2024 Guest Artists and Faculty

Charles Richard-Hamelin

Silver medalist and winner of the Krystian Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition, pianist CHARLES RICHARD-HAMELIN has emerged as one of the most important pianists of his generation. Recipient of the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec and of the prestigious Career Development Award conferred by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto, he was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier in November 2022, becoming the youngest recipient in the history of the Prix du Québec.

New Orford Quartet

With the goal of developing a new model for a touring string quartet, four musicians with equally stellar pedigrees came together and formed the NEW ORFORD STRING QUARTET. Their concept – to bring four elite orchestral leaders and soloists together regularly over many years to perform chamber music at the highest level – has resulted in a quartet that maintains a remarkably fresh perspective while bringing a palpable sense of joy to each performance. The Toronto Star has described this outcome as “nothing short of electrifying.". The 2025 season will feature guest cellist Adrian Fung, a JUNO-nominated artist and producer, whose projects have been featured by Forbes and CBC Music in each of their Top 10 Albums of the Year.

Schmaltz and Pepper

SCHMALTZ & PEPPER is redefining the traditional boundaries of Yiddish music, blending classical mastery with innovative compositions and soulful arrangements.This groundbreaking ensemble features the extraordinary talents of Eric Abramovitz, the principal clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony and the Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and arranger, Drew Jurecka, virtuosic violinist/vocalist/composer, Rebekah Wolkstein founder/leader of the acclaimed Payadora Ensemble, Juno-nominated bassist, Michael Herring and Juno-award winning pianist, Jeremy Ledbetter.

Duo Concertante

For twenty-four years through live performances and acclaimed recordings, violinist Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves have built an international career as artist and life partners in the Canadian chamber ensemble Duo Concertante. Outstanding musicians, champions of new music, and visionary artistic directors, Nancy and Tim forge a musical legacy through live performances, recordings and a determination to provoke thought about our world through music. Known for the passion and brilliance of their performances, critics have praised Nancy Dahn and Timothy Steeves’ “artistry, poetry, and impeccable technique” (La Scena Musicale) and “deeply integrated performances that flow naturally as if the music were being created on the spot” (Gramophone). Their busy touring schedule across North America, Europe, and China has led to performances at Wigmore Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Koerner Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, the National Arts Centre, Shanghai City Theatre and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. Nancy and Tim’s thirteen commercial CDs include a 2011 JUNO award winner and the ECMA Classical Recording of the Year for 2017, 2018 and 2019. Their newest release of new Canadian works inspired by the climate emergency, Ecology of Being(Marquis Classics, March 2022), has been praised as “world-class…a powerful and deeply moving album” (WholeNote), and “wonderful music, superbly recorded... a balm for the soul” (Audiophilia). Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, they hold John Lewis Paton Distinguished Professorships at Memorial University and are also Artistic Directors of the Tuckamore Festival.

Bergmann Piano Duo

The BERGMANN PIANO DUO’s dynamic and energetic performances of uniquely eclectic programmes have inspired audiences for more than two decades. Featuring Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann, the duo's recitals and concerts with orchestra have taken them to many parts of the world, including the United States, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, France, Macedonia, Greece, China and Canada.

Serena Canin

A native of New York City, violinist Serena Canin is an active chamber musician, teacher and presenter. As a founding member of the Brentano Quartet, she has performed to critical acclaim around the world, and is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Yale School of Music. Serena is the director of Music Middays, a noontime series promoting young musicians in New York, where she lives with her husband, pianist Thomas Sauer, and their two sons. She holds degrees from Swarthmore College and The Juilliard School.

Dov Scheindlin

While his career has been spent primarily as a performer, violist DOV SCHEINDLIN is also sought after as a teacher, arranger, and occasional public speaker. Based in New York City, Dov is a member and former Artistic Director of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Additionally, he has played thousands of performances in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. For five years Dov has served as violist of the Arditti String Quartet, with whom he made dozens of recordings.

Meghan Lindsay

Praised as being equal to “the best Mozart interpreters anywhere in the world”, Canadian soprano MEGHAN LINDSAY continues a diverse practice as a performer and creator. Upcoming this season, Lindsay returns to Opera Atelier for the titular role in Acis and Galatea, to Ottawa’s Chamberfest for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and Fauré’s Requiem with Symphony New Brunswick. She performs in recital with Carson Becke at Scotia Festival of Music’s Chamber Room Series, in a program of French Baroque repertoire with Pontiac Enchanté, and in concert with HausMusique Montreal.

Carson Becke

Canadian Pianist CARSON BECKE has performed extensively in Canada, Great Britain, Continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean. A versatile pianist, he is at home as a recital and concerto soloist, chamber musician, and vocal collaborator. He is also the director of Pontiac Enchanté, a concert series in Luskville, Quebec. After moving to the United Kingdom in 2005 to study at the Purcell School for Young Musicians, Carson completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Following studies in London, he completed a master’s degree (M.Phil.) in performance and musicology at the University of Oxford, supported generously by the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation of Canada. He completed his doctorate (D.Phil.) in musicology at Magdalen College, University of Oxford. His doctoral studies were supported by the Canadian Centennial Scholarship Foundation.

Vernon Regehr

A native of Winnipeg, cellist Vernon Regehr is an active recitalist, chamber and orchestral musician, conductor, and teacher.  Regehr is on faculty at Memorial University’s School of Music and serves as the musical advisor and conductor of Kittiwake Dance Theatre.