OTTAWA – Ottawa Chamberfest continues its two-week summer festival celebrating the organization's 25th anniversary celebrations, including a cultural crossroads with master improvisers Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne, Cuban-Canadian jazz legend Hilario Durán, and a world premiere inspired by the giant spider outside the National Gallery.
The festival ends with Art of Time: Abbey Road, a celebration of the Beatles' legendary album, on Aug. 8.
August 1 - 8, 2019
Downtown Ottawa – Dominion-Chalmers United Church, La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins, Ottawa Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada, Beechwood Cemetery – The National Cemetery of Canada, Ottawa City Hall, etc.
Searching for Home in the KarmicBlue Thursday August 1 / 7:00PM / Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre $41 Middle Eastern and South Asian folk and classical traditions intertwine as composer-improvisers Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne take us on a musical search for home. Music for clarinet, piano, tabla, percussion, and string quartet, with Nick Halley, Shawn Mativetsky, and Quatuor Danel will define this evening’s cultural crossroads. Canadian Brass Friday August 2 / 7:00PM / Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre $52 (A), $41 (B), $30 (C) Adored across the world for their warm humour and brilliant virtuosity, the Canadian Brass is one of the most celebrated chamber ensembles today. Celebrating their 50th anniversary, their triumphant return to Chamberfest is not to be missed. Hilario Durán Trio Friday August 2 / 7:00PM / La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins $25* Hilario Durán is “one of the greatest Cuban pianists of the 20th century,” in the words of Cuban jazz legend Chucho Valdés. This master composer and keyboard phenom unites with longtime Canadian collaborators bassist Roberto Occhipinti, drummer Mark Kelso, and the Gryphon Trio’s violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon and cellist Roman Borys for an evening of unbridled virtuosity and spellbinding rhythm. #1000Strings Saturday August 3 / 11:00AM / Hintonburg Park Free Admission Young musician, avid amateur, seasoned pro, or enthusiastic concert attendee, spend your morning with Chamberfest and participate in this extraordinary community performance. James Ehnes, Roman Borys, Annalee Patipatanakoon, and a host of local string-player celebrities lead a mass string ensemble in a unique, participatory concert experience. Homegrown: Cheng² Duo, Kawasaki, and Hewitt Saturday August 3 / 1:00PM / Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre $41 Absolutely beloved in Canada’s capital, this brother-and-sister duo of cellist Bryan Cheng and pianist Silvie Cheng is defined by their thoughtful performances and affectionate dynamic. “Coaxing the music off the page and into vivid life” (Large Stage Live!), they’re joined by friend and fellow Ottawa native Angela Hewitt for a tribute to Clara Schumann. Adrianne Pieczonka and Rachel Andrist Saturday August 3 / 7:00PM / Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre $41 Esteemed Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka has captured the hearts of audiences across the globe. Alongside pianist Rachel Andrist, she performs a full array of European art song delicacies, including Schubert’s Gretchen am Spinnrade and Strauss’s Zueignung. Après Maman: Gryphon Trio and Friends Sunday August 4 / 7:00PM / Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre $41 Three summers of community collaboration and creativity come to a head with the world premiere of Rob Kapilow’s Après Maman. Featuring an octet including three-time JUNO winners the Gryphon Trio, Kapilow’s work is an inspired musical realization of our community’s response to Louise Bourgeois’s famous spider sculpture. NACO musicians Joel Quarrington and Carissa Klopoushak join the Gryphon Trio for performance of Schubert’s much loved “Trout” quintet. Angela Hewitt: Bach Odyssey IX Monday August 5 / 7:00PM / Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre $52 (A), $41 (B), $30 (C) Angela Hewitt embarks on the final year of her Bach Odyssey, in the first of the four final parts. Alongside the first three of the poised English Suites and the Suite in F Minor, she performs the lively and masterful Prelude and Fugue in A Minor. Queer Songbook Orchestra Tuesday August 6 / 10:00PM / Ottawa Art Gallery $25* Feel the joy and raw emotion that comes from LGBTQ+ stories, with a musical inspiration ranging from Billy Strayhorn to Taylor Swift. Created and performed by a 12-piece chamber pop ensemble and guest vocalists, the Queer Songbook explores and uplifts the queer narrative in pop music. “How do we get to that table? We make our own” – Alanna Stuart, vocalist. Art of Time: Abbey Road Thursday August 8 / 7:00PM / Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre $52 (A), $41 (B), $30 (C) Toronto’s supergroup Art of Time Ensemble returns to Chamberfest to share their reimagined take on Abbey Road, in anticipation of the album’s 50th anniversary. Set loose upon the Beatles’ original material, the company’s roster of celebrated arrangers maintain the impeccable vocal harmonies, while pushing the boundaries of the underlying music. Let Art of Time rekindle your fire for one of the greatest pop albums ever produced. *
More information: http://www.chamberfest.com/
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