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Dear Friends of Eine Kleine Summer Music

It is with sadness that we must announce the cancellation of our 2020 chamber music series due to COVID-19.

We were looking forward to presenting a very beautiful program this year. As we are living through this strange time of isolation, many of us are deepening our relationship to music, broadening our knowledge and listening choices.

Please enjoy the following playlist that has been prepared just for you. Included are many of the works that we have been preparing for the June concerts:

Apple Music

Spotif y

We will miss you. Keep well. And we’ll be back in 2021!

2020 Performers

We think you will agree that the 2020 Eine Kleine Summer Music festival is sure to please everyone who loves chamber music. We are proud to present a wonderful line-up of musicians from Victoria and beyond.
Our opening concert (June 7/8) features guest cellist Brian Yoon, Principal Cellist of the Victoria Symphony. Fans of the cello will find much to enjoy in this fresh and varied program. Brian will join Muse Ensemble members Terence Tam, Lorraine Min, and Laura Backstrom in duos and trios by Martinu, Haydn, Barriere, and Shostakovich. In the second half, violist Kenji Fuse and violinist Simon MacDonald join the string players for Glazunov’s lyrical and passionate String Quintet in A Major.

Formed in 2016, the Callisto String Quartet has won prizes in numerous major chamber music competitions worldwide, including the Banff International String Quartet Competition. Their youthful, naturally exuberant interpretations have made them a favourite in festivals everywhere. The Callisto Quartet will perform (June 14/15) Beethoven’s monumental String Quartet op. 130, with the Grosse Fuge op. 133 (happy birthday Ludwig!), Mozart’s “Hunt” quartet, K.458, and the intimate and haunting Five Movements for String Quartet, by Anton Webern.

Canadian violinist Jasper Wood has a stellar reputation as a soloist and chamber musician. The Washington Post describes him as a musician “in total command. He paired moments of glistening display with a sweet tunefulness edged in melancholy.”
Violist Marina Thibeault is celebrated for her deep, rich sound, exceptional virtuosity, and enthusiasm. Marina is a sought-after soloist internationally; upcoming performances will bring her to Seoul, Eastern Europe, the American West Coast, and Costa Rica.
Terence Tam, Lorraine Min, Kenji Fuse, and Laura Backstrom are looking forward to their collaboration (June 20/21) with these two sublime string players in a program of Mozart, Ysaye, and both Robert and Clara Schumann.

The 2020 season has a strong finish (June 28/29) with our beloved friend: violinist Nikki Chooi. First Prize Winner of the 2004 Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal Standard Life Competition, and of the 2013 Michael Hill International Violin Competition, Nikki is also a Laureate of the 2012 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition. In addition to many recitals and concerto engagements, Nikki has toured with the genre-breaking ensemble Time for Three and even served for a season as Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Although Nikki was appointed Concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019, his international solo career keeps growing. We are so fortunate to be able to bring such a major talent to EKSM. Nikki will collaborate with pianist Lorraine Min in Saint-Saens’ Sonata in D Minor and Dvorak’s Four Romantic Pieces. Nikki will end the concert with Mendelssohn’s exquisite String Quintet op. 87 with Courtney Cameron, violin; Kenji Fuse, Kay Cochran, violas; and Laura Backstrom, cello.

Two Performance Locations

Every EKSM program will be performed both at the First Unitarian Church of Victoria, 5575 West Saanich Road, and the Deep Cove Winery, 11195 Chalet Road, North Saanich. These beautiful, acoustically superior venues are intimate and peaceful places to experience chamber music up close. Please note that winery tickets sell out very quickly.

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