Violinist-violist Brenna Hardy-Kavanagh’s passion for chamber music has taken her all over the world, with performances across Canada, the United States, Brazil, Ireland, England, Wales, Germany, Italy, Armenia, Poland, and Romania. Co-director of Toronto-based chamber music series The Happenstancers, Brenna also holds the position of Interim Assistant Principal viola of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and is the founding violinist of Toronto’s Integral Ensemble. Brenna joined the indie opera company Against the Grain Theatre as orchestra manager and performer in 2017, and was awarded a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her role as the solo violinist in the company’s 2019 production of Kopernikus, a chamber opera by Canadian composer Claude Vivier. She has performed with such groups as the Art of Time Ensemble, Soulpepper, Tapestry Opera, Pocket Concerts, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Brenna plays on a 2002 violin made by Guy Harrison and a 2005 viola by John Newton. http://brenna.hardykavanagh.com/
Hailed for his “technical prowess [and] perfect conveyance of…wit, humor, and effect” (Sarasota Herald-Tribune), clarinetist Brad Cherwin was awarded a 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Award for his role as the solo clarinettist in Claude Vivier’s Kopernikus, with Against the Grain Theatre. His playing has been lauded as “astounding” (Sarasota Herald-Tribune) and “a total success…as flexible in tone as possible” (Calgary Herald).
As a presenter and performer of new music, Cherwin has presented both Canadian and world premieres of works by Pascal Dusapin, Wolfgang Rihm, and Kaija Saariaho, among others. Cherwin is also the co-director of The Happenstancers, an ensemble and series in Toronto that features "an obscene amount of talent" (The WholeNote). Their concerts have been praised as “superbly planned, with a rich banquet of textures and colours…Next time these people throw a recital, run don’t walk” (Lydia Perovic, Definitely the Opera).
Cherwin is an alumnus of the prestigious Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Born in Japan and raised in Canada, pianist Dr. Lisa Tahara first came to public attention with her concerto debut aged 15. Critically acclaimed performances followed in venues across Europe, Mexico, Canada and the United States. A prizewinner at both the Canadian Music Competition and Canadian Concerto Competition in addition to numerous other awards and scholarships internationally – Lisa has given concerts extensively both as a chamber musician and soloist.
A sought-after chamber musician and collaborative pianist, Lisa Tahara has over twenty years of experience working with instrumentalists and vocalists in addition to choral and instrumental ensembles. A devoted and passionate music educator, Dr. Lisa Tahara recently joined the faculty at the University of Toronto. She also maintains an active teaching studio and her students have been awarded many top prizes in local music festivals. Dr. Tahara’s interests in music and how it affects the quality of life for older adults inspired her to conduct keyboard classes involving improvisation at the Dunfield Retirement Residency in Toronto, Ontario as part of her doctoral dissertation in 2013, and gives regular lectures and workshops on this subject across the country. Making her home in Toronto, Canada, she is a member of the College of Examiners for The Royal Conservatory of Music whilst additionally Lisa Tahara has adjudicated for numerous exams and festivals in Canada. https://lisatahara.com/
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