Wednesday, August 3, 7:30 PM
Pre-concert talk at 6:40 PM
Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, School of Music, University of Victoria.
Cecilia String Quartet
Min-Jeong Koh and Sarah Nematallah, violins
Caitlin Boyle, viola
Rachel Desoer, cello
Arthur Rowe, piano
Franz Josef Haydn (1732–1809): String Quartet in B minor, “Russian,” op. 33, no. 1, Hob.III:37
Emilie LeBel (b. 1979): String Quartet newly commissioned by the Cecilia String Quartet
Robert Schumann (1810–1856): Piano Quintet in E-flat major, op. 44
The Cecilia String Quartet, winner of the 10th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2010, makes its Victoria Summer Music Festival debut with music by Haydn and LeBel. The Quartet is then joined by pianist Arthur Rowe for Schumann’s exuberant piano quintet.
Formed in Toronto in October 2004, the Cecilia String Quartet is currently Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music.
A prizewinner at several international competitions, including the 2010 edition of the Banff competition, the Quartet performs for leading presenters in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and its concert recordings have been broadcast on more than a dozen international public radio networks. The members of the Quartet have taught at universities and festivals across North America and have presented educational programs for elementary and high schools across North America and in Italy and France. They have performed for homeless youth, homeless veterans, prisoners, and elderly residents in care facilities. New initiatives include Xenia Concerts, a series of accessible concerts designed to appeal to, and be welcoming for, children on the autism spectrum and their families, and Celebrating Canadian Women in Music, with newly commissioned works for both concert and CD presentation.
The Quartet’s most recent CD release, featuring the works of Mendelssohn, garnered a Juno nomination for Classical Album of the Year in 2016. Their earlier recordings received ecstatic reviews. “Pure musical joy” was how musicaltoronto.org welcomed the quartet’s 2012 debut album of music by Antonin Dvorak on the Analekta label. “Opulent sonority…rhythmically flexible, overtly Romantic approach,” added The Strad. A second release, Amoroso, in 2013, featuring music by Janacek, Berg, and Webern, was applauded by Gramophone magazine for “unleashing the music’s ecstasy and angst.” A third release on Analekta in 2014 presented piano concertos by Mozart with pianist Karin Kei Nagano. “Mozart’s musical train of thought emerges in higher relief, especially when played with the comprehension and grace of these performances” (Gramophone).
Min-Jeong Koh performs on a ca. 1767 Joannes Baptista Guadagnini violin, and Sarah Nematallah on an 1851 Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin, both on loan from an anonymous donor. Rachel Desoer’s 1929 Carlo Giuseppe Oddone cello is on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts. Caitlin Boyle plays on a 2002 viola by Joseph Curtin. The quartet would like to thank the anonymous donor, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Ontario Arts Council for their generous support.
Pianist Arthur Rowe is a critically acclaimed recitalist, soloist with orchestra, and chamber musician. Touring annually across North America, he has received enthusiastic reviews for his performances in cities such as New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Seattle, and San Diego, as well as in venues in Europe and New Zealand. The New York Times wrote: “The Canadian pianist Arthur Rowe made an immediate and positive impression…It was first-rate playing: a kind of execution tinglingly alive to the shape and contribution of each phrase.” Born in McLennan Alberta, Arthur Rowe began his professional career while still a student at the University of Western Ontario. Before completing his graduate studies at Indiana University, he had appeared as soloist in the inaugural concert of the London Sinfonia, with the CBC Winnipeg Orchestra, and with Orchestra London. Performances with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra with Mario Bernardi followed. A highly respected chamber musician, Mr. Rowe regularly collaborates with artists and chamber ensembles across North America. Having previously held positions at the University of Iowa and the University of Western Ontario, Arthur Rowe now resides in Victoria, where he is professor of piano at the University of Victoria and artistic director of the Victoria Summer Music Festival.