OPUS II: Kaleidoscope [OPUS Chamber Music]

KALEIDOSCOPE: OPUS Chamber Music welcomes leading virtuosi from the world-stage: violinist (2022 Indianapolis Int’l Competition winner), cellist (2018 Paulo Int’l Competition winner, 2017 Queen Elisabeth Int’l Competition), & OPUS Artistic Director , for a thrilling explosion of sound & colour with works by Poulenc, Ysaÿe, Ravel, & Dvorák.

In a rousing finale, joining them are two of Canada’s foremost musicians: and .

, piano | , violin | , cello | , violin | , viola

OPUS Chamber Music presents KALEIDOSCOPE: a thrilling concert experience featuring an all-star team of 5 world-renowned performers, presenting a blockbuster evening of Poulenc’s ecstatic & sublime Cello Sonata, Ysaÿe's ethereal L'Aurore, Ravel’s folk & jazz-tinged Second Violin Sonata, & culminating in Dvorák’s electrifying Second Piano Quintet. Weaving together a colourful array of folk tunes & tales, this concert aims to inspire & excite the senses in a visceral kaleidoscope of sounds both familiar & foreign.

Praised by The Baltimore Sun for her “impeccable technique…deeply expressive phrasing…and poetic weight," Sirena Huang is one of her generation’s most celebrated violinists. She brings not only technical brilliance and powerful artistry to the stage, but also a profound sense of connection to her audience.

Sirena has been the recipient of numerous accolades and awards. She is the Gold Medalist of the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and was also awarded eight of the eleven special prizes.

Motivated by a deep wish to inspire peace and harmony with her music, Sirena has performed before world leaders, thinkers and humanitarians. She has appeared at the World Peace Conference held in Petra and at the Opening Ceremony of the “Forum 2000 World Conference” in Prague, among others. In addition to her TED Talk in 2006, Sirena has been featured on numerous radio and television broadcasts, including WQXR’s McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase, and NPR’s “From the Top" as well as several interviews with WNPR, CNBC, WTNH, WTIC, WB20 and Beethoven Radio.

Praised for his “burnished tone, spellbinding technique, and probing musical mind” (Boston Classical Review), cellist Brannon Cho has emerged as an outstanding artist of his generation. He is the First Prize winner of the prestigious 6th International Paulo Cello Competition, and is also a top prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth, Naumburg, and Cassadó International Cello Competitions.

Brannon Cho has appeared as a soloist with many of the top orchestras around the world, including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Belgian National Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, and Orchestre Philharmonique Royale Liège, under world-renowned conductors such as Susanna Mälkki, Stéphane Denève, Christian Arming, and Hugh Wolff.

As a lover of chamber music, Brannon Cho has shared the stage with artists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Christian Tetzlaff, Gidon Kremer, and Joshua Bell. Upcoming performances include Schubert’s Octet with Isabelle Faust and Tabea Zimmermann, and the debut recital of Trio Seoul.

An artist that “leaves no question about his riveting presentation and technical finesse” (Seattle Times), Canadian pianist KEVIN AHFAT is acclaimed to be “poised to become one of the young heirs of the classical piano realm, with a bold, boundary-pushing, millennial style matched by refined execution” (Vanguard Seattle). Possessing “a balanced mix of expressiveness and virtuosity” (Musical America), he “summons plenty of thunderpower in the big moments, but clearly values musicianship over mere showmanship” (American Record Guide).

Ahfat continues performances and recordings as the newest core member of the three-time Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, one of Canada’s preeminent chamber ensembles and foremost cultural forces. Their latest releases on Chandos Records have been nominated for a 2022 Juno Award, 2022 OPUS Klassik Award, as well as being named one of the “Top 10 classical musical albums of 2020” by The Boston Globe and one of WQXR’s “Best Classical Albums of 2020”.

Named one of CBC Music’s 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30, Ahfat has had the privilege of sharing the stage with renowned artists across many genres, including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, SO Percussion, David Finckel, Derek Bermel, and Sonia Rodriguez. Festival appearances include the Bowdoin, Music@Menlo, Rockport, Fall for Dance North, Zhuhai, and Kyoto International Music Festivals. He has been broadcast locally and abroad several times on CBC Music’s In Concert program and WFMT’s Dame Myra Hess Series, and contributed his playing to Yamaha Canada’s recent Dear Glenn AI Project.

Internationally acclaimed violinist and violist Barry Shiffman is well-respected as a musician, educator and administrator. He was co-founder of the St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ), and since 2010 has been both the Associate Dean and Director of Chamber Music at the Glenn Gould School and Director of the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists at The Royal Conservatory of Music. During his 17 years with the SLSQ he appeared in over 2,000 concerts in venues around the globe, and recorded several critically acclaimed discs under an exclusive contract with EMI Classics. While in SLSQ, Shiffman served as artist-in-residence at Stanford University from 1998 to 2006 and as visiting artist at the University of Toronto from 1995 to 2006.

He has also served in numerous roles at the Banff Centre, including Director of Music Programs (2006-2010), Artistic Director of the Centre’s Summer Classical Music Programs (2010-2016), and since 2006 Executive Director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition. During his tenure at The Banff Centre he introduced new programming in classical music performance, composition, popular music and jazz and oversaw the dramatic growth of The Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC). From 2009-2017, he was Executive Artistic Director of Music in the Morning Concert Society in Vancouver, concluding his role for the organization this past July directing a new summer chamber music festival that attracted capacity audiences for all events.

Erika Raum has played the violin professionally since age 12. Since winning the Joseph Szigeti International Violin Competition in 1992, she has been invited to Europe on many occasions, including Portugal, Austria, Germany, England, Italy, France, and Hungary, where she appeared with the Budapest Radio Orchestra, the Austro-Hungarian Orchestra, and the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra.

Erika has performed throughout Canada: at the Parry Sound, Ottawa, and Vancouver chamber festivals and regularly at The Banff Centre. She also performs with the ARC Ensemble (Artists of The Royal Conservatory), and has attended festivals abroad at Caramoor, Budapest, and Prussia Cove. In high demand as a chamber musician, Erika performs regularly with the distinguished pianist Anton Kuerti, with whom she recorded a landmark CD of Czerny's piano and violin works (on CBC's Musica Viva label).

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