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Welcome from the Artistic Director
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the ninth season of the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival. I am very excited about this year’s extraordinary lineup of musicians and the great variety of music and musical styles.
Our patrons always comment on the festival's broad repertoire, and this season truly offers something for everyone. Programmes vary from the tango of Piazzolla and a contemporary jazz concerto for clarinet and strings to intimate evenings of opera. There will be newly composed music, such as the Celtic-influenced concerto by Manitoba's James Hiscott (a world premiere) and the music of Igor Raykhelson, the leading composer of the contemporary neo-romantic movement, as well as sacred and, the always intriguing, baroque, classical, and romantic music.
As always, we will be featuring the finest musicians from around the world in chamber and solo performances. Anton Kuerti, who has thrilled festival audiences for the last two years, will play the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Czerny and Chopin. Other featured soloists include pianists Shoko Inoue, Nina Kogan, Robert Silverman, Heather Conner and Alexander Sokol; clarinetist Julian Milkis; violinist Zvi Zeitlin; guitarist Simon Wynberg; young violin virtuoso Bora Kim and the remarkable young pianist Angel Zhou. Christopher Newton, actor and director, and members of the Shaw Festival ensemble will be collaborating with festival musicians in a variety of works, including the back-by-popular-demand "L'histoire du Soldat" by Stravinsky.
Our audiences have asked for more jazz and we will have lots of it – including an evening, On the Edge of Jazz, with piano, violin, bass and drums, and Julian Milkis, hailed as the world's greatest living clarinetist and the only pupil of Benny Goodman, playing Templeton, Zfassman, Claude Bowling and Benny Goodman. Our JazzafterPlay series will be hosted by the renowned Canadian jazz pianist John Sherwood on six weekend evenings of jazz - John Sherwood Presents.
A new concert series, Musical Bridges, presents music and musicians from Canada and the United States, including the recently formed CanAmerata Quartet.
Forty-five concerts in seven stunning venues, some new to the festival! At the Niagara Pumphouse Art Centre, located on the banks of Niagara River, patrons can enjoy the art exhibits as well as the music. The Mount Carmel Chapel in Niagara Falls, with its monastic simplicity, magnificent stained glass windows and glorious acoustics, is an ideal venue for classical music. It also has the best view of the Falls in Niagara.
I invite you to check out our programme and to come revel in music that moves the soul.
Artistic Director