an MM from McGill University, BM from the University of Toronto, and A.R.C.T. with Gold Medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada. She received orchestral and chamber training experiences with National Youth Orchestra of Canada, National Academy Orchestra of Canada, Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Banff Festival Orchestra, Scotia Festival of Music, and Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.
www.kailimaimets.com
Rachel Mercer, cello
Described as a "pure chamber musician" (Globe and Mail) creating "moments of pure magic" (Toronto Star), Canadian cellist Rachel Mercer has demonstrated her love for sharing music through performance since she was three years old. Grand prize winner of the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam, Rachel made her European debut in the Concertgebouw and has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician on five continents. Rachel is Principal Cello of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, cellist of Ensemble Made In Canada, the Mercer-Park Duo, the AYR Trio, and is Artistic Director of the "5 at the First" Chamber Music Series in Hamilton. Rachel has given masterclasses at schools, conservatories and universities across North America, South Africa and in Israel and can be heard on the Naxos, Dalia Classics and EnT-T record labels. Her second solo cd of the complete Bach Suites was released on Pipistrelle in March 2014.
www.rachelmercercellist.com
photo by David Leyes
www.rachelmercercellist.com
photo by David Leyes
Angela Park, piano
Pianist Angela Park has established herself as one of Canada’s most sought-after pianists. Praised for her “stunningly beautiful pianism” (Grace Welsh Prize, Chicago), “beautiful tone and sensitivity” (American Record Guide), and for performing “with such brilliant clarity it took your breath away” (Chapala, Mexico), Angela’s versatility as both soloist and chamber musician has led to continued success in performances across Canada, as well as in the United States, Europe, Japan and Mexico. Angela has performed for such noted series as Montreal’s Pro Musica, Ottawa Chamberfest, Parry Sound’s Festival of the Sound, Winnipeg Virtuosi, Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut Tours, CBC Onstage, Orchestra London Canada, Sinfonia Toronto, Stratford Symphony, and the Northern Lights Music Festival in Mexico. Angela has recorded with oboist Linda Strommen, cellist Rachel Mercer, and with Ensemble Made In Canada, in addition to recording various projects for the Enharmonic label in Bloomington, Indiana. Angela has won numerous awards and prizes in major competitions both at home and abroad, including the International Grace Welsh Prize for Piano in Chicago, World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, Canadian National Music Festival, Honens International Piano Competition, and the Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona. She earned her MMus at the University of Toronto, and her DMA in Piano Performance from the Université de Montréal. From 2011-2014, Angela was Visiting Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano-Woodwinds at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. She has given masterclasses and educational outreach sessions for universities and communities across Canada, as well as at SUNY New Paltz, Stanford, and Indiana University in the United States. Angela currently resides in Toronto, Canada.
www.angelapark.com
www.angelapark.com
Theresa Rudolph, viola
Award-winning violist Theresa Rudolph is an active chamber musician, recitalist, and orchestral player. She has held the position of Assistant Principal Viola in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since 2011, and is a member of the XIA Quartet . Theresa has performed on concert series in Toronto, Vancouver, Detroit, Ottawa, and throughout Eastern Canada, and has been featured several times on CBC Radio. In addition, she holds the position of Viola Coach of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and has served on the faculty of York University. Hailing from Vancouver, Theresa was a student of Gerald Stanick. A recipient of a scholarship grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, she then obtained her Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with Robert Vernon. As a member of the Brutini String Quartet, she attended the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshop in New York, performed in Carnegie Hall, and was a prizewinner at the prestigious Fischoff Competition. In March 2001, Theresa became the youngest member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the age of 21. She also held the position of Assistant Principal Viola of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, and was a member of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, where she frequently performed as Principal Viola. Theresa has also performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra.
KIMBALL SYKES, CLARINET
Kimball Sykes joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as principal clarinet in 1985. Born in Vancouver, he received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of British Columbia where he studied with Ronald deKant. In 1982 Mr. Sykes was a member of the National Youth Orchestra and was awarded the first of two Canada Council grants to study with Robert Marcellus in Chicago. He has participated in the Banff School of Fine Arts Festival, the Scotia Festival, the Orford Festival and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. He has performed and toured with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. While in Vancouver, he was a founding member of the Vancouver Wind Trio. From 1983 to 1985 he was principal clarinet of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Sykes has performed as a soloist with the NAC Orchestra on numerous occasions. In May 2000, he gave the premiere performance of Vagues immobiles, a clarinet concerto by Alain Perron commissioned for him by the NAC, and in November 2002, he performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto, both conducted by Pinchas Zukerman. Other groups he has appeared with as soloist include Thirteen Strings, the Honolulu Symphony and the Auckland Philharmonia. Mr. Sykes has performed numerous solo and chamber music programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He can be heard on the recent Chamber Players of Canada recording of Schubert’s Octet. He has also recorded the Mozart Clarinet Quintet with Pinchas Zukerman and NAC Orchestra principal musicians Donnie Deacon, Jane Logan and Amanda Forsyth which is included in the NAC Orchestra’s double Mozart CD for CBC Records which was nominated for a Juno Award in 2004. Kimball Sykes is currently on faculty at the University of Ottawa.
Kimball Sykes joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as principal clarinet in 1985. Born in Vancouver, he received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of British Columbia where he studied with Ronald deKant. In 1982 Mr. Sykes was a member of the National Youth Orchestra and was awarded the first of two Canada Council grants to study with Robert Marcellus in Chicago. He has participated in the Banff School of Fine Arts Festival, the Scotia Festival, the Orford Festival and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival. He has performed and toured with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. While in Vancouver, he was a founding member of the Vancouver Wind Trio. From 1983 to 1985 he was principal clarinet of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Sykes has performed as a soloist with the NAC Orchestra on numerous occasions. In May 2000, he gave the premiere performance of Vagues immobiles, a clarinet concerto by Alain Perron commissioned for him by the NAC, and in November 2002, he performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto, both conducted by Pinchas Zukerman. Other groups he has appeared with as soloist include Thirteen Strings, the Honolulu Symphony and the Auckland Philharmonia. Mr. Sykes has performed numerous solo and chamber music programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He can be heard on the recent Chamber Players of Canada recording of Schubert’s Octet. He has also recorded the Mozart Clarinet Quintet with Pinchas Zukerman and NAC Orchestra principal musicians Donnie Deacon, Jane Logan and Amanda Forsyth which is included in the NAC Orchestra’s double Mozart CD for CBC Records which was nominated for a Juno Award in 2004. Kimball Sykes is currently on faculty at the University of Ottawa.
