Venner Quartet

‘Venner” means ‘friends’ in Norwegian and the Venner Quartet is made up of 4 musicians who are connected through their friendships. All four players have performed together in the Vancouver area and beyond, and Paule and David have played many concerts together, especially during the 20 years that they lived in Norway.

We are now combining our friendships and looking forward to creating many fulfilling musical experiences for audiences in our extended musical community.

Alexander von Zemlinsky

String Quartet No.1 Op. 4
I. Allegro con fuoco
II. Allegretto – etwas schneller als früher (Prestissimo)
– Tempo di allegretto
III. Breit und kräftig
IV. Vivace e con fuoco

Franz Schubert

Quartet #12, Quartettsatz D. 703

Antonín Dvorák

Waltz op. 54 #1

Astor Piazolla

Tango Ballet
I. Titulos
II. La calle
III. Encuentro – Olvido
IV. Cabaret
V. Soledad
VI. La calle

Artistic Director of Vancouver’s Vetta Chamber Music Society, Ms. Blackman is former Associate Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony. She has performed as soloist with the Vancouver Symphony, Victoria Symphony and CBC Radio Orchestra. Besides performing and curating the Vetta Chamber Music series in Vancouver, Joan is also a member of the ensemble “Sea and Sky” which has performed throughout BC and released several CDs. Joan has appeared on numerous series including Music in the Morning, Music Fest Vancouver, the Jeffrey Concerts in London, Ont., and the American String Project. She has also appeared at summer festivals including the Hornby Island Festival, the Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival, Kaimerata, and the Victoria Summer Music Festival.
Amy Laing (cello).

“Your heart would need to be made of stone not to have loved Joan Blackman’s splendid solo “. Zach Carstensen of Seattle’s Gathering Note “Shapelier phrases and sweeter tone would be hard to imagine”, “a ravishing tone” Lloyd Dykk.

Paule Prefontaine has had a musical career spanning 40 years. She was Assistant Concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic, Norway for 5 of those years. She was also engaged as a freelance member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa for 12 years, participating in their regular seasons, as well as on tour.

As a pedagogue, Paule was Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa for 10 years. Paule also has expertise in Baroque performance practice, having been a member of Toronto’s Tafelmusik and many other baroque ensembles.

An active chamber musician, Paule has performed in Finland, Ireland, Norway and China.

Paule moved to Vancouver Island in July 2020 and is now very active in the music scene, performing with the Victoria Symphony and many other ensembles and festivals on the Island, in Vancouver, and on the Gulf Islands.

David Stewart decided early on in his professional career to experience all facets of musical endeavors as a musician and violinist.

In addition to his primary roles as a violin and viola professor (20 years, University of Manitoba, and University of Ottawa) and concertmaster (30 years, Bergen Philharmonic/Norway, and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra) he has been a conductor and coach of university-level orchestras around the world. Performances have taken him around the world, from major capitals in North America and Europe, to unusual places like theGalapagos Islands, ….., and 14 tours of mainland China.

He has had the privilege to have played in many of the most important classical music venues in the world, from Carnegie Hall in NYC to London’s Royal Albert Hall and from Vienna’s Musikverein to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

Now retired on Vancouver Island, Mr. Stewart is a board member and fundraiser for Harmony Project Sooke, an organization which provides stringed instruments and private lessons to school children in the region.

For the 2024/25 season, Mr Stewart will be a Guest Professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Originally from Nanaimo BC, Amy Laing 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.

Following her studies Amy moved to Toronto where she enjoyed a fruitful and varied freelance career for nearly twenty years. She played regularly with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra among many other orchestras, and in 2019 she won the position of Principal cello in the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. She was also the solo cellist for many of Mirvish’s broadway productions including Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Matilda, Kinky Boots, the Sound of Music, and many more. Amy also played with the Canadian Opera Company, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Windsor Symphony, Niagara Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony, and Symphony Nova Scotia in Halifax. During that time she also held two short-term contracts playing Principal cello in the Victoria Symphony. Beyond the classical genre she has performed or recorded with pop artists including Ed Sheeran, Stevie Wonder, Blue Rodeo, Jesse Cook, The Barenaked Ladies, Jim Cuddy, Steven Page, Sarah Slean, Molly Johnson, Royal Wood, Amelia Curan, and Donovan Woods.

Having moved back to Vancouver Island in 2020 Amy has been busy playing with organizations on the Island and beyond. She plays regularly with the Victoria Symphony, Victoria Baroque, and the Vancouver Island Symphony and is a faculty member at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music. Amy has also worked with Vancouver’s Vetta Ensemble, Early Music Vancouver, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Victoria Choral Society and has performed in various chamber music projects on Salt Spring Island, Victoria, and at The Old Schoolhouse in Qualicum Beach. Amy is thrilled to be back home on the Island, living near Ladysmith with her husband and two sons.

Host or Publisher Wentworth Villa