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Artist Bios
Andrew Tunis – piano
Andrew Tunis has been living and performing in the Ottawa area for over 20 years. He has given concerts in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. Among the many musicians with whom he has collaborated are violinists Pinchas Zukerman and Martin Beaver, cellists Desmond Hoebig and Steven Isserlis, as well as the Philharmonia Quartet of Berlin and St. Lawrence String Quartet. He has appeared as guest soloist with many Canadian orchestras, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic and Ottawa and Edmonton symphony orchestras. After studies at the University of Ottawa with Jean-Paul Sévilla and Douglas Voice, he went on to study with Artur Balsam at the Manhattan School of Music where he received the Pablo Casals Award for outstanding musical achievement. He won first prize in several national and international competitions and, with cellist Desmond Hoebig, first prize at the 1984 Munich International Competition. He is presently Professor of Piano at the University of Ottawa.
Steven van Gulik – trumpet
Steven van Gulik began playing the cornet at age 8, studying with his uncle Kenneth Moore and performing with the local Salvation Army church band. Having competed successfully at many regional, provincial and national music competitions, he studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy and McGill University. An active chamber musician, he has performed at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival every year since 1994, and also regularly performs in the Ottawa and Montreal regions. He has been heard on CBC Radio as recital soloist and chamber musician and on stage with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He has served as principal trumpet with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra as as guest principal trumpet with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He has appeared as soloist with the Thunder Bay Symphony, Ottawa Symphony and National Arts Centre orchestras. He has been a member of the trumpet section of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1999.
Lawrence Vine – horn
Lawrence Vine joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as principal horn in 2002, after 11 seasons as principal horn with the Calgary Philharmonic, the Winnipeg Symphony and Manitoba Chamber orchestras. He has performed with orchestras across Canada, and his solo engagements have been widely acclaimed. He recently performed for the second time as soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Much sought-after as chamber musician, he has collaborated with noted musicians such as Lynn Harrell, Joseph Silverstein, David Schifrin, Joseph Kalichstein, Andrew Dawes, Pascal Rogé and Malcolm Lowe. His festival credits include the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Banff Summer Arts Festival, Cleveland’s Kent/Blossom Music and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. CBC Radio has broadcast many of his chamber music performances and he has also made several recordings. An active teacher and clinician, he has given master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, Chicago’s Roosevelt University, Royal Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto and University of British Columbia.
Jonathan Wade – timpani - percussion
Jonathan Wade has been a percussionist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1983 and is also principal timpanist of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. In great demand as orchestral player and chamber musician, he performs with many fine ensembles including Thirteen Strings and Capital BrassWorks. He is heard frequently at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Music for a Sunday Afternoon series. Since 2002, he has been Professor of Timpani at the University of Ottawa, teaches at the National Capital Music Academy, and performs regularly in the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Music in the Schools program with Bangers and Smash and the Ragtime Brass Sextet. He studied at the University of Ottawa with Ian Bernard and Pierre Béluse, and at the Université de Montréal with legendary timpanist Louis Charbonneau.
Thomas Wiebe – cello
Thomas Wiebe is well known to Canadian audiences as a chamber musician and soloist. His performances with the Duke Trio, of which he is a founding member, and with other leading musicians are frequently heard on CBC Radio. He has been a guest soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center in New York, the Winnipeg and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony orchestras, and Orchestra London Canada. He has won awards in several competitions, including second prize in the Luis Sigall International Competition, first prize in the Juilliard and Yale concerto competitions and the Canadian Music Competition. He studied with the late Julie Banton in Winnipeg, Robert Sylvester and Steven Doane at the Eastman School of Music, and Aldo Parisot at Yale University and the Juilliard School. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale University. He teaches at the University of Western Ontario, and is frequently guest clinician at summer music courses throughout North America.
Leah Wyber – cello
A member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1993, Leah Wyber also enjoys an active schedule as a chamber musician and teacher. She is a former member of the Atlantic String Quartet in St. John’s, Newfoundland, La Pietà in Montreal and the Joe Trio in Vancouver. She has participated in numerous festivals and programs across Canada, such as the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Scotia Festival, Whistler Mozart Festival, National Youth Orchestra and Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra, and is heard regularly as a chamber musician on CBC Radio. She grew up in Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she began her cello studies in a school strings program. She received her advanced training at the University of British Columbia and the Banff Centre for the Arts; her most influential teachers were Eric Wilson, Paula Kiffner and George Kiraly.
David Breitman – fortepiano
Pianist and fortepianist David Breitman, well known for his collaboration for over 25 years with baritone Sanford Sylvan and including hundreds of concerts and four CD’s (two nominated for Grammy awards), pursues a multi-faceted career. He was one of seven fortepianists who shared a complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle. The team presented the series at New York’s Merkin Hall in 1994, revived the series in Italy at the Accademia Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence in 1999 and for the Amici della Musica in Palermo in 2002, and the recording met with critical acclaim. Highlights of recent seasons include Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC, a recital with soprano Christine Brandes at Montreux’s Voice and Music Festival, a program for two fortepianos with Malcolm Bilson at Milan’s Poldi Pezzoli museum, and the Mozart and Beethoven quintets for piano and winds with members of Tafelmusik in Toronto. He teaches at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, where he directs the Historical Performance program.
Marc Djokic – violin
Marc Djokic began violin studies at age six with his father, Philippe Djokic, and graduated from the New England Conservatory as a scholarship student of Donald Weilerstein. His numerous awards and scholarships include several Nova Scotia Talent Trust Awards, the Royal Bank of Canada’s Award for Musical Excellence, 2000 Governor General’s Millennium Award, prestigious Raymond Simpson Award, 2003 Lieutenant Governor’s Award, and 2003-04 Canada Council Grant for Musicians. He performed in the 2000 Debut Atlantic Series, recorded for CBC, and as winner of the 2001 Atlantic Young Artist Competition, gave acclaimed recitals throughout the Atlantic Provinces. He has participated in many summer music festivals, including Domaine Forget, Meadowmount, and Musicmasters in Kazusa, Japan. He performed as soloist with the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra, gave recitals at the 2003 Atlantic Scene Festival in Ottawa, at the New Brunswick and Indian River festivals, among others, and was a featured artist in the Bravo! TV series, The Classical Now.
Philippe Djokic – violin
Philippe Djokic received his musical training at the Juilliard School in New York and won numerous prizes at international competitions. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Canada, the United States and Europe. His recording of the Delius Violin Concerto received rave reviews internationally. This is his 11th season performing at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. In fact, he played in recital with pianist Lynn Stodola, his wife, at the inaugural concert of the first Festival in 1994. His brother Pierre is assistant principal cello of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, his daughter Denise is internationally acclaimed as a rising cellist, and his son Marc, a promising young violinist is performing at the Festival for the third time this year. He is Professor of Violin at Dalhousie University in Halifax. His violin is a rare Guarnerius made in 1740.
Thomas Annand – organ - harpsichord
Thomas Annand is acclaimed for his technical mastery, uncompromising musicianship and engaging stage presence. A competition laureate, he has given recitals across Canada, the United States and Europe, has been featured on CBC and NPR in the United States, and has recorded several discs. In 1992, he was appointed Director of Music at historic St. Andrew's Church, Ottawa, and quickly became one of the city's leading musicians. He is organist and harpsichordist for the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Thirteen Strings, and co-founder and conductor of Capital BrassWorks. He has been featured at the International Congress of Organists, Carmel Bach Festival, and Boston Early Music Festival. During the 2005/06 season he presented the Bach Harpsichord Masterpieces Series in Ottawa, performing all Bach's major keyboard works. A Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, he also hosted a second season of Encounters with Bach, a program of four solo organ recitals, at the National Arts Centre.
Julian Armour – cello
During a career spanning 20 years, Julian Armour has distinguished himself as a performing musician, an artistic director, and a strong advocate of the role the arts play in our society. He performs throughout Canada and has made over 20 recordings including five highly acclaimed releases with the Chamber Players of Canada. He has been Artistic and Executive Director of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society since 1994 and is also principal cellist of the chamber orchestra Thirteen Strings. In 1999, he received the Community Foundation’s Investing in People Award for bringing classical music to new audiences. The Ottawa Council for the Arts awarded him the 2000 Victor Tolgesy Arts Award for his contribution to enriching cultural life in the city. In 2002, he was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France and received the Meritorious Service Medal of Canada for his services to music. He has served as President of the Ottawa Festival Network since 2003.
Donnie Deacon – violin
Principal second violin of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 2001, Donnie Deacon’s performances as soloist with the Orchestra include the 2003 world premiere of Gary Kulesha’s Violin Concerto No. 2. He has been soloist with other distinguished ensembles including the Royal Scottish National, BBC Symphony, Ulster and Pablo de Sarasate orchestras, London Soloists, Philadelphia Concerto Soloists, and Thirteen Strings. In 2001, he premiered William Rowson’s Violin Concerto with the Curtis Institute Orchestra and in 2002 performed the Canadian premiere with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. As a founding member of the Zukerman Chamber Players, a string ensemble led by Pinchas Zukerman, he toured in Canada, the United States and Europe. A student of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, where he was the orchestra’s concertmaster at age 13, he continued at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Natasha Boyarskaya and Lord Menuhin, and at the Curtis Institute of Music with Jaime Laredo and Ida Kavafian. He plays an 1824 Giovanni Dollenz violin.
Nicholas Atkinson – tuba
One of Canada’s most respected tuba players, Nicholas Atkinson has been an active freelance player and teacher in Ottawa since 1973. He was a member of the RCMP Band for 14 years and has played with the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1976. He has performed with all the major Canadian orchestras and filled in as principal tuba with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal during the 1989 season. He has also performed and recorded extensively with the Hannaford Street Silver Band. As chamber musician, he has been a prominent member of several brass ensembles and is a founding member of the Rideau Lakes Brass Quintet, Ragtime Brass and Capital BrassWorks. He graduated in Music Performance from the University of Calgary and studied extensively with Arnold Jacobs of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. An active clinician and adjudicator across Canada, he also taught at the University of Ottawa from 1977 to 2005.
Colin Traquair – trombone
Colin Traquair began playing the trombone at the age of eight. He studied at the University of Northern Colorado and received his master’s degree from Northwestern University, where he worked with Frank Crisafulli. He also studied with Christhard Gossling, principal trombone of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been second trombone of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1989 and has performed with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Nova Scotia. He is a founding member of Capital BrassWorks, an ensemble that presents a concert series in Ottawa every season. He is also a Yamaha performing artist.
Murielle Bruneau – double bass
Murielle Bruneau has been a member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1989 and has performed as solo bass with the Orchestra on many occasions. She has appeared as soloist and chamber musician at numerous festivals in Europe and North America and was solo bass of the Montreal chamber ensemble La Pietà with whom she made six recordings. She also plays her 350 year-old double bass with the Chamber Players of Canada on the acclaimed recordings of Schubert’s Octet and Trout Quintet, and on the equally succesful 2005 recording of the chamber versions of the Chopin concertos with renowned pianist Janina Fialkowska. She studied at the Conservatoire de musique de Trois Rivières and with the famed bass teacher Franco Petrachi in Rome. On returning to Montreal, she taught at McGill University and the Chicoutimi and Trois Rivières conservatories. She was also principal bass of the McGill Chamber Orchestra.
Douglas Burden – bass trombone
Douglas Burden has been bass trombone of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1972 and a teacher at the University of Ottawa since 1975. In demand across North America as soloist, conductor, adjudicator and clinician, he is an active member of Ottawa’s musical life. He is often heard on CBC Radio and is a regular participant in the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. He was a member of the Ottawa Brass Quintet, manager and co-founder of Classical Brass, and is now bass trombone of Capital BrassWorks. As a free-lance musician, he has performed and recorded with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and played in backup orchestras for singers such as Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones and Rich Little. He was a Salvation Army bandsman for thirty years. While he was its bandmaster, the Ottawa Citadel Band performed at Roy Thomson Hall and toured the Netherlands. He studied at the Hamilton Conservatory of Music and the Eastman School of Music.
Sylvain Bergeron – lute
Acclaimed lutenist and theorbist Sylvain Bergeron gives over 60 concerts per season with Canada’s leading early music ensembles and orchestras. He has performed and recorded with many soloists including Emma Kirkby, James Bowman, David Daniels, Daniel Taylor, Karina Gauvin and Suzie LeBlanc. In 1993, he accompanied famous viola da gambist Jordi Savall in a recital series devoted to Marin Marais. He has collaborated with eminent conductors and performed in prestigious concert halls including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Salle Gaveau in Paris and the Lincoln Center in New York. He has made over 40 recordings. A former member of Ensemble Anonymus, he co-founded and is an artistic director of the ensemble La Nef since 1991. He studied the lute at Laval University and perfected his expertise on the instruments of the lute family in the United States and Europe. He teaches lute and medieval ensemble music at McGill University.
Adrian Butterfield – violin
Adrian Butterfield is in increasing demand as director, soloist, chamber musician and teacher. A former chorister of St. Paul's Cathedral and graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, he directs the Steinitz Bach Players at the BachFest (UK) and the Hanover Band. Associate Director of the London Handel and Tilford Bach festivals, he directs the London Handel Orchestra at these and other festivals across Europe. Since 2001, countertenor Daniel Taylor has invited him to be soloist with Theatre of Early Music in concerts and recordings with Emma Kirkby, James Bowman and Nancy Argenta. In London, he leads two chamber ensembles, The Revolutionary String Quartet (in its expanded form, the Revolutionary Drawing Room), and the London Handel Players. Recent performance highlights include a Mozart concerto with the Hanover Band, a Vivaldi recording, conducting the Fireworks Music at the 2005 London Handel Festival and directing the Southbank Sinfonia, London Handel Orchestra and London Handel Players. He is Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal College of Music.
Trio Hochelaga
Founded in 2000, Trio Hochelaga, bearing Montreal’s original Iroquois name, has rapidly established itself as one of Canada's foremost ensembles. Violinist Anne Robert, cellist Paul Marleyn and pianist Stéphane Lemelin share their passion for chamber music repertoire ranging from the Classical era to contemporary music. Their repertoire includes the great works of the trio literature, with special emphasis on French music and particularly its lesser-known treasures. From the outset, the Trio has participated in major summer festivals in eastern Canada, including Festival international de Lanaudière, Festival of the Sound, and the Orford and Ottawa festivals. In 2003, the Trio premiered Jacques Hétu’s Triple Concerto with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal at the Lanaudière Festival. A highlight of the Trio's 2004 tour of Taiwan and Japan was a performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto at Tokyo’s Sumida Triphony Hall. The Trio has released three acclaimed recordings of Arensky's piano trios and, in a series dedicated to the French repertoire from 1890 to 1939, a recording of the trios of Fauré and Pierné, followed by a recent release of chamber music by Dubois.
Donald Renshaw – trombone
Donald Renshaw has been principal trombone of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1986. He taught trombone, tuba and jazz ensemble at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Hull from 1987 to 1994. He is a founding member of the Rideau Lakes Brass Quintet that also performs in schools in the Ottawa-Hull region. He studied at McGill University and the Juilliard School in New York. After graduating in 1977, he freelanced in both the classical and commercial fields, performing with groups such as the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal and the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, providing back-up for artists such as Liberace, Tony Bennett, Paul Anka, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, and performing in jazz and dance big bands. He played regularly with the National Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall. Before coming to Ottawa, he was principal trombone of Orchestra London Canada and taught at the University of Western Ontario.
Charlene Pauls – soprano
Soprano Charlene Pauls has been invited to
sing across the country working with conductors
such as Bramwell Tovey, Frieder Bernius, Robert
Shaw, and most recently, Helmuth Rilling. Among
her recent concerts, Ms Pauls sang Brahms’
Requiem and Hatzis’ Sepulcher of Life
with baritone Russell Braun and conductor Howard
Dyck, with whom Ms. Pauls later toured Spain
and France.
An enthusiastic proponent of contemporary music,
Ms. Pauls has premiered several works, with
many performances broadcast on CBC. The CBC
recording of Jocelyn Morlock’s Lacrymosa
went on to win an international competition
and has since been broadcast around the world.
Other premiered works by Brouwer and Robinovitch
are included on her solo CD of Spanish songs,
Canciones.
Her most recent recording is The Wanderer Within, a solo quartet CD which includes Brahms’ “Zigeunerlieder” sung together with fellow soloists Laura Pudwell, Colin Balzer, and Tony Funk with pianist Betty Suderman.
©2002-2004 Ottawa
Chamber Music Society.
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