PERFORMER'S BIOGRAPHIES
(alphabetical order by first name)
Originally from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Amy earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton Florida, and her Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Cleveland Orchestra principal cellist Stephen Geber. While living in Ohio Amy was a member of several orchestras including the Cleveland Chamber symphony, the Akron and Canton Symphonies, and the Erie Philharmonic, and was active in the new music scene.
Ms. Laing has participated in various music festivals including The Spoleto Festival in Italy, Spoleto USA in Charleston SC, The National Orchestral Institute in Maryland, Northern Lights Music Festival in Mexico, The Banff Arts Festival, Musica Nel Chiostro in Tuscany Italy, and the Cork Opera Company in Ireland. Amy has made recordings for Chandos (Spoleto Festival Orchestra), Naxos (Toronto Chamber Orchestra, with Kevin Mallon) CBC records (Shauna Rolston’s “Dreamscape”) as well as recent independent projects with bassoonist Nadina Mackie Jackson and Guy Few, trumpet.
Now living in Toronto, Amy works regularly in orchestras in and around Ontario, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Canadian Opera Company, Windsor Symphony, Niagara Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Winnipeg Ballet. In 2006 Amy became the solo cellist in the World Premiere Musical production of “The Lord of the Rings” and has since performed in a number of Musicals. She is currently the solo cellist for the Toronto production of “The Sound of Music”. Between 2004-2007 Amy was a member of the Madawaska String Quartet, performing a broad spectrum of chamber music and specializing in the performance and cultivation of contemporary works.
Outside of the classical music genre Amy co-wrote a fringe theatre show with actress Jessica Lowry entitled Rhapsody, which they have performed in British Columbia. She has played and toured Europe with Toronto’s “The Hidden Cameras” and appears on recordings of several important Canadian singers including Jim Cuddy, Jim Guthrie, and Amy Sky. In the past year Amy joined in a Canadian tour with singer Colm Wilkinson and recorded a CD “Lush Life” with cello quartet “Lush”.
Amy is currently freelancing and teaching in the Toronto area.
Born in 1981, Chen Liu began her piano studies at the age of four. She studied with her grandfather who was the former chairman of the piano department at Xi An Conservatory of Music. At the age of ten, Chen was selected to study piano with Professor Zhao Yi Dan in Shenzhen School of Arts, and won numerous prizes in nation-wide competitions in her childhood.
Chen entered the Belarusian National Academy of Music, Belarus at the age of eighteen, where she began her undergraduate studies in 1999. To further nurture her music talent, she got accepted by University Mozarteum, Salzburg and completed Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance on full scholarship in 2006. Since then, she has continued to hone her craft by regularly participating in master classes and festivals in Europe, such as Zakopane Academy of Art Competition in Poland and Mozarteum Summerakademie in Salzburg, Austria. As a piano soloist, she has been performing in different venues from National Grand Theatre in Belarus, Schubert Recital Hall in Vienna, to Mozart Concert Hall in Salzburg.
Chen resided in Toronto, Canada since 2007, and studied privately with Professor Alma Petchersky at the Faculty of Music in University of Toronto. Chen was finalist for Twelve Pacific International Piano Competition in Vancouver, Canada, The First Chinese International Piano Competition in New York, USA. She was invited to give solo recitals and concerto appearance at Xi An Conservatory of Music New Concert Hall in 2007. She performed piano solo for Chinese-Canadian Performing Arts Festival in Toronto, and worked as piano accompanist with Toronto Holiday Symphony Orchestra in Beijing 2008 Olympic Celebration Concert. Meanwhile, she runs a busy private music studio in Markham. Her wealth of knowledge in music and unique style of teaching have consistently produced students achieving high standings in RCM examinations, and winning scholarships from various music festivals.
Altus Flutes Artist Christopher Lee is a laureate of the 2007 AGIMUS International Competition held in Padova Italy where he was noted for his fresh interpretations, wide ranging tonal colour and expressive playing.
Chris is currently Professor of flute at Canada Christian College and plays with the Toronto Philharmonia, an orchestra he joined in 1991. He also held the Principal Flute chair with the Band of The Royal Regiment of Canada from 1988 to 1991, an ensemble with which he toured and recorded. Since 1994 he has also performed with the Huntsville Festival Symphony at the Huntsville Festival of the Arts held every summer.
He has appeared as soloist with numerous ensembles including the Toronto Philharmonia. His many recitals include appearances at the British Embassy Church of St. George, Madrid, Spain, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and a special concert in 1994 to benefit the Seville Opera House. Recent and upcoming performances include collaboration with guitarist/composer James Brown.
Chris has performed with several other orchestras including the Windsor Symphony, the touring orchestra of "Scotland the Brave", the Grand Salon Orchestra, Sinfonia Toronto, the Canadian Sinfonietta, the Hamilton Ballet Orchestra, the Oshawa Symphony and the Kingston Symphony. In addition, he has worked under numerous conductors including Raffi Armenian, Enriquez Batiz, Jose Luis Garcia, Georg Kugi and Kerry Stratton.
He began formal study of flute at age 19 with Margot Rydall at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto. One year later in 1988, he entered the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto and was subsequently awarded the licentiate in flute performance (L.T.C.L) from Trinity College of Music, London, England. He also completed the Orchestral Training Program at the Royal Conservatory of Music. His mentors include some of the world’s great flautists, Susan Hoeppner (Canada), William Bennett (UK), Julius Baker (USA) and Peg Albrecht (Canada).
In 1996 he founded and performed with the woodwind sextet known as Les Six whose members represented some of Toronto's finest wind musicians. Les Six made their debut concert in March of 1997 which was recorded and broadcast by CBC Stereo. He has been a frequent guest of the popular “A Little Night Music” series presented by conductor Kerry Stratton and of the Alicier Arts Chamber Music series. He also appears on recordings with singer/songwriter Michael Holt.
A popular soloist, chamber musician, adjudicator and teacher, Chris has performed in Canada, the United States, and Europe. There have been performances for the heads of state (former and current) of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway, and his performances have been aired on CBC radio. In 2005 he released a recording of music for flute, harp and violin. Chris performs on a handmade Altus flute of Japan made by Altus founder, Suichi Tanaka.
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, violinist Conrad Chow is quickly establishing himself as an exciting young artist to watch. A review in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald praised "the full, sweet, seductive intensity of Chow's sound," and his performance alongside Ani Kavafian with the Columbia Festival Orchestra was hailed as "ornate and satisfying" by the Albany Times Union. Dr. Chow began his violin studies at the age of 3 with Janet Wilchfort, and later with Alec Hou at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He then earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Indiana University's School of Music, where he studied under Miriam Fried. He went on to complete his DMA from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, having studied under noted violinists Pamela Frank, Ani Kavafian, and Philip Setzer, and later completed further post-doctoral work with Eduard Schmieder in Philadelphia. He was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the 2006-2007 season.
Dr. Chow was a laureate at the 2006 International Stepping Stone Competition in Quebec. He has also been a feature performer at the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, the American Suzuki Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, and was selected as the David G. Whitcomb Foundation's Young Artist of 2003. His recent appearances as soloist have included performances with the Brampton Symphony, Scarborough Philharmonic, and a collaboration between members of the Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn and the UTS Chamber Orchestra under the baton of maestro Ruben Gazarian. He has performed in such venues as the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Qingdao Music Hall in China, New York's Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall) and Staller Center for the Arts; UCLA and Disney Hall in LA, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, and Toronto's Glenn Gould Studio and George Weston Recital Hall, and recent recitals have included performances in the St. Cecilia Concert Series, and the University of Toronto's Hart House Sunday Concert Series, and have been broadcast on CBC Radio. Dr. Chow is also an active chamber musician, having studied extensively with the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet, and appearing in chamber music performances with Paul Biss, Christina Dahl, David Finckel, and Miriam Fried. In 2001, his string quartet was grand-prize winner of the Indiana University Kuttner String Quartet Competition, granting the group the honor of performing as the quartet-in-residence for the 2001-2002 season. He has also appeared as a member of the prestigious iPalpiti Chamber Orchestra since 2008. For more information, please visit www.conradchow.org
Since her graduation from the piano performance programme at the University of Toronto, Ellen Meyer has frequently appeared as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist across Canada, in the U.S.A. and in Germany. Her training has included studies with Pierre Souvairan and Jane Coop, and performing in masterclasses at the Banff Centre for the Arts and with Leon Fleischer. She is a founding member of the Riverdale Ensemble, presenting programmes of 19th, 20th and 21st century Romantic music, as well as Ossia, performing on historical keyboards.
Recent engagements include collaboration in recital with Ricardo Morales, Principal Clarinettist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a presentation in the Canadian Music Centre’s “New Music in New Places”, showcasing Canadian music from 1840 to 2005; she performed with the Cantores Celestes Women’s Chamber Choir as invited participants in Festival 500 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Past credits include touring for Jeunesses Musicales and sharing the concert stage with The Canadian Brass.
Ellen’s numerous recordings include the recently released “Twelve by the Moon-dial” with the Riverdale Ensemble presenting the world premiere of John Ireland’s Trio in D as well as “Flute Sketches” with flutist Samantha Chang with whom she was heard in recital at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in March 2010.
Joyce Tang was born in China, 1989, and grew up in New Zealand. She has been playing the piano since she was 4 years old. In 2001 she won her first piano competition in New Zealand. She is currently doing a Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Michael Young. In London, she was a winner of the EPTA UK Piano Competition in 2008.
Mizi Tan, flutist and composer
In 1951, Mr. Tan started his musician career as a professional flutist.
During 1957 to 1962, he studied in Shanghai Conservatory of Music where he was trained by Prof. Yin, Prof. Lin and the Czechoslovak flutist Prof. Arnǒst Bourék and studied composition from Prof. Liu Fu-An and Prof. Ye Dong as well. After he graduated with high distinction, he started his flute teaching career in the same conservatory and worked as the vice-head of the winds faculty as well, many of his students became soloists, orchestra flute players, teachers and music editors.
From 1978 to 1987, he has been the principal flutist in Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and is one of the organizers of the SSO Chamber Music Society. As a soloist he performs actively and his playing and solo recordings are always in a high demand.
Since 1989, he has settled down in Toronto and continues with his teaching, composing and performing jobs.
As a composer, Mr. Tan composed and arranged a substantial number of pieces. With the combination of Western and Chinese music styles, his works are highly recommended by both Chinese and Western musicians and music lovers.
譚蜜子
譚先生是華裔加拿大音樂家，中國音樂家協會(Chinese Musicians’ Association)會員，加拿大作家、作曲家及出版家協會(SOCAN)會員，加拿大安大略省注冊音樂教師協會(ORMTA)會員，加拿大皇家音樂學院加盟教師(Affiliate Teacher of RCM of Canada)。
譚先生祖籍廣東東莞。1936年生於廣州，1951年，譚先生在專業文藝團體開始他的長笛演奏職業音樂家生涯：1957年考入上海音樂學院管弦系本科進修；1959年進入上海音樂學院捷克長笛專家 Arnôst Bourék 班學習；1962年畢業后，留校任長笛教師兼管樂教研組副組長；1977年調至上海交響樂團任首席長笛演奏員，木管聲部長，是該團室內樂團的創辦人之一，也是他演奏生涯最活躍的時期。
作為作曲家，譚先生的創作涉及的領域比較廣泛，包括合唱，獨唱，不同組合的室內樂重奏曲，各種樂器的獨奏曲等。他在創作中一直致力於中西風格的融匯和雅俗共賞的演繹效果，由於他的作品總是有感而發並散發著濃郁的中國風情，時常受到中外音樂家和音樂愛好者的喜愛。例如：1960年流傳很廣的“江南好”，1965年寫的小提琴與樂隊狂想曲；1970年作為樂器部分主要執筆者創編的“弦樂，鋼琴五重奏伴唱“海港”；1980年編寫的得到許多中外長笛家及聽眾喜愛的無伴奏長笛獨奏曲“夕陽簫鼓”；1987年旅美期間創作的另一首無伴奏獨奏曲“放鷓鴣曲”；1989年定居加拿大以后創作的：女高音獨唱，合唱，長笛合奏與樂隊：2000千禧前奏曲（Prelude 2000）；為大合唱，無伴奏合唱，獨唱而寫的聲樂套曲：心聲(Vocal Suite: Sound of Heart)：長笛，豎琴與樂隊：幻想曲(Fantasy)等都得到不少好評。
Phuc The Khai Nguyen, violinist
As second violin for the well-respected “Asian Youth Orchestra” The Khai toured extensively with the orchestra in China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan during his professional studies at the Conservatory of Music in Saigon. After graduating in Bachelor of Violin Performance at the Conservatory of Music of Saigon, The Khai won a full-scholarship to study Violin Performance at the National University of Singapore (the former Singapore Conservatory), where the music program was sponsored and designed by the highly-reputed United States music institution: the Peabody Conservatory. Recently, The Khai is on second year of Master in Violin Performance program with Erika Raum at University of Toronto where he also graduated from the Advanced Certificate Program in Violin Performance under mentorship of the Professor Annalee Patipatanakoon.
Rebecca Leung, pianist, holds an ARCT Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Rhetoric and Professional Writing, and in two years earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University where she entered on scholarship and graduated with honours. Recently, she completed her Master of Music degree in Performance under the tutelage of Tatiana Sarkissova at the Royal Academy of Music, London, England, and graduated with Merit standing.
A recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, Ms. Leung has enjoyed solo and chamber music performances in Canada and in the U.K., and has participated in performances at the Elora Festival, Orford Arts Festival, and NUMUS. In 2006 she gave the world premiere of Bruno Gabbiro’s Miroir, a work composed for her, at the Duke’s Hall in London. She is currently playing with the Canadian Orpheus Male Choir and is a freelance pianist in the Greater Toronto area. Ms. Leung has also maintained a busy private teaching studio for over ten years, with students earning distinctive achievements. She looks forward to concerts in the new year, including a recital in France to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Chopin.
Shanghai Trio of Toronto (Jessica Fang Jia, violinist; James Xia, cellist; Carol Di Lin, pianist)
Jessica Fang Jia was born into an artistic family in Shanghai, where she began learning to play the violin at age four from her father and Prof. Shixiang Zhang. At age ten she entered into the Music School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory. After graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, she joined the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra as a violinist. Before she moved to Toronto, she studied with Prof. Ulrich Edelmann in Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, Germany. As an active soloist and chamber musician, Jessica has appeared in various concerts in Toronto.
James Xia began his cello studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Middle School, and then move on to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. While in China, he became an active participant in the Beijing Ballet Team Orchestra Symphony and the National Popular Music Orchestra Symphony. Before moving to Toronto, James studied at the University of Hartford Music School, and soon joined the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and became a teacher at the Hartford Music School Community Department. Currently, James is a cello and piano teacher, and has been invited by many orchestras as a guest cellist.
Carol Di Lin started her first piano lesson at the age of three. She was accepted into the Shanghai Conservatory of Music affiliated primary school and the middle school, studied with Mr. Zi Je Wu and Mr. Da Lei Fan. She came to Toronto in 1989, enrolled in the Royal Conservatory of Music, receiving her diploma in piano performance. She then furthered her study in piano and harpsichord performances in the University of Toronto, receiving her undergraduate degree in piano performance. Her teachers included Clifford Poole, Patricia Parr and Colin Tilney. Ms. Lin has been an active performer and adjudicator in various concerts and festivals. She is also keen on working with young children. She has been teaching music in schools and daycare centers. Ms. Lin currently runs a private music studio and works as the music director at Grace Christian Reformed Church in Scarborough.
Stephen Fox wears the multiple hats of musician, instrument maker and scientist. Born in England and raised in western Canada, he began his university studies in physics, achieving a Masters degree, before embarking on a career in music. As an instrument maker, he is known worldwide for his custom artist clarinets and reproduction historical woodwinds, which appear on concert stages on all continents. His lectures on clarinet acoustics, design and history have been heard at universities in North America, Europe and Australia and at previous ClarinetFests, and from 1994 to 2004 he taught annually at Musikk Instrument Akademiet in Norway. An active professional performer, he plays clarinet, historical clarinet and saxophone in orchestras and chamber ensembles, and has recorded two chamber music CDs with the Riverdale Ensemble and one with the period instrument group Ossia. He has presented recitals in several European countries, in Australia and across Canada, and has been heard on CBC Radio 2, Czech Radio and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Taiwanese pianist, Wendy Ge, graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London for an MA in Performance in 2009. At the Academy, she studied piano with Diana Ketler and chamber music with Andrew West. She also participated in many performance actively. Furthermore, she gained BMus in Education of Music from the National Taipei University of Education. By the age of 8, Wendy took pride in cultivating an understanding of classical music and discovered the excitement of performance. During her study time, she has received inspiration from masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Roy Howat, Mark Markham, Dr. William Goldenberg, Ning An etc.
Wendy has won many top prizes at competitions including Second Prize at the 2003 Scholarship of the National Summer Camp Cup and the Prize for Excellence at the 2005 Vienna Music Education National Music Competition in Taiwan.
Wendy believes that music is an universal language, can cross the globe and all cultures. She continuously seeks new compositions and new ways to express herself as a well-rounded musician.
葛浩雯 — 鋼琴演奏家
台灣鋼琴家葛浩雯，今年七月甫從英國皇家音樂院(Royal Academy of Music)畢業，取得鋼琴演奏碩士學位(MA in Piano Performance)，鋼琴師從Diana Ketler，室內樂演奏師事Andrew West，曾獲英國皇家音樂學院選派於法國音樂大師Roy Howat鋼琴大師班演奏。在校期間，積極參與各項室內樂演出。2009年3月受邀於倫敦時報 (London Global Times) 週年紀念會演出室內樂，並刊載於倫敦時報，同時也在英國參與室內樂公益演出，演出地如Astray Nursing Home，Collingwood Court Nursing Centre 等。
浩雯自小接受台灣音樂教育薰陶，八歲開始學琴，就讀桃園西門國小音樂班，桃園中興國中音樂班，桃園武陵高中音樂班及國立台北教育大學音樂系，師事楊淑媚，蕭夙吟，吳君琦，羅梅珠老師等。曾在多項比賽中獲得殊榮，如2005年維也納音樂教育全國音樂大賽優等獎，2003年全國音樂夏令營獎學金大賽第二名等。浩雯相信音樂是一能跨越文化的國際性語言，並持續探索更多新樣的作品及方式來表現自己，以成為更全面的音樂家。
钢琴伴奏汤声声老师，曾就读于上海音乐学院附小，附中。2000年考入上海音乐学院钢琴系本科，师从于著名钢琴演奏家，教育家周士瑜教授。并于2004年以优异的专业成绩毕业于上海音乐学院钢琴系。同年,在上音首次举办的留校资格公开考核中,以业务第一的优秀成绩留校，担任管弦系钢琴艺术辅导至今。期间，曾与多所世界著名音乐学院：如慕尼黑音乐学院、英国皇家音乐学院、悉尼音乐学院、法国巴黎音乐学院、法国国立音乐学院等的大提琴、长笛和萨克斯教授合作,在其开设的国际大师班上担任专职钢琴伴奏.并获得海内外专家教授的一致肯定和赞赏。还应邀担任一些著名音乐大师独奏音乐会的指定钢琴伴奏。如美国著名长笛演奏家Alexa Stilll教授、著名大提琴演奏家秦立魏先生、美国著名长笛演奏家Robert Stallman教授、美国著名长笛演奏家Mary-Karen Clardy女士、挪威著名长笛演奏家Indorgreg先生、德国柏林爱乐乐团长笛演奏家Emmanuel.Pahud、匈牙利著名长笛演奏家Gergely Ittzes 教授、美国著名长笛演奏家世界长笛之王的J.Galway勋爵、瑞士著名长笛演奏家Matthias Zieglar教授、德国著名长笛演奏家安德烈.阿朵里教授、英国长笛演奏家William Bennet教授、巴黎音乐学院长笛及室内乐教授Philippe Bernold、法国国立音乐学院长笛教授著名长笛演奏家工藤重典先生、法国著名萨克斯演奏家Jerome Laran等。 2007年，因其突出的工作表现和优异的业务水平，获得”上海市浦江人才计划基金”的大力支持，并在上海市青少年宫,上海同济大学,上海复旦大学等多所知名学府演出古典室内音乐会并讲演。