VSOI Faculty 2020 - Vancouver Symphony · 2019. 12. 19. · Susan Graham, Alina Ibragimova, Gidon...

Dutch conductor Otto Tausk is the Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra now in his second season and serves as Artistic Advisor of the VSO School of Music Until spring 2018 Tausk was Music Director of the Opera Theatre and Tonhalle orchestra St Gallen He appears as a guest with such orchestras as Concertgebouw Orchestra Rotterdam Philharmonic Danish National Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi Los Angeles Philharmonic Melbourne Symphony the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre the orchestras of Perth Tasmania Auckland BBC Scottish Symphony and BBC National Orchestra of Wales with whom he made his BBC Proms debut last season

Tausk is a hugely respected musical personality in his native Holland working with all its major orchestras and composers In the 20192020 season Tausk continues guesting relationships with Lahti Symphony Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Stuttgarter Philharmoniker and makes debut appearances with Norwegian Radio Orchestra Orchestre symphonique de Queacutebec and Orchestre philharmonique de Monte-Carlo

In Vancouver programming highlights include celebrating Beethovenrsquos 250th birthday with BeethovenFest in spring 2020 and soloists such as

Susan Graham Alina Ibragimova Gidon Kremer Anne-Sophie Mutter Daniil Trifonov and Dawn Upshaw

Tausk has recorded with the Concertgebouw Orchestra (Luc Brewaeys and an animated version of Prokofievrsquos Peter and the Wolf) Tonhalle Orchestra St Gallen (Korngold and Diepenbrock) BBC Scottish (Mendelssohn) and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (Gavin Bryars) amongst others His Prokofiev disc with Rosanne Philippens also received BBC Music Magazine Concerto Disc of the Month (2018)

Born in Utrecht Otto Tausk initially studied violin and then conducting with Jonas Aleksa Between 2004 and 2006 Tausk was assistant conductor to Valery Gergiev with the Rotterdam Philharmonic a period of study that had a profound impact on him In 2011 Tausk was presented with the lsquode Olifantrsquo prize by the City of Haarlem He received this prestigious award for his contribution to the Arts in the Netherlands in particular his extensive work with Holland Symfonia serving as Music Director 2007 to 2012 In reflecting on their work together in The Netherlands Valery Gergiev paid particular tribute to Tausk on this occasion

wwwottotausknl

OTTO TAUSK Music Director Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Artistic Director VSO Institute

American-born conductor Jonathan Girard is one of the rising stars of his generation A passionate musician committed to engaging audiences with thrilling performances he continues to gain a reputation as a musical force equally versed in symphonic repertoire opera and new music As the Director of Orchestras at the University of British Columbia School of Music Mr Girard dedicates himself to raising the standard of orchestral training in Western Canada

The UBC Symphonyrsquos 2015-2016 season celebrated the University centennial year with a world premiegravere by Jared Miller Soundscape for a Century Past and the ninth symphonies of Beethoven Schubert and

Shostakovich The 2014-2015 season featured Bartokrsquos Concerto for Orchestra and Shostakovichrsquos Symphony No 5 and culminated in two performances of Mahlerrsquos Symphony No 2 with 300 musicians on stage Highlights of 2013-2014 season included a landmark performance of Le Sacre du printemps to mark the 100th anniversary of the workrsquos premiegravere and a tour of Western Canada with Canadian violinist David Gillham featuring the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Beethovenrsquos Symphony No 5 and Straussrsquo Don Juan

httpswwwjonathangirardcom httpsmusicubcca httpsmusicubccachamber-orchestra-festival

JONATHAN GIRARD Assistant Conductor VSO Institute Artistic Director UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival

Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Nicholas Wright is a native of England His engagements as soloist chamber and orchestral musician have taken him to most of the major concert halls in Europe Asia and North America He has performed concertos with orchestras worldwide including the BBC Concert Orchestra the Royal Oman Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra His repertoire spans works from Handel to premieres by composers such as Kelly-Marie Murphy and Jocelyn Morlock whose works he recently recorded for the Naxos label He made his solo debut with the York Guildhall Orchestra playing the Dvořaacutek Romance which was recorded for BBC Radio 3 His concerts and recordings have also been featured on CBC Radio (Canada) and Radio 4 (Hong Kong)

As an orchestral musician Nicholas has worked with the worlds most renowned conductors including Bernard Haitink Sir Simon Rattle Valery Gergiev and Mstislav Rostropovich He has performed extensively with the major chamber and symphony orchestras in London including the English Chamber and London Philharmonic Orchestras and has appeared as guest concertmaster with orchestras such as the Bournemouth Symphony BBC Concert and Ulster Orchestras In 2003 he was appointed as the youngest member of the London Symphony Orchestra where he held the first violin sub-principal position and in

addition collaborated with film composers John Williams and Alexandre Desplat As a chamber musician Nicholas regularly takes part in series such as the Mainly Mozart Festival Ribble Valley Festival LSO and VSO chamber players and Vancouvers Music on Main He has performed in venues such as LSO St Lukes and has collaborated with many renowned artists including Martin Roscoe and Simon Wright Prior to his appointment as concertmaster of the VSO he was first violinist of the critically acclaimed Vancouver based Koerner Quartet

Nicholas received his training as a scholar at the Royal College of Music in London studying with Itzhak Rashkovsky and Rodney Friend In addition to winning prizes at the Royal College Nicholas has been generously supported by grants from the Martin Musical Fund the Craxton Memorial Fund and the Royal Overseas League This has enabled him to study with many eminent musicians including Ruggiero Ricci and Gil Shaham Nicholas enjoys teaching and has given many masterclasses internationally He is on the faculty of the VSO School of Music Nicholas plays on a violin by Stefan-Peter Greiner

wonderfully judged with seemingly effortless projection of tonehellipIt was a triumph lsquo ~ The York Press

NICHOLAS WRIGHT Concertmaster Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Karen began playing the violin at the age of three influenced by four generations of musicians in her family She studied at the Vancouver Academy of Music until leaving BC to pursue a post-secondary education at the North Carolina School of the Arts Graduating first in her university class Karen was awarded the single highest scholarship awarded by NCSA the Sarah Graham Kenan Scholarship

After graduation while performing as Associate Concertmaster of the Spoleto Festival Opera Orchestra (Spoleto Italy) Karen was named Director of Chamber Music at Davidson College (Davidson NC) and remained in that post for two years until winning a position in the Vancouver Symphony where she is Associate Principal Second

After settling in Vancouver Karen was appointed to the faculty of the Vancouver Academy of Music and taught there from 1990 - 2002 As both a chamber musician and an orchestral player Karen has performed throughout Europe Canada the US and Asia and she continues to count traveling as one of her favorite pursuits Since joining the VSO Karen has been named a McBride Scholar at Bryn Mawr in Philadelphia and has twice attended the Banff Centre for the Arts as an Artist-in-Residence In 2012 Karen is delighted to appear as a member of the Nomidi Trio and is particularly honoured to be working and performing with Nomidi and the iconic Canadian dancer Margie Gillis

Karen is very good at making her son laugh

KAREN GERBRECHT Associate Principal Second Violin Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Originally from Ottawa Emilie Grimes holds a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School where the studied with Michael Tree and Steven Tenenbom She completed her Undergraduate degree at the University of Montreal under the tutelage of Neal Gripp

As an orchestral and chamber musician Emilie has performed in venues worldwide She toured with the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra in Germany and appeared on Hong Kongrsquos Radio 4 with the Vancouver based Koerner Quartet She has also appeared on WQXR in New York playing baroque viola with Juilliardrsquos historical performance ensemble and was featured in the National Arts Centrersquos ldquoMy First NACrdquo showcase concert series She regularly takes part in series around

Vancouver including the VSO Chamber Players UBCrsquos Wednesdays at Noon Classics at the Gordon Smith Gallery the Vancouver Chamber Music Society and has performed as a guest with the NUBC new music ensemble She was appointed Adjunct Professor of Viola at the University of British Columbia from 2017 to 2019

Emilie joined the viola section of the Vancouver Symphony in 2012 and was recently appointed Assistant Principal Viola She currently holds the position of Acting Associate Principal Viola

EMILIE GRIMES Associate Principal Viola Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Zoltan Rozsnyai was born into a musical family Both his parents and grandparents were professional musicians He studied piano and violin before taking up the cello at the age of six He joined the Windsor Symphony at 15 then left to attend the University of Toronto two years later

While in Toronto he studied with Vladimir Orloff and Daniel Domb Zoltan also took masterclasses at the Banff School of Fine Arts studying with Aldo Parisot Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Janos Starker He played for

many years in the Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet orchestras as well as performing as soloist and chamber musician throughout Ontario Zoltan also spent a year in India with his electric cello traveling and collaborating with musicians In 1999 he joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and has been the Assistant Principal cellist since 2001

Zoltan maintains an active and varied musical life in Vancouver and lives with his wife and young son

ZOLTAN ROZSNYAI Associate Principal Cello Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Originally from Ottawa Olivia Blander completed her Masters of Music degree at Yale University in the studio of professor Aldo Parisot She received her Bachelors degree from the Harid Conservatory (Boca Raton Florida) where she studied with Canadian cellist Johanne Perron

Olivia has appeared frequently as a soloist and chamber musician on CBC radio including the nationally broadcast Debut Series She has been a participant in several major summer festivals including classes

at the Banff Centre for the Arts and the fellowship program of the Tanglewood Music Centre

After returning to Ottawa from the US in 2000 Olivia enjoyed four months working with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and joined the Vancouver Symphony in September 2001

Ms Blander is a faculty member at the VSO School of Music

OLIVIA BLANDER Cello Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Originally from Albuquerque New Mexico Dylan Palmer joined the Vancouver Symphony as Principal Double Bass in January 2010 Prior to joining the VSO Dylan was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach Florida

Mr Palmer has participated in the Spoleto (USA) Domaine Forget and Sarasota music festivals He attended Tanglewood Music Center in 2005 and 2008 where he performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a fellow

Mr Palmer received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University Of North Texas where he studied with pedagogue Jeff Bradetich

Mr Palmer is also on faculty at the Vancouver Academy of Music the VSO School of Music and a clinician in the VSO Elementary and Secondary Connects program

DYLAN PALMER Principal Bass Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

A native of Calgary Christie Reside began her career in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as second flute at the age of 19 She received her formal training with Timothy Hutchins at McGill University in Montreal and continued her training at the Banff Centre for the Arts

As an enthusiastic chamber musician Ms Reside has been invited to participate in several festivals around the world including the Spoleto Music Festival in Italy the Bellingham Music Festival and the Mountain View International Festival of Song and Chamber Music She has collaborated with artists such as Rudolf Jansen Jonathan Crow Yegor Dyachkov and Matt Haimovitz She frequently performs as a soloist and has appeared with most major Canadian symphony orchestras

Ms Reside is currently the Principal Flute of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra a position she has held since 2004 and is a proud member of the Vancouver-based Standing Wave Ensemble which recently won Ensemble of the Year at the 2017 Western Canadian Music Awards She has previously held the position of Principal Flute of the Seattle Symphony and has also performed as Principal Flute with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Ms Reside teaches at the University of British Columbia as well as at the Vancouver Academy of Music

CHRISTIE RESIDE Principal Flute Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Roger Cole was appointed Principal Oboist of the Vancouver Symphony by Maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama in 1976 At age 22 he was the youngest principal player of the VSO Today he is the oldest principal player

From 1976-2008 he was also the principal oboist of the CBC Radio OrchestraMr Cole received his early musical training in Seattle Washington and went on to become a scholarship student at Yale University and The Juilliard School where he studied with the renowned American oboist Robert BloomMr Cole has participated in the summer music festivals of Aspen Tanglewood and Marlboro He has recently taught conducted and performed at the Marrowstone Music Festival (Bellingham Wa) and the PRISMA Music Festival (Powell River BC) He performs regularly in solo and chamber music recitals and has appeared as soloist with the VSO and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra

many times He has recorded a CD for CBC Records with his VSO colleague pianist Linda Lee Thomas entitled The Expressive Oboe

Mr Cole teaches at the University of British Columbia the Vancouver Academy of Music and the VSO School of Music He has given master classes across North America and Asia

In June 2003 Mr Cole was named Music Director and Senior Orchestra Conductor of the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra Under his guidance the VYSO has flourished and is considered one of the finest Youth Orchestras in Canada The VYSO has performed many times along side the VSO under Maestro Bramwell Tovey

From 1998-2012 he was the principal oboist of the Carmel Bach Festival in California

ROGER COLE Principal Oboe Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Jeanette Jonquil has been the principal clarinetist in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra since 2005 She has performed as guest principal clarinetist with the Minnesota Orchestra Cincinnati Symphony and New Zealand Symphony Before moving to Vancouver she was the principal clarinetist in the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (South Carolina) where she was first featured as a soloist in her second month with the orchestra Prior to that she performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in Wellington and was also a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

For several summers Ms Jonquil was the principal clarinetist of the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra in Boulder She has also performed at the Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival Blueridge Festival Quadra Island Chamber Music Festival and Spoleto Festival USA As a student she attended the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in

Germany Pacific Music Festival in Japan Spoleto Festival USA Chautauqua Music Festival in New York and was a fellow at Tanglewood where she was awarded the Gino B Cioffi Memorial Prize for most outstanding woodwind playing

Ms Jonquil is originally from Utica New York where she began playing the clarinet in her school band program She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and her Master of Music degree from Yale University Her primary teachers were Russell Dagon and David Shifrin Some of her other accomplishments include winning the Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition and the Daniel Nyfenger Memorial Prize for Excellence in Woodwind Playing (both at Yale) and winning first prize at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition in Los Angeles

JEANETTE JONQUIL Principal Clarinet Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Born in Sorel-Tracy Sophie Dansereau obtained the Prix avec Grande Distinction agrave lunanimiteacute in bassoon and chamber music from the Conservatoire de Musique du Queacutebec as well as a Masters of Music from Yale University Her main teachers are Richard Gagnon Frank Morelli Christopher Millard and Steacutephane Leacutevesque

Contrabassoonist and assistant principal bassoonist of the Vancouver Symphony and principal bassoonist of the CBC Radio Orchestra Sophie has performed with the Auckland Philharmonic (New Zealand) the New World Symphony the National Art Centre and lOrchestre Symphonique de Queacutebec as well as several major music festivals around the world She has worked on several occasions with the finest conductors such as Bramwell Tovey Seiji Ozawa Robert Spano Michael Tilson Thomas

Pinchas Zukerman Alain Trudel Yannick Neacutezet-Seacuteguin and Charles Dutoit Sophie has been awarded many prizes in major national and international competitions and was featured as a soloist on many occasions with the APO and the VSO A sought after bassoonist in chamber music she is a member of the Admare Quintet

Sophie who had received the Governor General Medal for Academic Merit in 1992 has also served on the faculty of the University of British Colombia She is now teaching at the Vancouver Academy of Music and is the instructor for the woodwind section

Besides her full work schedule Sophie is an enthusiastic runner and swimmer

SOPHIE DANSEREAU Assistant Principal Bassoon Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Oliver de Clercq was introduced live to Vancouver Symphony Orchestra audiences as Principal Horn in January 2001 He has recorded award winning music for Film Television Game Soundtrack and PopClassical Albums Mr de Clercq performed the World Premiere of Mosaic by Knudson the Albanian Premiere of Strausss First Concerto and in various concerti with the Albanian Radio Television Orchestra Boston Pops Boston University Symphony Orchestra Okanagan Symphony Vancouver Philharmonic Vancouver Symphony and West Coast Symphony

Mr de Clercq has participated in the Arizona Music Festival Aspen Music Festival Boston University Tanglewood Institute Cannon Music Camp Chautauqua Institution Eastern Music Festival Florida State

University Summer Band Camp Hiroshima Symphony Road to Peace Kamloops Interior Summer School of Music New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra Brazil Tour Vancouver Symphony Orchestra 200820092013 Tours and 2010 Winter Olympics National Anthems

After receiving a Bachelor of Music Degree in Brass Performance from Boston University Mr de Clercq attended the Juilliard School for one semester

He plays instruments by Conn Paxman and Schmid

OLIVER DE CLERCQ Principal French Horn Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Larry Knopp began his career as Acting Principal Trumpet of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the age of 20 He has also held positions as Principal Trumpet with Orchestra London the Hamilton Philharmonic the CBC Radio Orchestra as well as the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and is currently Principal Trumpet of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Larry has performed and recorded with the Boston Symphony Orchestra the New York Philharmonic as well as the three tenors

Larry completed his Masters degree at Northwestern University where he played in the Chicago Civic Orchestra and studied with Vincent Cichowicz He has finished the academic work for his Doctoral degree at the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Barbara Butler

As an educator and conductor with a Bachelor of Education Degree Larry has directed ensembles from junior high to university levels and has recently finished appointments as visiting Professor of trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Northwestern University School of Music Larry is active as a clinician throughout North America Australia and Asia As a faculty member at many summer festivals Larry attracts numerous students to Vancouver teaching at the University of British Columbia

Larry has performed as a soloist and recitalist on television as well as CBC local and national radio including solo performances with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra London the Hamilton Philharmonic the Vancouver Symphony the CBC Vancouver Orchestra and the Malaysia Philharmonic Orchestra

LARRY KNOPP Principal Trumpet Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Brian Wendel joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) as Principal Trombone in 2017 Winner of the Alessi Seminar Asia Competition (2018) and two International Trombone Association competitions (2014 and 2016) Brian has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra Seattle Symphony New York Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic Brass Ensemble and has appeared as a soloist with the Juilliard Trombone Choir He has worked with conductors Yannick Neacutezet-Seacuteguin Valery Gergiev Bramwell Tovey Esa-Pekka Salonen David Robertson Alan Gilbert and Jaap Van Zweden among others

The 201920 season highlights include Brianrsquos debut performances as soloist with both the Vancouver and Prince George Symphonies as well as recital performances and clinics at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Music where he is adjunct professor of trombone

In the realm of chamber music performances have taken him to venues including the United Nations the Russian Embassy in Washington DC Madison Square Garden and Rogers Arena He enjoys performing with the VSO Brass Quintet and engaging with audiences through a more intimate setting

As a teacher Brian is passionate about working with students of all ages and backgrounds In 2018 he mentored students at the Alessi Seminar Asia and then returned in 2019 as Associate Instructor for the seminar Since joining the VSO he has enjoyed teaching at the VSO orchestral institute as well as with VSO Connects an outreach program for high school musicians in British Columbia

Since 2017 Brian has collaborated with VSO Bass Trombonist Ilan Morgenstern forming educational and performance programs for trombone players in the lower mainland as well as around North America including the highly successful Vancouver Trombone Week (VTW) and Holiday Slides

Starting on the piano at age six and the trombone at age nine Brian studied both classical and jazz music from an early age Growing up in the rural town of Conway Massachusetts he was a student at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School in high school Some of Brianrsquos early musical mentors include David Sporny Norman Bolter Andy Jaffe and his dad Renato Wendel Brian received his bachelorrsquos degree from The Juilliard School where he was a scholarship student of Joseph Alessi Brian is a performing artist for the Edwards Instrument Co wwwbrianwendelmusiccom

BRIAN WENDEL Principal Trombone Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Ilan began his musical studies at the municipal youth conservatory in his hometown of Rehovot Israel and at the age of 18 he joined the Israel Defense Forces as a trombone and euphonium player in the IDF Army Band Following completion of his service Ilan earned degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (BM) and from the University of Michiganrsquos School of Music Theatre amp Dance (MM)

Prior to his current positions Ilan has held positions with the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra Jacksonville Symphony and Kansas City Symphony and in addition has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra Atlanta Symphony Dallas Symphony Utah Symphony Houston Symphony Detroit Symphony Virginia Symphony New Israeli Opera and the Israel Philharmonic

As a soloist Ilan has performed concertos with the with the San Antonio Symphony United States ldquoPershings Ownrdquo Army Orchestra Millennium Orchestra (Seoul Korea) Jeju Symphony Orchestra (Jeju Korea) and

the National Repertory Orchestra In addition Ilan has won numerous awards for his playing including the Alessi Seminar Solo Competition Jeju International Brass and Percussion Competition Baur Competition Zellmer-Minnesota Orchestra Competition Van Haney Bass Trombone Philharmonic Prize National Solo Competition at the Eastern Trombone Workshop and the National Repertory Orchestras Concerto Competition

Ilan can be heard on recordings with the Cincinnati Pops Kansas City Symphony Atlanta Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra His debut recording project Its Alive New Music for Bass Trombone a collaboration with composer Robert Denham and pianist David Gilliland was released in May of 2016 and is available for purchase from itsalivecdcom

For more go to ilanmorgensterncom

ILAN MORGENSTERN Bass Trombone Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Peder MacLellan is Principal Tuba with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and is also a sessional lecturer at UBC where he teaches low brass and coaches chamber ensembles In the past Peder has been principal tuba with the South Bend and Lafayette Symphony Orchestras and was the Associate Instructor of Tuba and Euphonium at Indiana University

Before moving to Vancouver Peder maintained a successful career as a freelance musician in the US and was an active studio musician in Indianapolis

Peder has performed throughout Canada and the United States in various chamber music settings symphony orchestras wind ensembles big bands and small group jazz ensembles A native of Winnipeg Manitoba he earned his Bachelors degree in Music Performance from The University of Manitoba Peder holds a Masters Degree from Indiana University Bloomington and is in the process of completing a Doctorate

Peder is a Buffet Group Tuba Artist and Clinician He performs exclusively on BampS instruments

PEDER MACLELLAN Principal Tuba Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Aaron McDonald is Principal Timpanist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Lake Tahoe Summerfest Orchestra Prior to joining the VSO he was timpanist with the West Virginia Symphony and performed and toured with the Cleveland Orchestra Los Angeles Philharmonic Indianapolis Symphony and the Buffalo Philharmonic

Since moving to Vancouver he has performed with the VSO Chamber Players Turning Point Ensemble Music on Main Concert Series UBC Noon Hour Concert Series and the Vancouver Film Orchestra As a soloist he has performed concertos with the VSO Calgary Philharmonic

and the Lake Tahoe Summerfest Orchestra He currently teaches at the UBC School of Music and the VSO School of Music

Aaron received his Masters in Orchestra Performance from the Manhattan School of Music where studied with Chris Lamb of the New York Philharmonic and Duncan Patton of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra He then moved to Cleveland to Study with Tom Freer of the Cleveland Orchestra Music festivals he has participated in include the Music Academy of the West Tanglewood and the Israel International Symphony Orchestra

AARON MCDONALD Principal Timpani Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Vern Griffiths is a dynamic and versatile performer who joined the Vancouver Symphony as Principal Percussionist in 1997 He has been a featured soloist with the orchestra many times on many different series but 2019 saw his first full-length concerto performance in the world premiere of the percussion concerto Perxploitation by award-winning composer and video artist Nicole Lizeacutee He has also appeared as soloist over 50 times all across Canada in a kids show with orchestra that he wrote called Wall to Wall Percussion He has performed Wall to Wall Percussion with the Vancouver Victoria Edmonton Winnipeg and Toronto Symphonies and also the Calgary Philharmonic including 11 performances this season in Vancouver Victoria and Winnipeg Also new this season is that Vern will be making his Vancouver Symphony conducting debut in performances with Holly Cole Magic Circle Mime and Lemony Snickett

Vern is a member of the award-winning new music group Standing Wave and has performed many times with the Turning Point Ensemble the Music on Main All-Star Band the VSO Chamber Players and faculty concerts at UBC He has also played on soundtracks for Disney Dreamworks ABC IMAX EA Sports NFB Universal Pictures A committed educator Vern has been on faculty at the School of Music at UBC since 1997 and also teaches at the VSO School of Music

Born and raised in North Vancouver Vern has degrees in both Commerce and Music from the University of British Columbia studying percussion with John Rudolph Vern then earned his Master of Music degree in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music as a student of Chris Lamb of the New York Philharmonic and Duncan Patton of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Other studies include the Aspen Music Festival National Youth Orchestra of Canada the National Orchestral Institute (Maryland) and the Altenberg Music

VERN GRIFFITHS Principal Percussion Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Percussionist Michael Jarrett joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Percussion section in 2017

Prior to joining VSO he was a percussion fellow at the New World Symphony As a guest percussionist he has been fortunate enough to perform with The Cleveland Orchestra New York Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony During the summers he has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center National Repertory Orchestra and Music Academy of

the West he is known as a virtuosic and enthusiastic musician in all of these roles

Michael is a faculty member at the VSO School of Music and a clinician in the VSO Secondary and Elementary Connects program

MICHAEL JARRETT Percussion Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Elizabeth Volpeacute Bligh became the Vancouver Symphonyrsquos Principal Harpist in 1982 after six seasons as the Principal Harpist of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra She retired formally from the VSO in 2018 A graduate of University of Torontorsquos Bachelor of Music program in 1975 she studied with Judy Loman (Toronto Symphony) Alice Chalifoux (Cleveland Orchestra) and Edna Phillips (Philadelphia Orchestra)

Ms Volpeacutersquos career includes concerto performances with the VSO and other orchestras chamber music concerts movie soundtracks and recordings She is featured in The Greater Vancouver Album a collection of works by Michael Conway Baker and performed the Harp Concerto that he wrote for her with the VSO She premiered a commissioned piece by Scott Good Sonata for harp and strings at the World Harp Congress in Sydney Australia in 2014 and repeated the performance with the VSO Many of Elizabethrsquos students have won awards such as the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Edith Lando Gifted Youth Scholarship and RCM Medals and four students have been members of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada She has enjoyed watching her students become successful

professional harpists and harp teachers Her teaching career has included teaching privately and at institutions such as the VSO School of Music UBC VSOIW PRISMA Vancouver Academy of Music Vancouver Community College and many others She has had students from all over the world come to study with her including from Hong Kong Singapore Ireland Germany and France She taught and performed at the 6th International Harp Workshop in Sanctuaria del Crea in ItalyMs Volpeacute has had articles published in Harp Column Teachersrsquo Forum of the American Harp Journal Dutch Harp Journal the New Zealand Harp Association newsletter and online She has given master classes in China Italy New Zealand the USA and across Canada

Her compositions for solo harp several of which are included in the 2008 Royal Conservatory of Music and Trinity UK Syllabuses are being taught and performed all over the world They are available on Harp Column Music and Canadian Music Center

ldquounparalleled purity and subtletyrdquo ~ David Gordon Duke Vancouver Sun

httpswwwelizabethvolpeblighcom

ELIZABETH VOLPEacute BLIGH Principal Harp (retired) Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

American-born conductor Jonathan Girard is one of the rising stars of his generation A passionate musician committed to engaging audiences with thrilling performances he continues to gain a reputation as a musical force equally versed in symphonic repertoire opera and new music As the Director of Orchestras at the University of British Columbia School of Music Mr Girard dedicates himself to raising the standard of orchestral training in Western Canada

The UBC Symphonyrsquos 2015-2016 season celebrated the University centennial year with a world premiegravere by Jared Miller Soundscape for a Century Past and the ninth symphonies of Beethoven Schubert and

Shostakovich The 2014-2015 season featured Bartokrsquos Concerto for Orchestra and Shostakovichrsquos Symphony No 5 and culminated in two performances of Mahlerrsquos Symphony No 2 with 300 musicians on stage Highlights of 2013-2014 season included a landmark performance of Le Sacre du printemps to mark the 100th anniversary of the workrsquos premiegravere and a tour of Western Canada with Canadian violinist David Gillham featuring the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Beethovenrsquos Symphony No 5 and Straussrsquo Don Juan

httpswwwjonathangirardcom httpsmusicubcca httpsmusicubccachamber-orchestra-festival

JONATHAN GIRARD Assistant Conductor VSO Institute Artistic Director UBC Chamber Orchestra Festival











































































































VSOI Faculty 2020 - Vancouver Symphony · 2019. 12. 19. · Susan Graham, Alina Ibragimova, Gidon...

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