“…virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention…” – Boston Globe

The Viano Quartet has captivated audiences worldwide ever since they won First Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2019. They’ve appeared at Lincoln Center in New York, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Hong Kong’s City Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall (not to mention their appearance this year at the Raven’s Cry in Sechelt!) They’re fabulous in all the standard repertoire and love to explore new work, having commissioned Sir Stephen Hough, Kevin Lau and Caroline Shaw. Their first full-length album, Voyager, was released last year on Apple Music/Platoon Records. The recording is inspired by humankind’s enduring spirit of exploration that connects music and people across vast boundaries.

The Viano Quartet was formed in Los Angeles at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in 2015. The quartet performs on a matched set of instruments by Matteo Goffriller, generously provided by Canimex Inc. (Drummondville, Québec)

“Viano” is a portmanteau that symbolizes how the four individual instruments of a string quartet—each beginning with the letter “v”—work harmoniously as one, like a piano, creating a unified instrument called the “Viano”.

Learn more: Viano Quartet

PROGRAM

Franz Josef Haydn – String Quartet in C Major, op. 20 no. 2

Reena Esmail – New commission

Antonin Dvorak – Selections from “Cypresses” B. 152
I. I Know that My Love to Thee 
III. When Thy Sweet Glances Fall on Me
XI. Nature Lies Peaceful in Slumber and Dreaming

Felix Mendelssohn – String Quartet No. 4 in e minor, op. 44 no. 2

“…his virtuosic prowess was astonishing, but what impressed even more was the sensitivity and deep emotional expression, often lacking from young virtuosi…” – Bachtrack

Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko won the 2024 Dame Fanny Waterman Gold Medal at the Leeds International Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions there is. He also recently became the first Canadian instrumentalist to be awarded the Grand Prize Laureate at the Concours Musical International de Montréal. Other awards include first prize of the Hilton Head, Maria Canals, and Paloma O’Shea Santander International Piano Competitions where he also won the Canon Audience Prize and Chamber Music Award. He is a current recipient of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship.

Jaeden has been invited to perform at major concert halls in North America and Europe. His Wigmore Hall debut received rave reviews, as have appearances in San Francisco, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and Carnegie Hall in New York. This past year Jaeden debuted as soloist with both the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

Born and raised in Salmon Arm, BC, Jaeden now studies with Jacob Leuschner at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

Learn more: Jaeden Izik-Dzurko

PROGRAM

Alexander Scriabin – Preludes op. 11

Caesar Franck – Prelude, Chorale and Fugue

Sergei Rachmaninoff – Preludes op. 23

“Élisabeth Pion proved she was up to the pianistic challenges, as evidenced by her effortless handling of the extended virtuosic cadenza passages.” – Bachtrack

Newly named the Gold Laureate & Audience Choice Award winner at the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition, Élisabeth Pion leads an imaginative career as a soloist & artistic collaborator. She’s won several international competitions and recently released her second album on the ATMA Classique label, a collaboration with Mathieu Lussier and the Arion Orchestre Baroque titled Amadeus et l’Impératrice.

A native of Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Élisabeth began playing the piano at age five. She decided to pursue a career in music at 19, and after studying in Montréal, she moved to London for advanced training. She is an alumna of the Imogen Cooper Music Trust and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she graduated with the Junior Fellowship, Artist Diploma, and Artist Masters with highest honours; she was also the winner of the Guildhall Wigmore Recital Prize

She’s been studying Tai Chi for a few years—a practice that helps her feel grounded and strengthens the inner compass that guides her daily life and her preparation for the stage. It’s a discipline she’ll be sharing while she’s here on the Sunshine Coast.

Learn more: Élisabeth Pion

PROGRAM

Franz Schubert arr. Franz Liszt – Müller und der Bach, Auf dem Wasser, Gretchen, Erlkönig 

Cecile Chaminade – Sonata in c minor, op. 21

Johannes Brahms – Intermezzi op. 117

Grażyna Bacewicz – Sonata no. 2 in e minor

“Fearless and inimitable, Ema Nikolovska opened her artistic world and invited everyone in.” – Ludwig van Toronto

Mezzo-Soprano, Ema Nikolovska is a star on recital and opera stages around the world. In the 2025/26 season, she made three milestone role debuts: as Niklausse in Lydia Steier’s new production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at Opernhaus Zürich and in the title role of Olga Neuwirth’s Orlando at Komische Oper Berlin. An internationally celebrated recitalist, she has partnered with Martha Argerich, András Schiff, and Charles Richard-Hamelin.

Born in North Macedonia, Nikolovska grew up in Toronto where she studied violin at The Glenn Gould School before studying voice with Helga Tucker. She received her Master’s in Voice at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, where she also completed the Opera Course. Ema was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2019-2022. In 2019 she won several prizes at major competitions and in 2022 she became a recipient of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust award.

Learn more: Ema Nikolovska

“Shibe sustains a world of intensity and introspection through playing that buzzes with vitality” – The Guardian

Scottish guitarist Sean Shibe has proven himself a truly original mind at the frontier of contemporary classical music. 

Recent engagements include solo performances at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie de Paris, and Wigmore Hall. Ever keen to explore new cooperative dynamics, Shibe regularly collaborates with soloists and ensembles alike. Shibe is an ardent supporter of contemporary music, taking a hands-on approach to new commissions and working with composers to experiment with and expand the guitar repertoire.

Born in Edinburgh in 1992, Shibe studied at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under Allan Neave, and furthered his studies at Kunst-Universität Graz in Austria and in Italy under Paolo Pegoraro. He is now a Guitar Professor at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Shibe is a former BBC New Generation Artist, a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship 2012 winner, a Royal Philharmonic Society 2018 Young Artist Award winner, a multi-GRAMMY nominee, and the recipient of the 2022 Leonard Bernstein Award.

Learn more: Sean Shibe

PROGRAM

Orlando – The Eternal Adventurer

In a highly original program for mezzo­-soprano and guitar, Ema Nikolovska and Sean Shibe trace the legendary troubadour’s story through space and time. Journeying from the medieval Chanson de Roland to Ariosto’s famous epic, to Virginia Woolf ’s 1928 novel, they explore fantastical worlds and encounter the great adventures of life: love, conflict, and the search for one’s own identity.

Works by Franz Schubert, Detlef Glanert, Thomas Adès and others, as well as newly commissioned pieces by Sasha Scott and Cassandra Miller provide the musical tapestry.

“…tonally, technically, and musically superb” – Fanfare Magazine

She’s just 22, but Luka Coetzee has already appeared as a soloist with orchestras world-wide, including Helsinki, Cape Town and Stuttgart and as a recitalist in Berlin, Zurich and South Africa. Luka’s critically acclaimed Naxos recording of the Beethoven A Major Cello Sonata, arranged for cello and strings, was No. 1 on the Apple Music Classical Video Charts in more than 40 countries, including the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.

Born and raised in Calgary, Luka has received numerous awards including First Prize in 2023 at the  7th International Paulo Cello Competition. In November 2022, she took First Prize at the Pablo Casals International Award, and in September, she received the Frans Helmerson Promotional Award at the Kronberg Academy, as well as First Prize in the 2022 Johansen International Competition in Washington, DC, garnering further attention for her exciting introduction as an international soloist.

Learn more: Luka Coetzee

“great artistic depth” – Musical Toronto

Pianist Jon Kimura Parker, who launched his stellar international career with a win at the Leeds Piano Competition, is known for his charisma, enthusiasm, and dynamic performances. A veteran of the international concert stage, he has performed as soloist with many international orchestras and as a collaborator in a wide variety of styles. Parker’s discography of a dozen albums features music ranging from Mozart and Chopin to Barber, Stravinsky and John Adams.

Parker is an Officer of The Order of Canada and has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of British Columbia and the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto. He’s on faculty at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and is the artistic director of the Honens Piano Competition in Calgary, Alberta.

Learn more: Jon Kimura Parker

PROGRAM

Omar Daniel – Duo

Johannes Brahms – Sonata in F Major

George Gershwin – Three Preludes

César Franck – Sonata in A Major

“One of those special talents that comes along once in a
lifetime.” – Toronto Star

Blake Pouliot is a dazzling young Canadian violinist who brings a youthful passion and rock star charisma to the stage.

Since his orchestral debut at age 11, Pouliot has performed with orchestras around the world. He’s a regular soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, recently toured Spain with the Prague Philharmonia in Spain and appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. He’s also served as Soloist-in-Residence with l’Orchestre Metropolitain under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

He won the Grand Prize at the 2016 Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Manulife Competition and was named First Laureate of both the 2018 and 2015 Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank.

Pouliot released his debut album of 20th century French music on Analekta Records in 2019. The recording received critical acclaim, including a five-star rating from BBC Music Magazine and a 2019 JUNO Award nomination for Best Classical Album.

Learn more: Blake Pouliot

“astonishingly confident technique” – Cleveland Classical Review

Pianist Henry Kramer is developing a reputation as a musician of rare sensitivity who combines stylish programming with insightful and exuberant interpretations. In 2016, he garnered international recognition with a Second Prize win in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Most recently, he was awarded a 2019 Avery Fisher Career Grant by Lincoln Center–one of the most coveted honors bestowed on young American soloists. Earlier in his career, he was awarded prizes at the National Chopin Competition in 2010, the Montreal International Competition in 2011 and the China Shanghai International Piano Competition in 2012. In 2015, he earned a top prize in the Honens International Piano Competition.

Kramer graduated from the Juilliard School and earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music. In the fall of 2022, Kramer joined the music faculty of Université de Montréal.

Learn more: Henry Kramer

PROGRAM

Robert Schumann – Violin Sonata no. 1 in a minor, op. 105

Antonin Dvorák – Zigeneurlieder op. 55 (arr. Blake Pouliot)

Gabriel Fauré – Song Selections op. 7 nos. 1-3 & op. 23 nos. 1-3 (arr. Blake Pouliot)

Ernest Chausson – Poème, op. 25

Jeno Hubay – Carmen Fantasie Brillante for Violin and Piano

“A violinist in a class of his own”– The Times

We’re opening the season with one of Canada’s – and indeed the world’s – most admired solo violinists. Brandon-born, Grammy award winning violinist James Ehnes comes to Sechelt as part of his 50th birthday celebration tour.

Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest at the world’s most celebrated concert halls and a regular soloist with some of the greatest orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony. A devoted chamber musician, Ehnes is the Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society and the leader of the Ehnes Quartet. As a recitalist, he performs regularly at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Center Chicago, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Verbier Festival, Dresden Music Festival and Festival de Pâques in Aix.

For this special event, James joins his regular piano collaborator Andrew Armstrong for a fabulous program that includes a brand new work by Carmen Braden, co-commissioned by the CRS.

Learn more: James Ehnes

“…dazzling clarity and confidence” – American Record Guide

Praised by critics for his passionate expression and dazzling technique, pianist Andrew Armstrong has delighted audiences across the globe. Andrew’s orchestral engagements have encompassed a vast repertoire of more than 60 concertos and he has appeared in solo recitals and in chamber music concerts and at chamber music festivals around the world.

In Fall 2025, Andrew launched his first music festival in Tuscany, Italy. He also directs and hosts six thriving chamber music series in the United States.

Together, James Ehnes and Andrew Armstrong have released several award-winning recordings, including the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas and the complete works of Béla Bartók for violin and piano. They will be releasing another album later this season devoted to Brahms’ Complete Violin Sonatas.

Learn more: Andrew Armstrong

PROGRAM

Christian Sinding – Suite for Violin in A minor, 0p. 10

Johannes Brahms – Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108

Carmen Braden – Imaginal – co-commissioned by the CRS in

celebration of James Ehnes’s 50th Birthday

Béla Bartók – Rhapsody no. 1 for Violin & Piano, Sz. 86