Avan Yu

Chloé Dominguez & Janelle Fung

Ladom Ensemble

The Winner’s Tour:Rolston String Quartet

20182019

2018

The only organization of its kind in

western Canada, Prairie Debut links

the best Canadian classical and world

music artists to over 80 communities

which are mostly rural and outside the

larger centres in Alberta, Saskatchewan,

Manitoba, and Yukon.

Po Yeh, Executive Director

pyeh@prairiedebut.com

403.862.2954

prairiedebut.com

(New address)

Box 15106 Aspen Woods RPO

Calgary, AB T3N 0N8

Prairie Debut Inc. is a registered charitable organization (No. 86799 3495 RR0001)

October 2017

Welcome to Prairie Debut’s 2018-2019 touring roster! This season is the start of a new chapter for Prairie

Debut. I am so pleased to join Prairie Debut as Executive Director. The organization has become a staple of

the western Canadian classical and world music scene, and I am excited to continue the development and

growth of Prairie Debut.

Prairie Debut is thrilled to continue bringing the best in Canadian classical and world music to the Prairies, and

to nurture the growth and development of emerging Canadian artists across our amazing country. This

season, we will feature four touring artists, each with a unique artistic voice to share with communities

throughout western Canada. Prairie Debut is committed to bringing Canada’s finest musicians to western

Canada’s smaller communities. In doing so, Prairie Debut contributes to community enrichment, audience

growth and emerging artist development.

Working with community arts councils, concert series,

and house concert presenters, our organization

develops performance tours to communities of all

sizes. Complementing the public performances,

Prairie Debut organizes numerous school concerts

and these are often the first exposure to classical

music for many school children. Other outreach

activities such as music workshops and master classes

in conjunction with local music teachers are a

wonderful opportunity to work with such amazing

professional musicians.

Prairie Debut depends on a strong group of loyal

stakeholders: presenters we work with, our talented

touring artists, our generous corporate, individual,

government and foundation partners, our Board of

Directors, and all of you - our audience across western

Canada. I look forward to connecting with all of you,

who have helped Prairie Debut grow, and thank you

all for your continued support of our mission.

Have a great 2017-18 season and see you soon.

Po YehExecutive Director

20192018

Achieving international attention at an early stage, Canadian pianist Avan Yu triumphed at the 2012

Sydney International Piano Competition in Australia, winning First Prize along with nine special

awards. Adding to his impressive list of awards, his first international piano win was at the age of

fourteen, and by age seventeen, Avan was the youngest competitor ever to win the Canadian Chopin

Competition. He was first noticed by Pinchas Zukerman and Bramwell Tovey who invited him to

perform with their respective orchestras, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Vancouver

Symphony. Yo-Yo Ma, after hearing Avan play at the age of sixteen, invited him to perform with him in

Ottawa a few years later. He has performed extensively throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and

Australia and at venues such as the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam,

the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Salle Cortot in Paris, and the Sydney Opera House.

PROGRAMAvan Yu presents Journeys

A musician’s voice mirrors their path through life. Travels, influences, people, and encounters combine

to create a unique story. Beginning his public career at age fourteen, pianist Avan Yu captured

attention with an international competition win. In this special program, Journeys, Avan shares his

expeditions as a pianist and features milestone pieces from his major performances, and composers

who have defined his musical growth.

Demonstrating delicate nuances to great technical facilities, he plays with a freedom and expression

learned only from his worldly experiences. His destinations are a story of their own. From Hong Kong

to Vancouver, to living in Berlin, Paris, and now New York, his explorations have shaped both his life

and his artistry. Join Avan Yu in this special and personal program, Journeys, that evokes amusement

and contemplation for all audiences, into the life of a pianist.

- American Record Guide

“Yu’s treatment of these works reveals sensitivity and conviction,

musicality rather than merely raw virtuosity.”

Avan YuPiano

A synchronistic musical style, cellist Chloé Dominguez and pianist Janelle Fung make even the most

complex music written for these two instruments seem effortless and fluid. This duo truly brings a

beautiful presentation of the cello and piano literature. Chloé Dominguez maintains a very active

musical life. She completed her Ph.D. in Performance at McGill University, where she won the Schulich

School of Music’s Golden Violin award. Chloé has appeared at numerous festivals throughout North

America. She is also a recipient of many awards including Radio-Canada’s Jeunes Artistes and Galaxie

awards, and the first prize of the Festival de musique du Royaume. Chloé plays on a 1745 Lorenzo

Carcassi cello. Pianist Janelle Fung has performed in concert from coast to coast in Canada, including

tours with Prairie Debut, Jeunesses Musicales du Canada and even earned the 2014 BC Touring

Council’s “Artist of the Year” award. Her international concerts have taken her to over twenty

countries on five continents.

PROGRAMChloé Dominguez & Janelle Fung present Enchanted Worlds

Come revel in the fanciful and imaginary worlds created by the magic of music. Let cellist Chloé

Dominguez and pianist Janelle Fung take you on a sublime and mystical journey inspired by fables,

from Russian folklore to Italian commedia dell'arte to a child-like fantasy of princess and prince. This

program delves into the hearts and minds of great composers like Beethoven, Stravinsky, Janacek,

Louie, and Frank. Hear what happens when fairy tales and music merge blend and blossom. The

combination of cello, with its intrinsic singing qualities, and piano, with its infinite colour palette, instill

a profound dimension to these works. This Enchanted Worlds program will charm, enchant and move

audiences, seasoned or newcomers, to the rich sonorities of this instrumental duo.

Simon BlanchetDirector, Chapelle Historique du Bon-Pasteur, Montréal

“Their performance was dazzling and

their communication with the public

is remarkable. They show a great

musicality, an impressive mastery of

their instruments and a contagious

pleasure to be on stage.”

Chloé Dominguez & Janelle FungCello and Piano Duo

Ladom Ensemble is the best example of musical

integration that defines this country. Drawing from

stylistic genres of Persian, Balkan, Tango, and Turkish

music, these four musicians effortlessly integrate it

into a contemporary classical framework. In short,

Ladom does not represent any one tradition, but

reflects a beautiful, new, diverse world. Of their first album, CBC’s Errol Nazareth exclaimed: “I can

honestly say that this is the first time I have heard such a fascinating mix and it really works well. The

music can be very elegant and contemplative and it can also be rocking and fiery and there is no

denying of the passion of the four musicians investing in their playing.” As Ladom Ensemble continues

to spiral upward in the Canadian music scene, they look forward to performances in Ontario and

significant tours with Jeunnesses Musicales du Canada, Prairie Debut, and a second tour with Debut

Atlantic.

- www.MusicalToronto.org

PROGRAM

Ladom Ensemble engages the audience through their energetic performances, mingled with the

musician's cultural and musical stories that furthers the audiences overall experience. With a unique

combination of instruments consisting of accordion, world percussion, cello, and piano, they create a

distinct yet accessible sound that will be a memorable performance for all ages. Original compositions

such as Raha, Noor, and Veles I & II represent the ensemble's vast musical works of Middle Eastern

persuasion, while their own arrangement of Brahms’s Hungarian Rhapsody, Piazzolla’s Libertango, and

even Weird Fishes by Radiohead, gives familiar works a refreshed musical diversity to share.

“Ladom Ensemble is not your typical chamber group. In many ways,

they represent a changing definition of chamber music which sees

musicians increasingly looking away from a purely Eurocentric

purview…They can play pretty much anything.”

Ladom EnsembleWorld Music

First Prize Laureate of the prestigious 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the

Rolston String Quartet has become Canada’s newest ensemble attracting attention on the

international stage. As Germany’s Südwest Press stated of their recent performance, “an

impressive, deeply serious interpretation...highly sensitive, delicately transparent. A musical

sounding treasure, blissful.” The Rolston String Quartet has also won First Prize at the 31st

Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and are laureates of the inaugural M-Prize

Competition and the 2016 Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition. Since their Banff

win, the quartet embarked on their competition winner’s tour with concerts in Europe, United

States, and Canada. Further tours of Germany, Brussels, Italy, Israel, United States, and Canada are

planned for next season. This fall, the Rolston String Quartet will begin as Graduate Quartet-in-

Residence at Yale School of Music in Norfolk, CT, previously, they were the Quartet-in-Residence

completing a Masters of Music in String Quartet degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of

Music in Houston.

PROGRAM

Special to the 2018-19 season, Prairie Debut will

offer an additional tour featuring Canada’s newest

string quartet sensation, the winner of the

prestigious 2016 Banff International String Quartet

Competition, Rolston String Quartet. In their short

time since their win, the ensemble is attracting

attention on the international stage. Actively

touring across Canada, the United States, and

Europe, the young quartet’s performances are

lauded for “a maturity and cohesion rivalling the

best string quartets in the world.”

(www.musicaltoronto.org). If you missed the

suspenseful and exhilarating competition last year

in Banff, Alberta, this is your opportunity to bring the

winning quartet to your venue.

-Toronto Star

“They already belong to a generation of string players performing

at a level difficult to imagine in generations past.”

The Winner’s TourRolston String Quartet2016 First Prize Laureate of Banff International String Quartet Competition

This tour is supported, in part, by the Banff International String Quartet Competitionat the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Dear Prairie Debut,

My husband and I very much enjoyed the Jorge Miguel Flamenco Ensemble at Keyano College last night. It was the first time we saw a Flamenco performance. I've always loved the Spanish guitar. The entire audience couldn't get enough.

Please continue to bring artists here, especially classical performers. Many people here feel the town doesn't offer a lot of variety in arts and entertainment, but I know that with Prairie Debut,Keyano College and its partners are working on changing that.

Thank You,

Michelle Boudreau

Resident of Fort McMurray

Testimonials

TorQ in school

Kindersley, SK, 11/12

Workshop, Wapanohk Centre, Thompson, MB 14/15

Signage, Carman, MB

Facebook Post from violinist Jasper Wood, Duo Rendezvous, Prairie Debut Touring Artists 2015-16

“Yesterday on our way back from Brandon to Winnipeg, we stopped in Carberry to perform an afternoon concert at

a senior’s home. This morning I woke up to an email from the daughter of woman who attended our performance.

This email sums up the reason both Daniel and I go out of way to bring our music to people who don’t always have

the chance to get out to our concerts.”

“I was at the Carberry Care Home yesterday and would like to tell you how much my mom and I enjoyed

your lovely music. We sat in the front row and my mom kept her eyes closed most of the time. She was not

sleeping but listening to the beautiful music, she is blind and finds it easier and more pleasant to listen with

closed eyes. She commented after how she wished she could have seen your faces to see your expressions as

you played, I told her you could tell from your expressions how much your songs meant to you. Thank you

so much for coming to our small town and Care Home, this is music we very rarely get to enjoy, and the residents

who live there never get to enjoy anymore.”

“The concert was fantastic to say the least! The talent was amazing, their personalities matched.

Such lovely young people to work with, and they were crowd pleasers, mixing right in and greeting

everyone on their way out after the show. We had about 25 young piano students there as well as several

teachers. The crowd responded really well to the question and answer period as there were many questions.

Thank you for sending them out on tour, Phil and Janelle are wonderful!”

- Brenda Major, Golden Prairie Arts Council, Carman, MB

1997/98 St. Lawrence String Quartet1998/99 Bellows & Brass1999/00 Ricardo Peres, piano

Michael Donovan, baritone with Susan Sametz, piano2000/01 Anagnoson & Kinton, piano duo

Sylvie Proulx, guitar2001/02 Gryphon Trio

Lee Pui Ming, piano2002/03 Jasper Wood & Peter Allen, violin & piano

George Gao Erhu TrioIan Parker & Kaori Yamagami, piano & cello

2003/04 Lucille Chung, pianoErika Raum & David Moroz,violin & piano Les Voix Baroques Ensemble

2004/05 Robert Pomakov, vocal bassDaniel Bolshoy, guitarMagnan & Parker, oboe & piano

2005/06 Yi-Jia Susanne Hou & Daniel Spiegel, violin & piano Guy Few & Stephanie Mara, trumpet & piano Fubuki Daiko, taiko drumming

2006/07 10th Anniversary SeasonDenise Djokic & David Jalbert, cello & piano Gryphon Trio & Barry Shiffman Montreal Guitar Trio

2007/08 Winston Choi, pianoSophie Bouffard & David McIntyre, soprano & piano Anne-Julie Caron & Akiko Tominaga, marimba & piano duo

2008/09 Les Boréades de MontréalHarrington & Moroz, saxophone & pianoBellows & Brass

2009/10 The Schumann LettersQuartangoJean Sébastien Roy & Mathieu Gaudet, violin & piano

2010/11 Bax & Chung, piano duoGuth, Duncan & Switzer, voices with pianoJorge Miguel Flamenco Ensemble

2011/12 Alexander Sevastian, accordionSharon Wei & Angela Park, viola/pianoTorQ Percussion Quartet

2012/13 Winners' Tour with Georgy Tchaidze & Cecilia String Quartet Couloir: Ariel Barnes, cello and Heidi Krutzen, harpKornel Wolak and Chris Donnelly, clarinet and piano

2013/14 musica intima, vocal chamber ensembleYadong Guan Trio, pipa, cello & guitarGuy Few & Nadina Mackie Jackson, trumpet & bassoon

2014/15 Fung-Chiu Duo, one piano, four handsEnsemble Caprice, baroque quintetKang-Mercer-Park, violin, cello & piano trio

2015/16 Marie-Josée Lord Trio Duo Rendezvous, violin and guitar duo Luis Mario Ochoa Cuban Quartet

2016/17 Duo Fortin-Poirier, one piano, four handsFlûte Alors!, recorder quartetDuo Milot & Bareil

2017/18 The Chooi Brothers with Philip Chiu, violins with pianoHenderson-Kolk, guitar duoProteus Saxophone Quartet

Our Proud History

Cecilia String Quartet, 12/13

Quartango, 09/10

musica intima, 13/14

The Schumann Letters, 09/10

Couloir Duo, 12/13

Gryphon Trio, 06/07

Wei & Park, 11/12

Bellows & Brass, 98/99

Marie-Josée Lord,15/16

ALBERTA Virden Virden Community Arts Council

Banff The Banff Centre Winnipeg University of Manitoba

Barrhead Barrhead Arts Council Winnipeg Virtuosi Concerts Inc., U of Winnipeg

Bragg Creek Bragg Creek Performing Arts Winnipeg Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg

Brooks Newell Concert Association

Camrose Performing Arts Centre Camrose SASKATCHEWAN

Cold Lake Kinosoo Performing Arts Assiniboia Assiniboia Arts Council

Consort Neutral Hills Arts Alive Biggar Biggar & District Arts Council

Drayton Valley Eleanor Pickup Arts Centre Canora Canora Arts Council

Edson Chautauqua Edson Arts Council Estevan Estevan Arts Council

Ft McMurray Keyano Theatre - Celebrity Series Hudson Bay Hudson Bay Allied Arts Council

Ft Saskatchewan Dow Centre Kindersley Kindersley & District Arts

Grand Prairie Grand Prairie Concerts Kipling Kipling & District Arts

High River High River Gift of Music Society La Ronge La Ronge Arts Council

Lacombe Canadian University College Leader Leader & District Arts Council

Leduc MacLab Centre for the Performing Arts Luseland Luseland Arts Council

Lloydminster Lloydminster Concert Association Melfort Melfort Arts Council

Morinville Morinville Community Cultural Centre Melville Melville Arts Council

Okotoks City of Okotoks Moose Jaw Moose Jaw Cultural Centre

Red Deer Red Deer Concert Society Moosomin Moosomin & District Arts Council

Sherwood Park Festival Place Ltd. Outlook Outlook & District Arts Council

Spruce Grove Horizon Stage Prince Albert E.A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts

Stettler Stettler Variety Showcase Quill Lake Quill Plains Arts Council

Vermilion Vermilion Allied Arts Quill Plains Quill Plains Region Arts Council

Wainright Wainright Encore Entertainment Society Ravenscrag The Seville Theatre

Westlock Westlock Cultural Arts Theatre Series Redvers Redvers & District Arts Council

Regina Regina Musical Club

MANITOBA Rosthern Station Arts Centre

Altona Southern Manitoba Concert Series Saskatoon Lyell Gustin Recital Series

Brandon Pro Series, Brandon University Saskatoon Third Avenue Centre

Carman Golden Prairie Arts Council Saskatoon University of Saskatchewan Arts Council

Flin Flon Flin Flon Arts Council Shaunavon Shaunavon Arts Council

Holland Tiger Hills Arts Association Swift Current Swift Current Allied Arts Council

Killarney Tri Lake Concert Association Tisdale Tisdale Arts

Minnedosa Minnedosa Performing Arts Committee Unity Unity Council of the Arts

Pinawa Eastern Manitoba Concert Assoc. Watrous Watrous Area Arts Council

Portage la Prairie William Glesby Centre Weyburn Weyburn Concert Series

Snow Lake Ravna House Concerts Yorkton Yorkton Arts Council

Souris Souris District Arts Council

Steinbach Steinbach Arts Council OTHER

Strathclair Strathclair & District Theatre Committee Golden Golden District Arts Council, BC

St. Jean-Baptist Comite Culturel St. Jean Dawson City Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture, YT

The Pas The Pas Arts Council Haines Jct Haines Junction Performing Arts, YT

Thompson City of Thompson Whitehorse Whitehorse Concerts, YT

Prairie Debut brings Canada's

finest musicians to Western

Canada's smaller communities.

In doing so, Prairie Debut

contributes to community

enrichment, cultural growth

and performing artist

development.

Since our first tour in 1997,

Prairie Debut has taken 150

artists on 52 tours to 80

communities throughout the

Prairie Provinces and Yukon

performing over 600 full

length concerts and

hundreds of outreach

activities to schools, youth

groups, music students

and seniors' residences.

= Committed to Communities!

Our Community Partners

Prairie Debut is pleased to thank its generous funding partners.

James Anagnoson Janelle Fung Susan NapperLynne Bailey Marguerite Gallaway Anne ReinhardtSusan Bailey Robin Hildebrand Po YehMichelle Boudreau Kevin Korchinski Agence Station BleuePhilip Chiu Che Anne Loewen Andrew Kwan Artists Management Andrea Davsion Rachel Mercer Engaged Innovations Inc.

TheLloydCarr-HarrisFoundation

Canada Council

for the Arts

Conseil des Arts

du Canada

Prairie Debut Inc. is a registered charitable organization (No. 86799 3495 RR0001)

Our Sponsors & Donors

Po Yeh, Executive Director

pyeh@prairiedebut.com

403.862.2954

(New address)

Box 15106 Aspen Woods RPO

Calgary, AB T3N 0N8

20182019

2018

2017 Conference Showcases

OSAC Showcase 2017

Ladom Ensemble, world music

Friday, October 13, 2017

Regina Performing Arts Centre, Regina SK

MAN Showcase 2017

Chloé Dominguez & Janelle Fung, cello and piano duo

Friday, October 20, 2017

George P. Buleziuk Centre, Russell, MB

ATAA Showcase 2017

Avan Yu, solo piano

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Shell Theatre, Fort Saskatchewan, AB

The Winner’s TourRolston String Quartet

2016 Banff InternationalString Quartet Competition Laureate

Avan YuPiano

Chloé Dominguez & Janelle Fung

Cello and Piano Duo

Ladom EnsembleWorld Music

prairiedebut.com Prairie Debut Inc. is a registered charitable organization (No. 86799 3495 RR0001)