Michael Pepa, founder and Artistic Director of the Les AMIS Concert series, says he is delighted to launch a partnership with The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Residency Performance Program, of the Glenn Gould School in Toronto.
“The Glen Gould School is part of the Royal Conservatory of Music and focuses on training advanced students to become professional musicians,” said Pepa.
“The Rebanks Family Foundation is a special faction of the Glen Gould School that accepts just a handful of the most gifted and accomplished graduate students, from Canada and abroad. ”
The 85-year-young Pepa has been presenting the Les AMIS Concert Series for more than four decades, first in Toronto and for the last six years in Cobourg, bringing top performers to the concert stage.
“As an educator, I set out to nurture talented young musicians through their early stages of performing and promote Canadian composers. The affiliation with the Rebanks Foundation will ensure that the very best of Canada’s young artists will be part of the Cobourg concert scene,” Pepa commented.
Two veterans of the Rebanks Foundation are set to play for a concert on Sunday, Feb. 25, at Cobourg’s Trinity United Church.
Violinist Julia Mirzoev and pianist Jean-Luc Therrien will play duets and solos for the Feb. 25 concert. Each appeared on CBC Music’s list of “30 Hot Canadian Classical musicians under 30.”
The program will include the music of French composers Debussy, Poulenc and Germaine Tailleferre.
“Poulenc and Debussy are well known by Classical music lovers,” Pepa noted.
“The piano Impromptu by Tailleferre, the only female composer that was part of the famous Les Six, is a welcome addition. It is less familiar but equally stunning, showcasing Jean-Luc’s expressive style.”
A native of Toronto, Mirzoev is a graduate of University of Toronto, McGill University and the Yale University School of Music. She has won several awards, including top prize at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Competition, Grand Prize at the Canadian Music Competition, and first prizes at the Crescendo International Competition and Cremona music festival competitions.
Therrien made his national radio debut on CBC Music with the broadcast of a virtual recital recorded in Toronto in 2021, and his first solo album was chosen by CBC as one of the best releases of that year.
“We are both thrilled to have our performing debut together in the wonderful town of Cobourg,” Mirzoev stated.
“Both Jean-Luc and I are naturally drawn to performing impressionist French music, which you’ll hear in the Debussy, Poulenc, and Tailleferre. The virtuosic and lusciously colourful Ysaÿe Solo Violin Sonata and the enchanting neo-classical styled Prokofiev Violin Sonata No. 2 complete the program.
“We love this highly nuanced and scintillating repertoire, and can’t wait to share it with the Cobourg audience!”
The Feb. 25 concert starts at 3 p.m. at Trinity United Church. Tickets are $35, and can be purchased online by e-transfer to lesamis.concerts@icloud.com or through Victoria Hall box office 905-372-2210. For e-transfers, patrons are asked to include their e-mail addresses.
– Marianne Marusic
Photo Violinist Julia Mirzoev, photo credit Stuart Lowe
Author: Pete Fisher
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