MANDATE/MISSION
  
The goal of Les AMIS is to nurture talented young performers at the earliest stages of their professional careers. It is also our policy to introduce them to works by Canadian contemporary composers. Whenever an opportunity presents itself, emerging artists are to be showcased with more established performers who, in many cases, have been presented previously by Les AMIS at the beginning of their careers. Les AMIS aims to achieve these objectives by sponsoring recitals with programs containing works selected by the performers as well as at least one Canadian composition recommended or commissioned by Les AMIS especially for them. In this way, the Les AMIS audience is introduced to upcoming artists as well as Canadian music repertoire.

BRIEF HISTORY

Celebrating 27 years of innovative music-making, Incorporated in 1983, Les AMIS Concerts has introduced, over the past 26 years, both new performers and new repertoire to its Toronto audiences. Over 150 concerts have been  presented, often co-produced with such organizations as Alliance Francaise, Goethe Institute and the Canadian Sinfonietta. More than 360 Canadian and 80 international artists have been featured and some 160 contemporary works by 80 different composers have been performed of which over 100 were Canadian. Most were Canadian or world premieres. A good number of concerts were recorded for broadcast. Many musicians, some young, some new to Canada were featured in their first professional performance. Artists, now familiar to audiences both nationally and internationally, Scott St. John, Shauna Rolston, Rivka Golani, Julian Milkis, Alexander Tselyakov, Lynn Kuo, as well as many others were introduced by Les AMIS to Toronto’s chamber music lovers. Four young string players, Geoff Nuttall, Barry Shifffman, Lesley Robertson and Marina Hoover, gave solo and group performances on Les AMIS Concerts and presented their inaugural concert as the St. Lawrence String Quartet in 1990.
Coached by the St. Lawrence members, the Metro String Quartet gave its debut performance in the 1996/97 season. Of the 160 contemporary works, some 100 were Canadian, among them some of Canada's most distinguished names, Morawetz, Vivier, Archer, Beckwith, and Dolin. 40 works were by composers of international stature such as Bernstein, Ginastera, Schnittke, Messiaen, Stepan Rak and others. It is particularly worth noting that many works by new or young composers, either Canadian-born or recent immigrants to this country, received premiere performances with Les AMIS. Many were commissioned or specifically written for Les AMIS, two of which were part of the Music Canada Musique 2000 celebration. These new works were presented in context with traditional music, a programming concept that is very important to the artistic policy of Les AMIS.  

PROFILE

Les AMIS artists since 1980 (in order of appearance)

Note: Comments after some names indicate accomplishment after appearing on
Les AMIS Concerts.

Piano Trio                                           
Daniel Podlowski, violin (Poland)
Alexandra Gutu, cello (Romania)
Brian Willson, piano (England)

Jovan Kolundzija, violin (Yugoslavia)
Nada Kolundzija, piano (Yugoslavia)

Trio Da Capo
Terry Holowach, violin
Edward Hayes, cello
Andrew Markow, piano

Helena Bokun, piano

Rivka Golani, viola
Judy Loman, harp

Kathleen Solose, piano

Philippe Bianconi, piano (France) – Silver Medalist at the 7th Van Cliburn Internat. Pn. Comp.

Barry Shiffman, violin – St Lawrence String Quartet & Stanford University Prof.
Marc Widner, piano

Philippe Djokic, violin
Lynn Stodola, piano

Ensemble 13 (Germany)
Manfred Reichert, conductor

Claire Bernard, violin (France)
Jean-Louis Haguenauer, piano (France)

Patricia Parr, piano

Les AMIS Ensemble
Marina Piccinini, fl – Member of the Pinkas Zukerman & Friends Ensemble
Cynthia Steljes, Ob – Member of Quartetto Gelato
Julian Milkis, cl – International Buffet Artist (French Clarinet makers)
Peter Lutek, bn
Jamie Sommerville, hn – NACO & Pinkas Zukerman & Friends
Joanne Opgenorth, vl
Barry Shiffman, vl
David Harding, vla
Jean Wilkinson, vla
Janet Kuschak, vc
Paul Langley, db
Kent McWilliams, pn
Julie Umbrico, hp

Stephen Sitarski, violin – Concertmaster Kitchenr/Waterloo Symphony

Les AMIS Ensemble and guests
Rosemare Landry, sop
Joseph Petric, acc
Marc Widner, pn
Barry Shiffman, vl
Stephen Sitarski, vl
Geoff Nuttall, vla
Ronald Chambers, vc
Paul Langley, db
Susan Hoeppner, fl – U of T, F of M Faculty Prof.  and artist
Cynthia Stelges, ob
Julian Milkis, cl
Peter Lutek, bn
Robert McCash, hn

Les AMIS Ensemble and guests
Richard Armis, cello
Robert Desrosiers, dancer
David Eaton, conductor (USA)
Cynthia Stelges, ob
Julian Milkis, cl
Peter Lutek, bn
Jamie Sommerville, hn
Geoff Nuttall, vl
Barry Shiffman, vl
David Harding, vla
Dorothy Lawson, vc
Michael Cote, perc

Scott St. John, violin – U of T, F of M Violin Prof. & artist
Arthur Rowe, piano

Marianna Rosenfeld-Milkis, piano

Mara Milkis, violin
Slava Zagursky, cello (Russia/Holland)
Louise Bisette, piano

The Tempest String Quartet
Sheila McDonald, vl
Marc Sabat, vl
Antony Rappoport, vla
Latja Linfield, vc

Terrence Helmer, vla
Bernadene Blaha, pn

Shauna Rolston, vc – U of T, F of M Cello Prof. & artist

Irina Tseitlin, vl (Russia/USA)
Efrim Briskin, pn (Russia/USA)

Leslie Newman, fl
William Beauvais, guitar
Janice Dann, hp
Leslie Robertson, vla

Kevin Fitz-Gerald, pn
Fred Osachoff, cl
Marina Hoover, vc

St. Lawrence String Quartet – Resident Quartet of Stanford U and U of T
Geoff Nutall, vl
Barry Shiffman, vl
Leslie Robertson, vla
Marina Hoover, vc

Aleksandar Madzar, piano (Yugoslavia) 1st Prize, Bussoni Inter. Pn. Comp.

Jamie Parker, piano – Griffon Trio

Jean Saulnier, piano

Peter Longworth, piano – Duke Trio

Piano Trio
Reiko Watanabe, vl (USA)
Dorothy Lawson, vc
Faine Wright, piano (USA)

Denise Daniels-Wu, sop
Sima Kustanovich, pn (USA)

Martin Beaver, vl – 1st Violinist Tokyo String Quartet

Phillip Bush, pn (USA)

Renee Jolles, vl (USA)
Emma Tahmisian, pn (USA)

Michael Boriskin, pn (USA)

Nina Kogan, pn (Russia/Canada)

Mariko Anraku, hp (Japan/Canada) – New York Metropolitan Opera

Peter Samuelson, hn

Vladimir Landsman, vl
Vladimir Kovalsky, pn (Russia/USA)

Erika Raum, vl
Francine Kay, pn

Vladimir Orloff, vc

Alexander Tselyakov, pn (Russia/Canada) – Prof. of Piano, U of Brandon, Manitoba

Carolyn Guillet, actress

Goran Gojevic, cl (Yugoslavia/Canada)
Predrag Stojkovic, bn (Yugoslavia/Canada)
Svetlana Gojevic, pn (Yugoalvia/Canada)

Terence Tam, vl – Concertmaster, Atlantic Symphony
Jeanie Chung, pn

Louis Papachristos, fl
Nick Papadakis, vla

40 fingers
Chiyoko Szlavnics, s. sax
Nic Gotham a. sax
Peter Lutek, t. sax
David Mott, b. sax

Melvin Chen, pn (USA)

Robert Miskey, vl
Sharon Prater, vc
Eileen Keown, pn

Paul Zafer, vl – Concertmaster, Chicago Chamber Ensemble
Thomas Wiebe, vc
Lydia Wong, pn

Cynthia Forbes, vc (USA)
John Zielinski, pn (USA)

Toronto Woodwinds
Sreten Marilovich, fl
Milan Nikolic, ob
Goran Gojevic, cl
Predrag Stojkovic, bn

Metro Quartet
Aisslinn Noski, vl – Member of Via Salzburg Ensemble
Daniel Bard, vl
Max Mandel, vla – Member of Via Salzburg Ensemble
Rachel Mercer, vc – Cellist of AVIV St. Quartet, London, England

Albert Brouwer, fl
Ivana Lazarov, pn

Joyce Lai, vl
Gloria Lin, pn

Alan Stellings, vc
Greg Paskaruk, pn

ORFEO DUO
Vita Wallace, vl
Ishmael Wallace, pn

Alan Fraser, pn

Dusan Paunovic, acc (Yugoslavia/Canada)

Liliana Dimitrijevic, hp (Yugoslavia/Canada)

Larisa Niurenberg, pn (Russia/Canada)
Vladimir Niurenber, pn (Russia/Canada)

William Manley, vl (USA)
Alexander Kats, pn

Victoria Korchinskaya-Kogan, piano (Russia/Canada)

Ellen Annor-Adjei, pn (Russia/Canada)

Melanie Fairbrother, bn

Canadian Sinfonietta
Amy Lin fl
Tak-Ng Lai, conductor

George Gao, erhu

Sarah Frost, pn

Allyson McHardy, mezzo-sop
Yuval Fichman, pn

Carina Reeves, vc

Conrad Chow, vl
Kaye Royer, cl

Ana Boricic, vl (Yugoslavia)
Bojana Zdravkovic, pn (Yugoslavia)

Daniel Bard, vl
Vanessa May-Lok Lee, pn

Lynn Kuo, vl – 2nd Prize Winner of Eckhardt-Gramatte National Music Competition – 2003
Angela Park, pn

Elissa Lee, vl – 1st Prize Winner of Eckhardt-Gramatte National Music Competition – 2000

Aaron Schwebel, vl
Ronald Royer, vc
Janice Lin, pn

Julia Wedman, vl
Steven Dann, vla

Kio Seiler, vl
Shalom Bard, cl
Vadim Serebryany, pn

Milica Jelaca Jovanovic, pn

Roberta Janzen, vc

Lorraine Min, pn

Claire-Jeanne Martin, vl

Emily Marlow, cl
Rafael Hoekman, vc

Winona Zelenka, vc
Members of NEXUS Percussion Ensemble
Russell Hartenberger
Bob Becker
Gary Kvistad

Ralitsa Tcholakova, vl
Sonia Pescatore, pn

Marianna Humetska, pn

Dasol Jeong, vl
Michael Esch, pn
Katia Lebedeva, pn

Lori Freedman, cl
Joseph Macerollo, accordion

Jan Reznicek, vla
Eduard Spacil, pn

AVIV QUARTET
Sergey Ostrovsky, vl
Evgenia Epshtein, vl
Shuli Waterman, vla
Rachel Mercer, vc

Raitcho Christov, conductor

Zagreb Saxophone Quartet
Dragan Sremec, sop sax
Goran Mercep, alto sa
Sasa Nestorovic, tenor sax
Matjaz Drevensek, bar sax

CANTUS ENSEMBLE OF ZAGREB
Berislav Sipus, conductor

Soloists of the Cantus Ensemble Zagreb
Ivan Novic, vl
Jasen Chelfi, vc
Danijel Martinovic, bass cl
Srebrenka Poljak, pn

Katarzyna (Kasia) Sadej, mezzo-soprano

Emese Virag, pn

Mary Kenedi, pn

Shoko Inoue, pn

John Oliver, guitar

Dennis Patrick, composer/electronics

Penderecki Quartet
Jeremy Bell, vl
Jerzy Kaplanek, vl
Christine Vlajk, vla
Simon Fryer, vc






NOTE: to be updated!