May 14, 2020: Finnish star of the violin, Elina Vähälä, has been appointed Co-Artistic Director of the Oulu Music Festival
The Oulu Music Festival has named the Finnish violinist Elina Vähälä and saxophonist Jukka Perko as its new Artistic Directors.
April 20, 2020: Jorge Osorio streams performance of Nights in the Garden of Spain with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Osorio Returns with Nights in the Garden of Spain
April 13, 2020: classicnl Album of the Week: Karina Gauvin – Nuits Blanches
January 28, 2020: Chor Leoni Men’s Choir, featuring tenor Lawrence Wiliford, Nominated for JUNO Award
A Juno Nominee for Classical Album of the Year: Choral or Vocal, When There Is Peace: An Armistice Oratorio by rising star and Chor Leoni Composer-in-Residence Zachary Wadsworth is Chor Leoni’s first recording since winning the prestigious Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence from the professional organisation, Chorus America.
Joining Chor Leoni to tell this compelling story are the renowned Borealis String Quartet, noted Canadian tenor Lawrence Wiliford, soprano Arwen Myers, and percussionists Martin Fisk and Robin Reid.
February 2, 2020: Canadian Art Song Project (co-directed by Lawrence Wiliford) receives first JUNO nomination
Canadian Art Song Project (CASP) is proud to announce that Healey Willan: Summer Night and other songs for voice and piano has been nominated for a 2020 JUNO award as best choral / vocal solo recording. This is the first JUNO nomination for the organization since its founding in 2011 by artistic directors Lawrence Wiliford and Steven Philcox. The named artists for the nomination are baritone Peter Barrett, soprano Martha Guth, mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, and pianist Helen Becqué.
Devoted entirely to Healey Willan’s vocal solo song compositions, Summer Night features some of the composer’s most well-known and often performed songs, but also includes formerly unpublished gems that have been edited and published by CASP and recorded here for the first time.
Lawrence Wiliford, co-artistic director of Canadian Art Song Project, hopes this nomination will spur interest in the rich body of art song literature in the Canadian canon: “Willan always held his songs in high regard and believed that they deserved more attention. We can only imagine that this nomination will help reignite interest in his significant repertoire for solo voice and piano.”
Kerson Leong Joins Dispeker Artists
Called “Canada’s next great violinist” by Jonathan Crow (Concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony), and recognized for his, “supreme mastery of play” by Le Devoir critic Christophe Huss, Kerson Leong’s esteemed career began at the prestigious Menuhin Competition where he won Junior First Prize. Highly regarded as both a soloist and chamber musician, Leong has performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra.
During the 2018-19 season, Leong was artist in residence with Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain. He made his debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium performing John Rutter’s Visions, a piece for solo violin, treble voices, harp, and string orchestra composed especially for Leong.
Leong’s 2016 debut album Bis, with Philip Chiu, includes works by Brahms, Medtner, Bartok, Wagner, Gershwin, and Debussy. He has also been invited to record works by John Rutter (2016’s Visions) and Francois Dompierre (2016’s Concertango Grosso).
Leong will add an exciting voice to Dispeker’s acclaimed roster.
Signum Quartet Nominated Twice for the OPUS Klassik Awards
The Signum Quartet has been nominated twice in the OPUS Klassik Awards for their recordings Schubert: Aus der Ferne and Widmann: Duets, Viola Concerto, Jagdquartett. The OPUS Klassik Awards are presented by Der Verein zur Förderung der Klassischen Musik to highlight the best of classical music in the past year. The winners will be announced on Septeber 2nd.
Elina Vähälä has been appointed Professor of Violin at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna
Elina Vähälä has been appointed Professor of Violin at the prestigious Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. She will take up the position in October 2019.
Tracy Dahl Nominated for a Dora Award
Dahl is nomintated for a Dora Award in the Outstanding Performance of an Individual category. Given by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, the Dora Awards are Canada’s longest-running professional theatre, dance, and opera awards. Dahl is nominated for her performance with the Canadian Opera Company, singing the role of Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte.
Mathieu Lussier, The New Face of Arion
The Arion Baroque Orchestra is changing its artistic direction. After 37 years, the founder Claire Guimond passes the torch to Mathieu Lussier. The announcement was made in private to musicians Tuesday night.