Violinist Jae-Won Bang received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Colburn School and Yale School of Music respectively, and Master of Music in Historical Performance from the Juilliard School. In 2012, she was featured on the NEXT Young Artist series on CBC Radio Two with pianist Ryo Yanagitani, as the first artist to be heard on both baroque and modern violins.

Jae-Won has collaborated with Clive Greensmith, Gil Kalish, Ronald Leonard, Rachel Podger, Arnold Steinhardt, and has performed in Weill Hall and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Kennedy Centre, Alice Tully Hall, the Greene Space at WQXR, and le poisson rouge. She has also appeared as a Young Artist with Da Camera Houston for the 2015/2016 season. Her teachers include Gerald and Toni Stanick, Robert Lipsett, Ani Kavafian, Laurie Smukler, and Cho-Liang Lin on violin and Robert Mealy, Cynthia Roberts and Monica Huggett on baroque violin. As an orchestral musician, Jae-Won has previously performed in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. Since the 2016/2017 season, she has been a member of the first violin section in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Described as creating a “mesmerizing musical experience” by combining his “deep personal connection” (Toronto Live Music Report) with “luscious tone and technical prowess” (The Vancouver Sun), Ariel Barnes has been hailed as “truly an inspiring artist…the outstanding Canadian Cellist of his generation” (Maestro Bramwell Tovey). Equally comfortable with Baroque to Modern musical languages, his international concert engagements in Europe, North America and Asia include concerto appearances, chamber music collaborations and solo recitals, featuring performances in such venues as Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, Canada’s Orpheum Theatre, Germany’s Meistersingerhalle, Smetana Hall in Prague and the Tisch Auditorium in New York City.  

As a celebrated performer and recording artist, he is broadcast on platforms including CBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, Hessischer Radio and Bavarian Radio & Television, has toured as a featured Jeunesses Musicales Canada Solo Artist and was featured in CBC Radio’s Canadian Bach Cello Suite project to launch their highly successful cbc.ca on-line music portal. His critically acclaimed recordings have been released on the Paladino (AUS), Orlando (AUS), Analekta (CAD), Centrediscs (CAD), Redshift (CAD) and PARMA/Ravello (USA) record labels, and his solo appearances include collaborations with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, INSO Lviv Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Kingston Symphony, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Island Symphony, Nuernberger Symphoniker, Canadian Chamber Choir, Festival de Febrero Chamber Orchestra, Cantus Ensemble and Turning Point Ensemble with conductors Bramwell Tovey, Yoav Talmi, Anne Manson, Earl Stafford, Steven Mercurio, Evan Mitchell, Pierre Simard, Tania Miller, Rosemary Thompson, Lutz Köhler, Owen Underhill, Julia Davids, and Alexander Zemtsov. 

With a passion for creating 21st Century Art Music he is consistently involved in working with composers and ensembles to develop new literature for the cello as a solo and chamber music instrument, currently having 6 Concerti and 11 Solo and Chamber works written especially for him.  Ariel was awarded 1st Prize at the 24th International Johannes Brahms Competition, is a recipient of  two Western Canadian Music Awards, a Juno nomination, the Felix Galimir Chamber Music Award @ the University of Toronto and has received generous project support from the British Columbia Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts, most notably as a winner of the 2012 Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank Competition. He is former Principal Cellist with the Vancouver Opera Company, CBC Radio Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and is currently Principal Cellist of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra.

At the core of his nourishment as an artist are his chamber music projects and collaborations. Dedicated to this genre for nearly 20 years now, his partners have included the Zodiac Trio, Dover String Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Musica Intima, members of the Attacca String Quartet, Manhattan Chamber Players, Australian String Quartet, Ensemble Made in Canada and the Formosa String Quartet, and many individual artists including Jane Coop, Arthur Rowe, Sarah Davis Beuchner, Francine Kay, Pawel Kolesnikov, Mahan Esfahani, Lars Vogt, Lara St. John, Soyoung Yoon, Bogdan Božović, Mark Fewer, Martin Chalifour, Benjamin Bowman, Jonathan Crowe,  Andrew Wan, Steven Dann, Juan-Miguel Hernandez, Teng Li, Carrie Dennis, David Harding, Rosalind Ventris, Julian Arp, Lorna McGee, Susan Hoeppner, Sergio Pallottelli, Daniel Bolshoy and new music luminaries such as Steven Schick and Caroline Shaw.  He has enjoyed repeat appearances at the Saronic Chamber Music Festival (Greece) Ottawa Chamberfest (Canada), Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), Victoria Summer Music Festival (Canada), The Zodiac Music Festival and Academy (France), and is proud to be a founding member and regular guest of the Northern Lights Festival de Febrero (Mexico).  Harpist Heidi Krutzen and Ariel Barnes form COULOIR, a cello/harp duo dedicated to developing a body of 21st Century Art Music for this colourful and evocative combination of instruments. COULOIR was awarded the honour of "2016 Artist of the Year" at the Western Canadian Music Awards for the release of their second recording, MAXWELL, MUHLY & COULOIR (www.couloirduo.com).

As a dedicated teacher, Mr. Barnes has fostered the talents of many cellists, aiding them in garnering prizes and recognition at the Busan Maru (Korea), Johansen (USA), Stulberg (USA) and Sheen (CAN) competitions and helping them continue their studies at some of the World’s finest music schools including the  Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles, the Hans Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal and the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences.  Mr. Barnes is the former co-head of the cello department at the Vancouver Academy of Music and as a visiting artist has taught masterclasses at the University of Toronto, University of Manitoba, Brandon University and Penn State University. Mr. Barnes currently teaches a private class of students in Nuremberg, Germany.

Nourished by his experience in all major genres of performance and pedagogy, Ariel Barnes’ natural musicianship is recognised in his collaboration with musicians throughout the world.

"...played passionately by Ariel Barnes..." BBC Music Magazine

Joan Blackman is a violinist, orchestral leader, chamber musician, curator, and mentor whose distinguished career has spanned solo, orchestral, and chamber music performance across British Columbia and beyond. A longtime member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, she served as Assistant and then Associate Concertmaster, and has been widely praised for her ravishing tone, lyricism, precision, and joy.

Joan has served as Artistic Director of Vetta Chamber Music Society since 2007, where she has curated innovative programs, championed Canadian music, and nurtured emerging artists through Vetta’s mentorship program, which supports young women at the beginning of their musical careers. She has also curated the summer festival for the Pender Harbour Concert Society. Deeply committed to music as a force for connection, she is especially passionate about mentorship and about fostering cross-cultural collaboration, including projects that build respectful creative relationships with First Nations artists and communities.

As a soloist, Joan has performed with the Vancouver Island Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Vancouver Philharmonic, CBC Radio Orchestra, Turning Point Ensemble, Elektra, and the Banff Centre Orchestra. Her chamber music appearances have included Music in the Morning, MusicFest Vancouver, Jeffrey Concerts in London, Ontario, and the American String Project in Seattle, as well as summer festivals such as Hornby Island Festival, Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival, Kaimerata, and Victoria Summer Music Festival. She is also a member of the eclectic ensemble Four Jays.

Her next chapter includes joining the Vancouver Island Symphony as Concertmaster, bringing her artistry and leadership to a new musical home.

Shang Jung (Kitty) Chan, recipient of the 2018 British Columbia Arts Council Scholarship, is also a holder of two Performer’s Associate Diplomas (ARCT) from the
Royal Conservatory of Music for cello and piano. She appeared at various summer programs including the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Scotia Festival of Music and Le Domaine Forget Strings Academy. Kitty was a chosen participant in the Institute of Orchestral Studies with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in partnership with University of Ottawa, as well as a student mentee in the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. Some highlight participations in public masterclass include ones with world-class cellists
Mischa Maisky, Paul Watkins from the Emerson String Quartet, Laurence Lesser of New England Conservatory of Music, Marc Coppey of Conservatoire de Paris, Steven Doane, and Philippe Muller. Kitty is a holder of two bachelor’s degrees and one master’s degree in Biology and Music Performance.

Described as “evocative and kaleidoscopic” and “beautiful and gripping”, the music of composer Dorothy Chang reflects an eclectic mix of musical influences ranging from popular and folk music to elements of traditional Chinese music. Many of her works are inspired by place, time, memory, and the question of cultural identity.

Dorothy’s catalog includes over eighty compositions, including works for mixed Chinese and Western ensembles as well those involving staging, movement, theatre and dance. Her interest in cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration has led to some of her favourite projects including: a radio play adaptation of Gertrude Stein’s White Wines for four vocalists and speaking percussionist; a double concerto, Gateways, for PEP (Piano and Erhu Project), Flying White (飞白) for mixed Chinese and Western ensemble with Wen Wei Dance; and Shelter, a collaboration with harpist Janelle Nadeau and filmmaker Sean Shaul. Her most recent orchestral work, Precipice, was commissioned by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and performed as part of the orchestra’s 2023 US tour to the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.

Dorothy’s music has been featured in concerts and festivals across North America and abroad, with performances by the Albany Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver Island Symphony and Victoria Symphony Orchestras, as well as by chamber ensembles including the Chai Found Music Workshop (Taiwan), Chicago Saxophone Quartet, Collage New Music, eighth blackbird, the Emily Carr String Quartet, Land’s End Ensemble, Music from China, the Orchid Ensemble, PhoeNX Ensemble, the Smith Quartet, Sound of Dragon, Soundstreams, Standing Wave, Turning Point Ensemble, and the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra, among others. 

Awards and honours that Dorothy has received include a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the International Alliance for Women in Music, the National Society of Arts and Letters, Meet the Composer and the Jacob Druckman Orchestra Prize from the Aspen Music Festival. She has received commissions from the Canada Council of the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, the Barlow Endowment, Chamber Music America, and the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust. For the 2003-04 and 2005-08 seasons, Dorothy held a Music Alive composer residency with the Albany Symphony Orchestra.   In 2008 she was awarded the inaugural commission from the Women’s Philharmonic Commissioning Project of Meet the Composer for a new orchestral work, Strange Air, which was premiered at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music by  Marin Alsop and the festival orchestra. Her work Beyond Shadows was nominated as “Best Classical Composition” for the 2015 Western Canadian Music Awards. Her flute concerto Flight received a 2022 JUNO Award nomination for Best Classical Composition. That same year, she won the Western Canadian Music Awards “Classical Composer of the Year”, and was nominated again in the same category in 2024.

Born in Winfield, Illinois, Dorothy began her music studies on piano at age six and began composing at the age of fourteen. She received degrees in composition from the University of Michigan (B.M., M.M.) and the Indiana University School of Music (D.M). A dedicated educator, she has served on the music faculty at Indiana State University, and since 2003 has been a Professor of Music at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

With music described as “breathtaking” (Kitchener-Waterloo Record), “imaginative and  expressive” (The National Post), “a pulse-pounding barrage on the senses” (The Globe and  Mail), and “Bartok on steroids” (Birmingham News), Kelly-Marie Murphy’s voice is well  known on the Canadian music scene. She has created a number of memorable works for  some of Canada’s leading performers and ensembles, including the Toronto, Winnipeg,  and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras, The Gryphon Trio, James Campbell, Shauna  Rolston, the Cecilia and Afiara String Quartets, and Judy Loman. 

In addition to many academic scholarships awarded in Canada and England, Dr. Murphy  has also won prizes for her music, dating back to 1992. Her career was launched when  she won first prize and the People's Choice Award at the CBC Young Composer's  Competition in 1994 (string quartet category). Since then, Dr. Murphy’s music has been  performed around the world by outstanding soloists and ensembles, and has had radio  broadcasts in over 22 countries. Her music has been interpreted by renowned conductors  such as Sir Andrew Davis, David Brophy, Bramwell Tovey, and Mario Bernardi, and has  been heard in iconic concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall in New York and The Mozarteum  in Salzburg. 

Kelly-Marie Murphy was born on a NATO base in Sardegna, Italy, and grew up on  Canadian Armed Forces bases all across Canada. She began her studies in composition at  the University of Calgary with William Jordan and Allan Bell, and later received a Ph.D. in  composition from the University of Leeds, England, where she studied with Philip Wilby.  After living and working for many years in the Washington D.C. area where she was  designated "an alien of extraordinary ability" by the US Immigration and Naturalization  Service, she is now based in Ottawa. 

‘An Artist of immense gifts.”  Vancouver Sun

Through her depth of expression as an internationally acclaimed harp soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, actor, teacher and writer, Rita Costanzi “bears the mark of the true Artist: a musician of exceptional accomplishment whose warmth and exquisite virtuosity touch listeners in deep and unexpected ways.”  Celtic Author, Treasa O’Driscoll

In November, 2024, a Theater Piece with Harp (Woman On A Ledge) by Hershey Felder - based on her Memoir - was  presented for twelve performances at Theater for the New City, directed by Lissa Moira. Victoria Dammer, Opening Night Critic wrote: 

“An Unforgettable One-Woman Show of Heart and Humanity: this performance offers a profound experience that resonates long after the final note fades.”

Costanzi’s latest CD, Amoroso, (2023) with oboist, Alex Klein, received great critical acclaim (“ravishing”)  and over two million streams in its inaugural year. It continues to be one of the highest streamed releases in the Parma Recordings catalogue.

Her documentary film“Moonlight in the Bronx” (2020) – an international prize-winner - captivated viewers around the world with its powerful memorial to Ludwig van Beethoven and the victims of the Covid Pandemic.

Yearly Masterclasses at Brazil’s FEMUSC Festival attract students from around the world who are deeply transformed as harpists and human beings. She has performed and taught internationally in North and South America, Europe and Australia. Recently, her first Open Window Harp Retreat was inaugurated in Krakow, Poland, and is now being planned as an annual Event.

Costanzi’s Memoir, The Strings of my Heart (2025),  comprised of 47 Vignettes – one for each string of her concert grand harp – narrates her life as daughter of a celebrated violist, international harp soloist, actor, writer, teacher, composer, mystic, wife, mother, grandmother and divorcee. It is being distributed internationally by Page Publishing.

Daughter of the noted violist, Francis Tursi, her teachers included Eileen Malone, Bernard Zighera, Marcel Grandjany and Jacqueline Borot.

https://www.ritacostanzi.com/ 

Hyeonbeen is a Korean born violist who recently earned her master’s and bachelor’s degree in viola performance at University of British Columbia’s School of Music. During her studies, she studied with Emilie Grimes, Marina Thibeault, and Ryan Davis. Hyeonbeen is a recipient of many awards and scholarships and she has graduated with high distinction for both of her degrees. She also was named a bronze medalist for the 2023 Vancouver International Music Competition. As an aspiring young musician, she has participated in many renowned summer music festivals and masterclasses such as Domaine Forget where she had opportunities to study with Jeniffer Stumm, Ivo Van der Werff, and Lynn Ramsey to name a few. Recently, Hyeonbeen has emerged herself as a young professional in classical music field in Vancouver and has played with professional orchestras such as Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and Prince George Symphony Orchestra as a substitute violist. She also is a passionate music educator and currently teaches at Bao Bao Arts Centre in Port Coquitlam.

David Harding has an extensive solo and chamber music career, having performed throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, Central America and Australia, in such renowned venues as Berlin’s Philharmonie, the Beethovenhaus in Bonn, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and New York’s 92nd Street Y and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Noted for his “eloquent viola playing”, David has performed at music festivals around the world, including the Edinburgh International Festival, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Sitka Chamber Music Festival, Australian Festival of Chamber Music, and Philip Glass’ “Days and Nights Festival” in Big Sur, California. David’s career has involved collaborations with leading instrumentalists and ensembles such as the Pacifica, Shanghai, Cypress, Dover, Fine Arts and Miro Quartets as well as the Gryphon Trio. David was formerly a member of the Toronto String Quartet and the Chester String Quartet as well as the Canadian string trio “Triskelion.” With his wife, flutist Lorna McGhee and harpist, Heidi Krutzen, David is a member of Trio Verlaine.

David’s live performances have been broadcast on CBC Radio (Canada), BBC Radio 3 (UK), NPR’s ‘Performance Today’ (USA), ABC (Australia) and Deutschland Radio. David has recorded two CDs with Trio Verlaine; “ Fin de Siècle, the music of Debussy and Ravel”   and “Six Departures” featuring works by Bax and Jolivet alongside new commissions by R. Murray Schafer and Jeffery Cotton. “Six Departures” was chosen to be CBC Radio’s ‘Classical CD of the Week.’ Other recordings include Philip Glass’ String Sextet and Schoenberg’s “Verklärte Nacht” on Orange Mountain Records, Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” with the string trio Triskelion for CBC records, the music of Aaron Jay Kernis with the Chester Quartet, and Brahms’ Viola Sonatas with pianist Phillip Bush for Skylark Music.

In addition to performing the core chamber music literature, David enjoys working closely with composers on new commissions and has helped to expand the repertoire for viola with four solo commissions, and five chamber music commissions to date. In collaboration with Philip Glass, he has worked on interdisciplinary projects with poets Jerry Quickley, Mike Garry, and kora player, Foday Musa Suso. David has worked alongside rock musicians in studio sessions, and arranged the string tracks for the Juno-winning, Grammy-nominated album “Mad Mad World” by Tom Cochrane. Prior to joining the Chester Quartet and embarking on a chamber music career, David was Assistant Principal Viola of the Canadian Opera Company, and performed and recorded with renowned early music ensemble, Tafelmusik.

David is currently Professor of Viola and Chamber Music at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He has given masterclasses throughout North America, and was formerly Associate Professor of Viola at the University of British Columbia, and with the Chester String Quartet, “Ensemble in Residence” at Indiana University South Bend. A graduate of the Juilliard School of Music and winner of the Sir John Barbirolli Award at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, David’s primary teachers were Tibor Vaghy, Paul Doktor and Emmanuel Vardi. He performs on violas made by Nicolas Gilles, Montpellier, France and Pietro Antonio Della Costa, Treviso, Italy.

Sevilya Hendrickx Rai was introduced to classical music at a young age and received her professional education in both Russia and the Netherlands. Her studies in Russia provided a strong traditional foundation and early connections with internationally renowned musicians, while her time in the Netherlands exposed her to Baroque performance practice, contemporary music, and a wide range of playing styles. 

She earned her Master’s degree with distinction from the Royal Conservatory of the Netherlands and performed with many Dutch professional orchestras. Early in her studies, she was invited by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, to join their tour of France. She has also appeared as Guest Principal Viola with the North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the South Netherlands Philharmonic. 

Sevilya later became a member of the Hague Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed in major concert halls across Europe and Russia, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonia. 
After moving to Canada, Sevilya became active as both a performer and educator in British Columbia. She joined the Vancouver Island Symphony in 2019 and became Principal Viola in 2025. Since 2021, she has served as Artistic Director of the Vancouver Island Conservatory of Music & Arts, where she focuses on creating a flexible and personalized approach to music and arts education.
 
In 2022, she was invited as Guest Principal Viola with Vancouver Opera, and in 2024 she appeared as a featured soloist with the Vancouver Island Symphony. Over the years, she has built strong professional relationships with conductors and musicians from around the world.

Samantha Kung obtained both her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance, and a Master’s degree in music at the University of British Columbia. Winner of many scholarships, she was a member of the quartet in residence at the School of Music at UBC in 2021. Samantha is an active violinist, performing in many concerts throughout the Greater-Vancouver community whether it is solo or in big or small ensembles. 

During her studies at UBC, her performance highlights include performances as the concertmaster of the UBC Symphony Orchestra led by Dr. Jonathan Girard, and in masterclasses with Mariam Fried, Corey Cerovsek, and Vadim Gluzman. 

Since the few years before university, Samantha has accumulated an abundance of various musical experiences. Whether it is working with singers and playing in opera productions, working with dancers, playing in chamber groups and more, these experiences shaped her not only into a well-rounded musician, but also a leader. 

Samantha regularly plays in the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra and the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, and is also the concertmistress of Symphony 21, a non-profit orchestra led by Maestro Jaelem Bhate. 

While working as a performer, she also teaches violin at the Mastery School of Music in Vancouver and the Ebenezer Fine Arts School in Abbotsford.