MUSICIANS
Robert O'Callaghan......................flute
classical,
mixed,
jazz
saxophone
Sydney Vrana .............classical
guitar
classical, mixed
Iona Corber ...............................cello
classical, mixted
Diane Caplette
...........................flute
classical, mixed
Kevin Simonar ............classical
guitar
classical, mixed, jazz
Veronika Rönkös.........................cello
classical, mixed, jazz
Guy
Richer..................................bass
classical, mixed, jazz
Alex Bellegarde
..........................bass
jazz
Robert Burman ..................jazz
guitar
jazz
Shen Qi
..................erhu
classical, jazz, traditional, chinese
Félix Stüssi
...............................piano
jazz
:: ROBERT O'CALLAGHAN
flute /
saxophone
(classical / mixed / jazz)
Born in
Massachusetts, Robert O’Callaghan studied music at George
Washington University
(Washington D.C.) and McGill University in Montreal. He founded
L’Ensemble du Carré St-Louis in 1982 and is its
director and musical arranger as well as principal flutist and
saxophonist. He has performed on radio, television and has recorded
music for the cinema. He has also produced and recorded a number of
cassettes and CDs. Robert has toured extensively in North America,
South America and ten European countries in a multitude of concerts,
festivals and other prestigious events.
::
ALEX BELLEGARDE
bass
(jazz)
Composer,
improviser and
frequent award winner, Alex Bellegarde leads his quartet and big band
Ensemble Jazz Urbain de Montréal and he is a member of Ohmz
and
the Vic Vogel Octet. He also plays with many Montreal-based Cuban
artists. A multidisciplinary player with a broad imagination, his
projects also include a variety of collaborations in theatre and the
arts: Cornemuse-Théâtre
d’Aujourd’hui, Hamlet
Machine-Place des Arts, MRJ Émergence Énergie,
Jazz &
Poetry, Live Painting & Music.
Inspired and
encouraged by
veteran
bassist Skip Bey, he has gone on to head-up jam sessions, perform at
festivals and clubs as well as playing with many excellent musicians
from the Montreal jazz scene.
Alex Bellegarde with his quartet, is laureate of the 2005 General
Motors Grand Jazz Award - Festival International de Jazz de
Montréal, 26th edition. We invite you to visit Alex's website at www.alexbellegarde.com
::
ROBERT BURMAN
guitar
(jazz)
Robert Burman has
been on the Montreal jazz scene since 1985. He has performed in concert
halls, clubs and restaurants with some of the cities most well known
musicians such as: Fredrick Alarie, Skip Bey, Remi Bolduc, Greg
Clayton, Kevin Dean, Normand Guillbeault, Kelly Jefferson, Paul Leger,
Richard Paris, Yannick Rieu and Alec Walkington.
He graduated with distinction from Concordia University’s
Bachelor of Fine Arts Specialization in Jazz Studies program in 1985.
He has also studied privately with Greg Clayton and Art Roberts.
::
DIANE CAPLETTE
flute
(classical / mixed)
Diane Caplette was
recipient of a Premier Prix in flute performance from the Conservatoire
de Musique de Montréal in 1986 and has pursued a career as
flutist, chamber musician and teacher. She is a member of
L’Ensemble Alizé, of Quatuor Syrinx and
L’Ensemble du Carré St-Louis. As well, she is
Principal Flute in the Montreal Chamber Orchestra. She has been prize
winner on several occasions in the “Concours des Harmonies du
Québec” and has participated in numerous master
classes with internationally renowned flutists. Since 1991 she has been
a flute professor at Cégep Saint-Laurent (Montreal).
::
ALEXANDRE
CASTONGUAY
cello
(classical / mixed)
Educated
at le
Collège de Sherbrooke, l’Université de
Montréal and at the Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester, England, cellist Alexandre Castonguay has studied cello
with Carole Sirois-Bogenez, Thérèse Motard, Yuli
Turovsky
and Emma Ferrand. Alexandre was associate principal cellist with
l’Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses and has played with such
renowned orchestras as the Hallé Orchestra of Manchester
(UK)
and the National Arts Center Orchestra of Ottawa. He has been invited
to perform as cello soloist with the Sherbrooke Symphony Orchestra and
L’Ensemble Instrumental Appassionata. His on-stage
participation
in the La La La Human Steps Dance Company’s production
“Amelia” took him on tour across north America,
Europe and
to Asia for more than a hundred shows.
::
IONA CORBER
cello
(classical / mixed)
Iona Corber
graduated from McGill University in 1977 with a Licentiate in cello
performance. Continuing her studies at Boston University, she received
her Master of Music degree in 1981.
She performed as principal cellist of l’Orquesta Mexicana de
la Juventud in Mexico City, l’Orchestre des Jeunes du
Québec, and as section cellist for Les Jeunes Virtuoses. She
presently performs with l’Orchestre Symphonique de la
Montérégie.
In addition to managing and performing with Trio Ambiance, which she
founded in 1986, she performs with La Cambiata and l’Ensemble
du Carré St-Louis. She teaches the cello using the Suzuki
Approach, and piano with Music for Young Children.
::
GUY RICHER
bass
(classical / mixed / jazz)
Guy Richer studied
bass and
trombone at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal and at
the
Berklee School of Music in Boston. Beginning in the 1960’s
Guy
spent 15 years accompanying such Quebec artists as Renée
Claude,
Claude Gauthier, Louise Forestier, Yvon Deschamps, Raoul Duguay, les
Séguin, and the group l’Infonie, both in
Québec and
on tour in Europe and the Soviet Union. In the following years, as a
full-time organic farmer and part-time musician, he devoted his musical
energies to composition and arranging, principally for vocal ensembles.
In 1996 he returned full-time to music and completed his baccalaureate
degree in Jazz Interpretation at the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec).
Since then, as bassist, pianist, accompanist, arranger and composer he
has had the opportunity to explore a wide range of musical styles and
possibilities with: the folk ensemble La Veillée est jeune,
l’Ensemble Millenia (a chamber orchestra of Sherbrooke), the
celtic music quartet Le Chêne Vert, the jazz quartet
Rose-Aimée et ses prétendants, and The Blues
Delight
quintet. He joined l’Ensemble du Carré St-Louis in
2004.
::
VERONIKA
RÖNKÖS
cello
(classical / mixed / jazz)
Veronika
Rönkös was born in Budapest, Hungary. She began
playing the cello at age seven and went on to study at the Bartok
Conservatory. In 1994 she earned her M.A. at the Liszt Ferenc Music
Academy. She has performed contemporary music as a soloist in Europe
and North America. While living in Saskatchewan, she played in the
Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and taught at the University of
Saskatchewan. In Montreal, as well as performing regularly with
L’Ensemble du Carré St-Louis, she does a wide
variety of freelance cello work.
::
KEVIN SIMONAR
guitar
(classical / mixed / jazz)
Kevin
Simonar, originally from British Columbia, completed his bachelor
degree in jazz guitar performance at McGill University in 1997. From
1996
to1998 he worked as bassist for World Explorer Cruises in Alaska and
the
Carribbean. He then toured South America and Europe for two years as
guitarist with l'Ensemble du Carré St-Louis. Kevin has most
recently
worked
for Princess Cruises as a solo performer aboard the Grand and Dawn
Princess.
Currently he is teaching and performing in the montreal area, as well
as
completing a masters degree in classical guitar at the
Université de
Montreal.
::
SHEN QI
erhu
Born
in Nanjing, China, Shen Qi began to play Erhu at six years old. By the
age of eight, she was a soloist in the famous Nanjing Xiao Hong Hua Art
Group, performing Erhu in several different countries, including Japan
and Singapore. At the age of 17, she began her studies in Erhu
performance at the Nanjing Normal University, receiving her
bachelor’s degree of arts at the age of 21. Since graduating,
Shen Qi has been actively performing and teaching, both in China and
abroad. Shen Qi immigrated to Montreal in 1994 where she has recorded
for both T.V. and films, has been invited as Erhu soloist in numerous
concerts and other local, national and international events including
the " Montreal International Jazz Festival" (2004), the “Festival
des Musiques et du Monde" (2005, 2006) among many others. She also
plays daily, from May to November, in the Chinese Garden of the
Montreal Botanical Garden. Shen Qi joined L'Ensemble du Carré
St-Louis in 2007. We invite you to visit her website at www.shenqierhu.com
::
FÉLIX
STÜSSI
piano
(jazz)
Félix
Stüssi was
born in the Glarus Valley, Switzerland, in 1965. Originally self-taught
on the piano, he soon became a successful performer and sideman. He
also taught piano and improvisation at the local music school for over
ten years. He has attended masterclasses with Irene Schweizer, Markus
Bischof, Art Lande and
Vince Benedetti .
In 1996 he won the first prizes (best soloist; best band) at the
Zollikon Jazz Festival. In 1997 he graduated from the University of
Zurich with a master's degree in ethnomusicology.
Félix Stüssi moved to Montréal in 1998
where he
lives today and pursues a career as a pianist/accompanist/arranger/band
leader/teacher. His performances are noted for their contagious
enthusiasm and soul, whether he is playing solo, in small ensembles,
with his quintet «JazzBuzz» or his octet
«Swing Our
Souls». We invite you to visit Felix's website at www.felixstussi.com
::
SYDNEY VRANA
guitar
(classical / mixed)
Sydney
Vrana was born and educated in Montreal and has been member and
principle guitarist of L’Ensemble du Carré
St-Louis since
1987. He has substantially contributed to the repertoire of
L’Ensemble du Carré St-Louis as arranger and
editor. He
was a first prize winner in the Canadian Music Competitions and was a
finalist in Radio-Canada’s Jeunes Virtuoses. Critics have
described his guitar playing as “high artistry, virtuosic,
very
musical”, having an “incredible guitar tone and
sense of
style variety and emotion”. Mr.Vrana has performed concerts
across North America and has appeared on television and radio as
soloist and ensemble musician with many different instrumentalists and
vocalists. Sydney has also traveled and performed extensively in Europe
and in South America with L’Ensemble du Carré
St-Louis. He
received his Licentiate in Performance and School Music degrees from
McGill and his teaching certificate from U.Q.A.M. Sydney is the father
of two boys and has worked as a music teacher for the Sir Wilfrid
Laurier School Board since 2002. We welcome you to visit Sydney on MySpace at www.myspace.com/sydneyvrana
