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Musicians' Biographies
Trio Lajoie
The trio has given regular concerts since its formation in 2008. They were invited to the prestigious Chamber Music at Sainte-Pétronille festival in 2009. In 2010, they played a Schumann program at the Chapelle Saint-Louis in Montréal as part of the “Lundis d'Edgar” series, and performed at the Place-des-Arts as part of Pro Musica's Les Mélodines series. They were in residence at the Banff Centre in January of this year, and have also given concerts at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur and the Salle des Jeunesses Musicales du Canada. Their concerts are an innovative mix in which they perform solo works and duos in addition to playing together as a trio.
For more information, please see their website.
Timothy Hutchins and Janet Creaser Hutchins
Timothy Hutchins and Janet Creaser Hutchins have performed together as a duo on four continents since meeting in 1975. Their CD Flûte à la française on the Decca label (described as “delectable” by Gramophone magazine) is often heard in broadcasts around the world. They both have active careers as soloists. Timothy Hutchins has been the principal flautist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra since 1978. He has received international acclaim as a concert soloist, and as a chamber musician. He will be performing as a soloist in the inaugural concert of the MSO's new concert hall in September, and has appeared as a guest principal with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and Kurt Masur. Janet Creaser Hutchins has often appeared as principal pianist with the MSO since 1983 (in concert, on CD, in radio and television broadcasts, and on tour). She has appeared in a broad variety of concerts with prominent instrumentalists and singers across North America, in Japan (including with the NHK Symphony) and in Europe.
For more information, see their Wikipedia entry.
Cecilia String Quartet
The Cecilia Quartet were first-prize winners at the 2010 Banff International String Quartet Competition, and have attracted the attention of the chamber music world at home and internationally. They are one of Canada's most exciting young ensembles. The Gazette praised them for their “extraordinary commitment and maturity.” They are currently the Resident String Quartet at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. In addition to their Banff award, they were prize-winners at the Bordeaux (2010), Osaka (2008), and Rutenberg (2008) chamber music competitions. Committed to teaching and outreach, they have taught at Austin Chamber Music Festival, at San Diego State University, at McGill University, and at the QuartetFest at Laurier University.
More information on this ensemble can be found at their website.
The New Orford String Quartet
The New Orford was founded in July 2009 to carry on the tradition of their famous predecessors, the Orford String Quartet, one of the most prestigious chamber groups in the history of Canadian music. They are all current or former principal players in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra or the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. About their debut performance (at the Orford Arts Centre for national broadcast by the CBC), the Gazette hailed the performance as “sweet, balanced and technically unassailable less than a week after their members met for the first time.” Their avowed aim is to focus on a limited touring schedule (inspired by the success of modern chamber orchestras such as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra) and to meet for residencies for short periods of time to “provide a fresh perspective on interpretations of standard string quartet repertoire.”
To find out more about the New Orford Quartet, see their website.
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