2012-2013

Tour#1

The Winners’ Tour

This is a rare chance to hear the top prizewinners of two of the world’s most respected international music competitions. Calgary’s Honens International Piano Competition and the Banff International String Quartet Competition combine forces of their respective Laureates for a musical mash-up not to be missed. Dynamic Russian pianist Georgy Tchaidze partners with the delightful Canadian Cecilia String Quartet for an attractive shared program of solo and chamber music. After jamming together in Toronto and rehearsing in residence at The Banff Centre, the collaborators record for Honens Sessions Live in 2011/12 and tour to Kingston, Montreal, New York and Washington D.C.

Georgy Tchaidze

First Laureate, Honens International Piano Competition (2009)

Georgy Tchaidze, First Laureate of Calgary’s Honens International Piano Competition (2009), is a native of St Petersburg, Russia. His Honens win allowed him to bring his artistry beyond Russia for performances throughout Europe and North America for the first time. Tchaidze has performed at The International Holland Music Sessions, Switzerland’s Verbier Festival Academy, made a ten-city German recital tour and played for the Governor General of Canada at the special invitation of The Glenn Gould Foundation. An avid chamber musician, he has toured across Canada and the United States with Clara-Jumi Kang, Gold Medalist of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. This season, Tchaidze is soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra conducted by Pinchas Zukerman and appears at the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival in Norway. He makes debuts at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in NewYork, and Wigmore Hall in London in 2012. Tchaidze’s debut recording of works by Schubert was released on the Honens label. Aside from music, he is a film buff – those of Jean-Luc Godard are among his favourites.

Cecilia String Quartet

First Prize Winner, Banff International String Quartet Competition (2010)

Min-Jeong Koh, violin
Sarah Nematallah, violin
Caitlin Boyle, viola
Rachel Desoer, cello

Praised for their “extraordinary commitment and maturity” (Montréal Gazette) and “talent, passion and mastery” (Jacques Robert, JR Multimedia), the Cecilia String Quartet is one of Canada’s most exciting young ensembles today. First Prizewinners of the 2010 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) and Second Prizewinners of the 2008 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, they are currently the Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. The quartet has performed for some of the most respected chamber series internationally, such as Music Toronto, La Jolla Music Society in San Diego, ProQuartet in Paris, and for many prestigious summer festivals, such as Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Juilliard String Quartet Seminar in New York, Stanford Chamber Music Seminar in California, Schleswig-Holstein Chamber Music Festival in Germany, and Aspen Music Festival’s Advanced String Quartet Studies program. Committed to teaching and outreach, the quartet has presented educational programs for elementary and high school students across the United States, Canada, and France. The Cecilia String Quartet takes its name from Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

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Tour#2

Kornel Wolak, clarinet and Chris Donnelly, piano

Armed with a clarinet, a piano and their personable stage presence, Kornel Wolak and Chris Donnelly present a remarkable blend of classical and jazz music rarely heard in live performance. From revered classical pieces such as Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major, to Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue, and Oscar Peterson’s classic Hymn to Freedom, Chris and Kornel captivate audiences with virtuosity, familiar melodies and a profound passion for music and performing.

Highly praised on two continents for his glorious tone, precise technical control and musical imagination, clarinettist Kornel Wolak is well on his way to a major career as a soloist and chamber musician in both classical and cross-over repertoire.

As a member of the renowned Quartetto Gelato from 2007 to 2009, Wolak performed on its 2009 recording, Musica Latina. As a soloist, he has performed with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Sinfonietta, Poland’s Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra’s opening 60th season gala concert, the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, and Charleston (North Carolina) Symphony Orchestra, amongst others. As a chamber musician, he has appeared with the Wieniawski String Quartet, the Glenn Gould String Quartet, the Tokai Quartet and the Lodos Wind Quintet. Highlights of the 2011-12 Season are residencies in Ecuador and Brazil.

Born in Bialystok, Poland in 1979, Kornel was a scholarship student at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he earned his performance certificate and, two years later, his Master of Music degree.

Chris Donnelly represents a new generation of jazz pianists, composers and improvisers dedicated to creating programs that are engaging, entertaining and educating. He is continually praised for his virtuosic performances, musicality, versatility and ability to captivate audiences.

In September 2008, Chris released his Juno-nominated, debut album with Alma Records called ‘Solo,’ featuring a blend of original material and arrangements of jazz standards. This also earned him nominations for ‘Best Recording of the Year’ and ‘Best Keyboardist of the Year’ from the 2009 National Jazz Awards. In March 2011, Chris released an album of original music inspired by the works of graphic artist M.C. Escher entitled ‘Metamorphosis’.

Chris Donnelly holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Toronto and upon completing his Masters of Music in Jazz Performance at the University of Toronto, he was awarded The Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award for students ‘deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of music.’ Chris is currently a professor at the University of Toronto.

Chris Donnelly is represented by Richard Paul Concert Artists, Toronto.

www.greatconcerts.com
www.chrisdonnellymusic.com

Kornel Wolak is represented by Summer International, Toronto
www.kornelwolak.com
www.sumarts.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_1SUfqvIM0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_7izFcKduI

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Tour#3

Couloir

Ariel Barnes, cello and Heidi Krutzen, harp

Having collaborated for many years as chamber and orchestral musicians, Ariel Barnes and Heidi Krutzen have joined forces with their new group, Couloir, to explore the sound, timbre, and colour of cello and harp, a combination of instruments rarely heard together. Couloir was launched September 2011 @ Music on Main’s “Modulus Festival” in Vancouver, B.C. with World Premiers by Canadian composers Jocelyn Morlock, Glenn Buhr, and US composer Baljinder Sekhon.

Cellist Ariel Barnes and harpist Heidi Krutzen have emerged as two of the West Coast’s most active and inventive chamber musicians.
Mr. Barnes enjoys a diverse career as a cello soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Over the past several years, he has performed to acclaim in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Equally comfortable in genres of music ranging from the baroque to modern times, his performances have included evenings of Mozart’s chamber music to contemporary solo cello recitals. As a soloist, Ariel is represented by Jeunesses Musicales, touring extensively on their roster. An avid chamber musician, he has enjoyed appearances at MusicFest Vancouver, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Mendocino Music Festival, Music at Port Milford, and Northern Lights Music Festival. He is currently Principal Cello of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, a member of Trio Accord, The Turning Point Ensemble and National Broadcast Orchestra.

When she performs, Heidi Krutzen often changes people’s perspectives of the harp. Her solo and chamber music appearances lead audiences and critics to shift their focus from her extraordinary technique to her ability to transport audiences through sound. She has premiered more than 50 solo, chamber and ensemble works. As a chamber musician, she is a member of the acclaimed Trio Verlaine with flutist Lorna McGhee and violist David Harding. In addition to her solo and chamber music, she is a founding member of Vancouver’s Turning Point Ensemble and the principal harpist of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and the National Broadcast Orchestra. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Heidi now teaches at the University of British Columbia, and is on faculty at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Couloir’s repertoire includes a variety of works, both old and new, by composers such as Piazzolla, Bach, Schubert, Buhr, Villa-Lobos, Granados, Nin, Morlock, Faure, Kikta and Sekhon. Their mutual desire to create memorable, moving performances, reaching deeply into music’s emotional and spiritual elements, provides the foundation for their new duo.

Couloir.ca

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Prairie Debut is pleased to announce the touring artists for the 2012/2013 season.

The artists chosen for the three Prairie Debut tours are:

Georgy Tchaidze
First Laureate, Honens International Piano Competition (2009)
in collaboration with

Cecilia String Quartet
First Prize Winner, Banff International String Quartet Competition (2010)

Chris Donnelly, piano and Kornel Wolak, clarinet

Couloir (Heidi Krutzen, harp and Ariel Barnes, cello)

For information regarding these tours, please contact Prairie Debut.

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Prairie Debut 2012/13 season touring artists showcasing at the 2011 conferences:

OSAC Showcase 2011: Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils

Kornel Wolak, clarinet & Chris Donnelly, piano
Regina Performing Arts Centre, Regina, SK
Friday, October 14, 2011 (Evening showcase)

Manitoba Contact 2011: Manitoba Arts Network

Couloir – Ariel Barnes, cello & Heidi Krutzen, harp
P.W. Enns Centennial Concert Hall, Winkler, MB
Saturday, Oct 15, 2011 (Evening showcase)

Alberta Showcase 2011: Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta

The Winners’ Tour – Pianist Georgy Tchaidze & Cecilia String Quartet

• First Laureate, Honens International Piano Competition (2009)
• First Place Winner, Banff International String Quartet Competition (2010)

TransAlta Arts Barns, Edmonton, AB
Sunday, October 23, 2011 (Noon showcase)