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History
Seven years of sold out summer festivals under the skilful artistic direction of Alexander Tselyakov.
The weekend offers four concerts plus a free concert
'Chamber Music Doesn’t Bite' given by the musicians to the community to draw a young and new audience to this genre.
Past performers include internationally acclaimed musicians such as Andrew Dawes, Penderecki String Quartet, Julian Armour, Jonathan Crow, Antonio Lysy, Lafayette String Quartet, Matt Haimovitz, Livia Sohn, Geoff Nuttall, Barry Shiffman, George Zukerman, Gryphon Trio, Corey Cerovsek and Trio Verlaine, among others. We have also committed to feature emerging artists such as Daniel Tselyakov and Anthony Blackman.
Increasingly we are finding that our audiences from across BC and several US states are building their travel plans around our Festival weekend.
In 2009 we commissioned and premiered Pender Harbour Suite for piano trio, composed by Stephen Chatman for the fifth anniversary Festival which was favourably reviewed overall by David Gordon Duke of the Vancouver Sun.
2011 Highlights
In 2011 we were honoured to present James Ehnes, Daniel Bolshoy, the Borealis String Quartet and emerging artist Emmanuelle Beaulieu Bergeron.
Our outstanding and eclectic programme included pieces by eight composers not previously heard on our stage.
A Festival first was the introduction of dance, as flamenco dancer Karen Pitkethly from Vancouver gave a surprise performance of the Fandango movement of the Boccherini Guitar Quintet No.4 in D major.
Performances of works by composers ranging from Haydn, Beethoven, Paganini and Schubert to modern composers such as Alfred Schnittke and Canadian composers Clark Winslow Ross and Kelly-Marie Murphy repeatedly brought music lovers to their feet.
The final piece of the last concert, Ernest Chausson’s Concerto for violin, string quartet and piano in D major, had the audience clamouring for more and was a fitting end to another exceptional weekend of chamber music.
Pender Harbour Community
With seating for 100-120 people, our venue is nestled in a village
in bloom, amongst fir trees and soaring eagles, overlooking the
harbour. It's the perfect setting for chamber music.
Host families provide accommodation in their homes for the musicians
who arrive several days in advance of the Festival for intensive
rehearsals. The musicians appreciate the exceptional
hospitality that is offered.
Community volunteers help with everything from taking tickets to
setting out chairs. As more people become involved in various
ways, the Festival is truly becoming a community affair
Festival 2012
Joining Artistic Director and pianist Alexander Tselyakov on stage will be world-renowned musicians James Campbell on clarinet and Guy Few on trumpet. Other artists are yet to be confirmed. Our programme will again feature a wide range of works by traditional and modern composers.
Our constant goal is to maintain the high quality of performance
that has characterized our Festival to date.
For more information please consult our website or call the Festival cell phone at 604.989.3995. |
