dear friends,
Welcome to the 2013-14 Virtuosi Concerts season! For over 20 years we have taken great pride in presenting to you an outstanding international chamber music concert series that features both rising stars and established artists – many of whom are making their Canadian debuts right here on our stage.
Our upcoming season offers a wonderful variety of programming: four piano recitals, two string quartets, a piano trio, and a violin-piano duo in a rare all-Brahms programme. I’m especially delighted to present the Winnipeg premiere of Beethoven’s fourth and Chopin’s second piano concertos in their authentic chamber versions – as originally conceived by the composers themselves.
In the warmth of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall, you will find an unparalleled musical intimacy between artist and audience. Performances are enhanced by intriguing and engaging commentary by our virtuosi, offering a fresh perspective to both well-loved classics and lesser-known works.
Virtuosi enjoys a unique relationship with our audience. Through our ‘Audience As Critic’ feature, insightful comments by our concert-goers have told us that we have been successful in providing unforgettable concert experiences.
And so, I invite you to join us to share in ‘the Virtuosi Experience” by subscribing to the University of Winnipeg’s Virtuosi Concerts – celebrated as one of Canada’s foremost Chamber Music series.
I look forward to seeing you during the upcoming season.
8pm Saturday, September 21
A Sense of Grace
GABRIELA MARTINEZ, piano
Venezuelan-born and Julliard-trained, Gabriela Martinez is a winner of the Anton Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Dresden. Her playing is “compelling, elegant, and incisive” (New York Times). She is a versatile artist who combines “panache and poetry…with a sense of grace and clarity” (Dallas Morning News; The Star Ledger). Conductor Gustavo Dudamel heralded her as “simply a genius.”
Programme: Works by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Szymanowski
8pm Saturday, October 5
A Legendary Debut
FINE ARTS QUARTET
Ralph Evans & Efim Boico, violins; Nicolò Eugelmi, viola; Robert Cohen, cello; with Special Guest Artist: Michael Kim, piano
Virtuosi Concerts is proud to present “…one of the gold-plated names in chamber music” (Washington Post). One of the elite few to have recorded and toured internationally for over half a century, the Fine Arts Quartet finally is making its Manitoba debut in both Winnipeg and Brandon, thanks to our good friend, pianist and Brandon University Dean on Music, Michael Kim. The Boston Globe found Michael “effective and expressive…with a razor-sharp attack.” And, in Regina, “His electrifying performance stole the show and set the joint on fire!” (Regina Leader Post)
Programme: Mozart String Quartet in C Major, K.465, “Dissonant” Debussy String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 Schumann Quintet for Piano and Strings in E flat minor, Op. 44
