VSMF 2024 PERFORMERS
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Dover Quartet
Joel Link, violin
Bryan Lee, violin
Julianne Lee, viola
Camden Shaw, cello
Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet is one of the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles. The Dover Quartet is the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music and holds additional residencies at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and the Walton Arts Center’s Artosphere festival. The group’s awards include a stunning sweep of all prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, grand and first prizes at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Its honors include the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, and Lincoln Center’s Hunt Family Award.
The Dover Quartet’s 2023-24 season includes a North American tour with Leif Ove Andsnes, performances with Haochen Zhang and David Shifrin, and a tour to Europe and Israel. A sought-after ensemble, recent collaborators include Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnaton, Ray Chen, the Escher String Quartet, Bridget Kibbey, Anthony McGill, Edgar Meyer, the Pavel Haas Quartet, Roomful of Teeth, and Davóne Tines. In 2022, the quartet premiered Steven Mackey’s theatrical-musical work Memoir, alongside arx duo and actor-narrator Natalie Christa. They also recently premiered works by Mason Bates, Marc Neikrug, and Chris Rogerson.
The Dover Quartet’s highly acclaimed three-volume recording, Beethoven Complete String Quartets (Cedille Records), was hailed as “meticulously balanced, technically clean-as-a-whistle and intonationally immaculate” (The Strad). The quartet’s discography also includes Encores (Brooklyn Classical), a recording of 10 popular movements from the string quartet repertoire; The Schumann Quartets (Azica Records), which was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance; Voices of Defiance: 1943, 1944, 1945 (Cedille Records); and an all-Mozart debut recording (Cedille Records), featuring the late Michael Tree — long-time violist of the Guarneri Quartet. Voices of Defiance, which explores works written during World War II by Viktor Ullman, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Simon Laks, was lauded as “undoubtedly one of the most compelling discs released this year” (The Wall Street Journal).
The Dover Quartet draws from the lineage of the distinguished Guarneri, Cleveland, and Vermeer quartets. Its members studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. They were mentored extensively by Shmuel Ashkenasi, James Dunham, Norman Fischer, Kenneth Goldsmith, Joseph Silverstein, Arnold Steinhardt, Michael Tree, and Peter Wiley. The Dover Quartet was formed at Curtis in 2008; its name pays tribute to Dover Beach by fellow Curtis alumnus Samuel Barber.
The Dover Quartet’s faculty residency at Curtis integrates teaching and mentorship, a robust international performance career, and a cutting-edge digital presence. The innovative residency allows Curtis to reinvigorate its tradition of maintaining a top-quality professional string quartet on its faculty, while providing resources for the ensemble to experiment with new technologies and engage audiences digitally. Working closely with students in the Nina von Maltzahn String Quartet Program, the Dover Quartet coaches and mentors the most promising young string quartets to nurture a new generation of leading professional chamber ensembles.
The Dover Quartet plays on the following instruments and proudly endorses Thomastik-Infeld strings:
Joel Link: a very fine Peter Guarneri of Mantua, 1710–15, on generous loan from Irene R. Miller through the Beare’s International Violin Society
Bryan Lee: Riccardo Antoniazzi, Milan, 1904; Samuel Zygmuntowicz, Brooklyn, 2020
Julianne Lee: Robert Brode, 2005
Camden Shaw: Joseph Hill, London, 1770
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Pamela Highbaugh Aloni, cello
Praised for her “meltingly beautiful solos” (The Detroit News) and performances of “depth and insight” (Times Colonist), Pamela is a founding member of the prize-winning Lafayette String Quartet. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria where she has been teaching cello, chamber music and string pedagogy since 1991.
The Lafayette quartet celebrated over 37 years of musical life together with the same four members and took their final bow together in August 2023. Highlights of their years include a celebration in 2000 performing all sixteen of Beethoven’s string quartets, a 30th anniversary Shostakovich Cycle, a Second Viennese School project, commission of five new quartets by women composers quartets, and the initiation of the Lafayette Health Awareness Forum. Their CBC recording “Death and the Maiden” was awarded “Outstanding Classical Recording of the Year” by the Western Canada Music Awards.
An enthusiastic and devoted teacher, Ms. Highbaugh Aloni served for ten years on the faculty at the Courtenay Youth Music School and Festival and has been the coach for the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra cello section since 2004. She performs both as a soloist and recitalist and has been a guest artist with the Vetta Ensemble of Vancouver, Victoria Chamber Orchestra, Victoria Summer Festival, Festival of the Sound, Sooke Philharmonic, Eine Kleine Summer Music, Chamber Music San Juan, and served as principal cellist with the Galiano Ensemble from 2000-2018. Pamela plays on a George Craske cello made in England, 1850.
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Yariv Aloni, viola
Violist Yariv Aloni is acclaimed by critics for his “impeccable technical accomplishments, exquisite phrasing and superb viola playing”, and as having “a huge, singing tone and a rare depth and nobility of feeling”.
He is the Music Director of the Victoria Chamber Orchestra, the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra, and the principal guest conductor of the West Coast Symphony Orchestra in Vancouver.
Former violist of both the Penderecki String Quartet and the Aviv Quartet, he has performed in many European and North American concert halls, including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York, the Louvre in Paris, and the Tonhalle in Zürich. He has recorded for the United, Marquise, Tritonus, CBC, and independent labels. He regularly performs Chamber Music in numerous chamber-music concerts, festivals, and recital series.
Yariv was a finalist at the François Shapira competition in Tel Aviv. He earned the Israel Broadcasting Authority award for chamber music performance and numerous awards and scholarships from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation.
Born on a kibbutz in Israel, Yariv began studying the violin and subsequently turned to the viola, which he studied with David Chen at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem; Daniel Benyamini, principal violist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; and Michael Tree, violist of the Guarneri Quartet. With an emphasis on chamber music, Yariv also studied at the Jerusalem Music Centre with members of the Tel-Aviv Quartet and at the University of Maryland with the Guarneri String Quartet.
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Müge Büyükçelen, violin
Müge Büyükçelen is a passionate violinist known for her multi-genre versatility. Few highlights of her performances include the premier of Jared Miller’s violin concerto dedicated to Müge, the Beethoven violin concerto, a concert tour through Australia and New Zealand, performances of new works by Jennifer Butler, Paul Frehner, Michael Finnissy, as well as various concerts with the Emily Carr String Quartet. The ECSQ recently launched their latest album “ Beloved of the Sky” , works composed by Canadian composers Iman Habibi, Tobin Stokes, Jocelyn Morlock and Jared Miller. Her recording, "Spanning Tree," has been nominated for "Best Classical Album in 2022" by Western Classical Music Awards.
She is a current member of the Victoria Symphony, Emily Carr String Quartet and the Aventa Ensemble as well as an active violin teacher at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Müge has been a featured soloist with numerous orchestras around the world. She has premiered many works such as “Archimedes’ Codex’ a Canadian work dedicated to her by composer Michael Oesterle,Cameron Wilson “Canadian Four Seasons” to name a few. She has served a jury member for “The Eckhardt - -Gramatte National Competition”,”Friends of Canadian Music Award” , “BCArts Council” and has adjudicated at many music festivals. She holds a Masters degree in music performance from Bilkent University, in Ankara Turkey, an associate teaching diploma from the Victoria Conservatory of Music and was a teaching assistant student at the Toulouse National Conservatory, France.
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Philip Hansen, cello
Called “a master cellist” by the Calgary Herald, Philip Hansen’s commitment to diverse musical genres, education, and community have earned him distinction as a performer and innovator in the arts. His intensely personal and colourful playing is showcased in performances from baroque to jazz and in the major works written for solo cello with orchestra. As a USA Department of State Cultural Ambassador to Russia, Phil was featured in concert halls from Moscow to the Far East. He has been guest artist-in-residence at both the Beijing and Shanghai Central Conservatories and was a longtime faculty member of the Académie Internationale Musicale in Provence, France. Phil has also performed extensively throughout Brazil, where he is Principal Cellist of the internationally-acclaimed Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra.
Phil recorded for CD the six unaccompanied Suites by J. S. Bach on baroque instruments, and his CD of tango music, Bragatissimo, was researched and performed in Argentina and broadcast coast to coast on CBC and NPR. Phil founded and hosted for many years “Phil’s Café,” a Calgary-based concert series with a mission of philanthropy.
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David Boutin-Bourque, clarinet
Originally from Peterborough, Ontario, David Boutin-Bourque currently serves as Principal Clarinet of the Victoria Symphony and Sessional Instructor of Clarinet at the University of Victoria. Previously, David held positions with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra as Acting Principal Clarinet, and the Erie Philharmonic as 3rd/Bass Clarinet. Additionally, he has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Nova Scotia. In September 2024, David will be featured as a soloist with the Victoria Symphony, performing Carl Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto.
David is also an active chamber musician in British Columbia. He has been a featured artist at the Eine Kleine Summer Music Festival, the Quadra Island Festival of Chamber music, and with the Emily Carr String Quartet. From 2016-2021, he attended the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he was the recipient of a Conducting Academy Orchestra Fellowship in 2017, and a Bass Clarinet Fellowship from 2018 to 2021. In 2018, David was the winner of the festival’s Winds Concerto Competition and performed Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto. David holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto, a master’s degree from Northwestern University, and a performance certificate from Carnegie Mellon University. His teachers include Michael Rusinek, David Bourque, Steve Cohen and Lawrie Bloom.
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New Zealand String Quartet
Helene Pohl, violin
Peter Clark, violin
Gillian Ansell, viola
Rolf Gjelsten, cello
The New Zealand String Quartet – Te Rōpū Tūrū O Aotearoa (NZSQ) has distinguished itself on the world stage with its insightful interpretations, compelling communication, and dynamic performing style. The group’s imaginative programming and creative collaborations have been hallmarks of its 37-year history, as well as making an indelible impact on the cultural life of New Zealand as performers, innovators, and teachers. In addition to regular nationwide touring in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Quartet has debuted at Wigmore Hall in London, the Frick in New York, and the Library of Congress in Washington, and has toured internationally in Australia, North America, Europe, and Asia. Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th birthday, the NZSQ presented Beethoven cycles in Germany and the Netherlands in 2022. This November will mark their Hungarian debut at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. As cultural ambassadors for Aotearoa New Zealand, the NZSQ proudly champions the astonishingly creative and diverse composers of their home country. They have premiered over 150 New Zealand works, including collaborations with taonga pūoro (Māori traditional instruments).
The group’s passion to communicate the greatness of the string quartet repertoire with all New Zealanders has led to them performing Beethoven and Bartok cycles all over the country, as well as a wide range of repertoire in centres large and small, in venues from venerable Town Halls to art galleries and community centres. Recent innovations have included “Sounds of the Sanctuary,” a birdsong-inspired programme performed to sold out crowds at bird sanctuaries nationwide. Plans for 2025 include blanketing the country with the complete cycle of Shostakovich quartets.
The NZSQ has enjoyed collaborating with many eminent artists including all the notable pianists of New Zealand, as well as Anton Kuerti, Denes Varjon, Piers Lane, Andre LaPlante, Alexander Lonquich, Peter Nagy, Kathryn Stott, Martin Roscoe; the Jerusalem, Prazak, Ying, Goldner, Takacs, Lindsay, and St. Lawrence quartets; Julian Bliss, Nobuko Imai, Hariolf Schlichtig, James Crabb and Colin Carr. A particularly close relationship with Canadian clarinettist James Campbell has led to frequent collaborations in Canada as well as New Zealand, a landmark recording of the Brahms quintet, and premieres of quintets from both countries. Wider-ranging collaborations have included performances with Omar Farouk Tekbilek, Rahim Alhaj, Uri Caine, Dick Oatts, Jim Hall, Wayne Marshall, and many Māori traditional musicians, such as Horomona Horo and Ariana Tikao.
Creative collaborations have included theatrical presentations encompassing spoken word and dance, from Haydn’s Seven Last Words and Beethoven’s Quartets to Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night and touring on stage with the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
In addition to many CDs devoted to New Zealand music, the NZSQ discography includes the complete quartets of Mendelssohn, Berg, and Brahms and a collection of Asian music for Naxos, as well as Schubert, Beethoven, Debussy and Ravel and the complete Bartok Quartets on the Atoll label. Their CD “Notes from a Journey” won the Best Classical Album award at the 2011 Vodafone NZ Music Awards.
Devoted teachers and mentors, members of the NZSQ teach at the New Zealand School of Music – Te Kōkī where they have been Quartet-in-Residence since 1991. They regularly mentor young students from Sistema programmes around the country and, since 1995, they have been running the annual Adam Summer School for Chamber Music. The NZSQ has given masterclasses internationally at institutions such as the Banff Centre, Brisbane’s Griffith Conservatory, the Peabody Conservatory, the Yon Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore, and the Stuttgart Hochschule.
Quartet members Helene Pohl and Gillian Ansell are the artistic directors of the biennial Adam Chamber Music Festival, hailed as the “Salzburg of the South,” which attracts star performers as well as audiences from around the world.
The three longest serving members of the Quartet have each been awarded the MNZM (Member of the NZ Order of Merit) honour for services to music in New Zealand.
Musicians:
Helene Pohl, Violin I (plays a 1730 Guarneri.)
Peter Clark, Violin II (plays a 1784 Storioni kindly loaned by the Duncan Craig and Lily Duncan Trust.)
Gillian Ansell, Viola (plays a 1619 Amati kindly loaned by the Adam Foundation.)
Rolf Gjelsten, Cello (plays a 1705 Gofriller.)
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Paule Préfontaine, violin
Paule Préfontaine has had a musical career spanning 40 years that has taken her to many different countries. She has played in the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Bergen Norway since 2011. From 1988 to 1993, she was Assistant Concertmaster of the Bergen Philharmonic. She has been a guest Principal Second Violin and Associate Concertmaster in the Porto Symphony Orchestra in Porto, Portugal.She has also played in the Oslo Philharmonic and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.
She played regularly in the National Arts Centre Orchestra from 2002 to 2014 and participated in many tours with NACO. While living in Ottawa, she was a member of 13 Strings (principal second), and guest Concertmaster of the Ottawa Symphony from 2007 to 2014. In addition, she was Concertmaster of the Hull Chamber Orchestra.
As a pedagogue Paule was Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa for more than 10 years. She was a string coach for the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy and directed the summer Academy Program.
Mrs Préfontaine also has expertise in baroque period performance practice. She was a full-time member of Tafelmusik in Toronto and performed with Arion Ensemble in Montréal, Les Violons du Roy in Québec City, the Bergen Barokk Ensemble, Stavanger Barokk Ensemble in Norway, and was Concertmaster of the Musikbarok Ensemble in Winnipeg. She was also a founding member of the Ottawa Baroque Consort.
Mrs Préfontaine has been a violin pedagogue in music summer Academies such as the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Orford Music Academy, Summer Music on the Shannon, in Ennis, Limerick and Galway in Ireland, and the Courtenay Youth Music Centre in Courtenay, BC.
She has been an active chamber musician, performing in the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Music and Beyond, 1st violin of the Prisme Ensemble (Gatineau), Sysman Suvisoitto (Finland), Bergen Kammermusikk (Norway), and the Georgian House series in Limerick, Ireland. Paule is also a founding member of the Quatuor Lumière and Voces Intimae.