Gryphon Trio

Formed in 1993, the Gryphon Trio continues to delight audiences around the globe with their highly refined and dynamic performances.  Based in Toronto, cellist Roman Borys, violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon, and pianist Jamie Parker tour regularly throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.  With a strong commitment to expanding the piano trio repertoire, the Trio has commissioned and premiered over 50 works, and has recorded many celebrated discs such as the Juno award-winning Canadian Premieres.

Offering master classes across North America, the Trio's members are also Artists-in-Residence at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music, where Dr. Parker is the Rupert E. Edwards Chair in Piano Performance and Annalee Patipatanakoon is an Assistant Professor.  Strongly dedicated to pushing the boundaries of chamber music, the Trio has collaborated on special projects with numerous artists, their most ambitious undertaking being the multimedia production of Christos Hatzis' Constantinople.  Mr. Borys is Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, with Ms. Patipatanakoon and Dr. Parker acting as Artistic Advisors.  They also appear at many other festivals, and are regulars at the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, Ontario.

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Trio Verlaine

The members of Trio Verlaine are drawn together by friendship and a strong desire to further their unusual instrumental combination, first dreamt of by Debussy.  The players have each distinguished themselves in their respective fields:  Heidi Krutzen, as principal harp with the CBC Radio Orchestra and Vancouver Opera; Lorna McGhee, as former co-principal flute with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London; and David Harding, as Professor of Viola and Chamber Music, UBC.  Together, they draw on a wealth of experience and imagination.  

They have appeared together at many of North America's finest chamber music festivals and series, including the Oregon Bach Festival, Music in the Vineyards, Music in the Morning, and Festival Vancouver.  Trio Verlaine can be heard frequently on National Public Radio in the United States and CBC Radio in Canada.  As a trio they explore arrangements of works suited to this rare combination and have also commissioned new works.  Their first recording, Fin de Siècle, the Music of Debussy and Ravel, was given “five stars for ravishing playing” by Lloyd Dykk of the Vancouver Sun.

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Corey Cerovsek, violin

Corey Cerovsek, violin, has performed with orchestras around the world and to constant acclaim with conductors such as Zubin Mehta and Michael Tilson Thomas.  In recital he has performed at many well-known locations including the Kennedy Center, and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. He is an avid chamber musician, appearing regularly at festivals in Switzerland, Finland and Tanglewood, and his recordings have received numerous awards and great critical acclaim. Cerovsek was born in Vancouver but is now based in Paris.  Following his bachelor's and master's degrees, he completed his doctoral course work in mathematics and music at age 18.  Described by the Los Angeles Times as playing with “precision and eloquence, pure in tone and sure in motivation”, Cerovsek performs on the “Milanollo” Stradivarius of 1728.

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Anthony Blackman, double bass

Born into a musical family, Anthony Blackman, double bass, began musical studies at an early age with the violin and the cello, but found his true voice at age thirteen after his first lesson on double bass.  At the young age of sixteen he auditioned for and won a place in the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.  He was Principal Bass of the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra, winning the symphony's concerto competition, and he has also performed for the VSO in a series of six concerts.  An avid composer, Anthony won runner-up prize in the 2008 Notion Realize Music Challenge International Composition Competition. Currently he is a student of Joel Quarrington at McGill University.

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Jeanette Jonquil, clarinet

Making her third appearance at our Festival, Jeanette Jonquil is the principal clarinetist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.  She has performed in chamber music festivals and with orchestras around the world and most recently performed as guest principal clarinetist with the Cincinnati Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra.  As a soloist, she has appeared with the Vancouver Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Utica Symphony and Yale Philharmonia.  Educated at Northwestern and Yale Universities, she studied with Russell Dagon and David Shifrin.  Among her many accomplishments are winning the Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition and the Daniel Nyfenger Memorial Prize for Excellence in Woodwind Playing, and placing first at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition in Los Angeles.  

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Daniel Tselyakov, piano

Daniel Tselyakov, piano, began his piano studies at the age of five and is currently studying with his parents. He has also participated in master classes with André Laplante, Angela Hewitt, Michael Kim, Marc-André Hamelin, Kyoko Hashimoto, and Jamie Parker.  In 2009 at age 14, Daniel performed the Chopin Piano Concerto as a soloist with the Penderecki String Quartet as well as the world premiere of Canadian composer Jim Hiscott's Amador.  He was the youngest musician ever to be invited as guest artist to the prestigious Virtuosi Concert series for 2009 and 2010.  He has won numerous scholarships, trophies and awards and has performed at the Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival and many other locations including the Université de Montréal, the International New Music Festival in Winnipeg and Glen Gould Studio in Toronto.

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Bill Richardson, narrator

Well-known CBC host, Bill Richardson, has made many freelance contributions to both national and regional programs, and hosted a number of shows including one that was classical music by request.  It became known as As You Like It, reflecting Bill's interest in the music and letters of his audience. In 1997, Bill became the host of the very interactive Richardson's Roundup and is presently host of Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and Sunday Afternoon in Concert. With a lifelong interest in reading and writing, he has written columns for a number of major publications, winning the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour in 1994.  He has a number of children's book titles to his credit and makes frequent public appearances reading poetry, narrating musical works and giving keynote speeches.  

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Alexander Tselyakov, piano and artistic director

Pianist and Artistic Director, Alexander Tselyakov, has been described as a “phenomenal pianist” (Germany), “overwhelming” (Steinway Society, USA), and  the “best kept secret in the Canadian piano world” (CBC Canada).  Combining virtuosity with breath-taking musicality in the Russian tradition of great pianists, he has won major prizes such as the VIIIth International Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, and has distinguished himself as guest soloist with some of the world's most renowned orchestras.  Tselyakov has appeared as a recitalist at major festivals and concert halls around the world, and has frequently been heard on radio in Denmark, London, Germany and Canada.  Known for his collaboration with other musicians, his knowledge of the repertoire and exquisite sense of program balance make him a valuable artistic director both here in Pender Harbour and at the Clear Lake Festival in Manitoba.  He is currently Professor of Piano at Brandon University.

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