Conveniently located next to St. Andrew’s subway station. Use main doors on King St. Opposite Roy Thomson Hall in the Entertainment District.
Advance Tickets: $35 General | $30 Seniors | $15 Students
Subscription: $150 Members | $180 Non-members | $85 Students | $75 Student Members

Advance Tickets available through Eventbrite at above link. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase unless the event is cancelled. In that case, a refund will be issued within 60 days.

Please note: In keeping with a growing consensus among businesses, sports and arts organizations, the Guitar Society of Toronto has implemented a policy of requiring proof of full vaccination, or of a negative COVID test within 48 hours, before admission to our concerts. Masking and physical distancing will also be required.

COVID Public Health Measures from the Ontario government currently state that Concert Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets will not be sold at the door until further notice.

Plucking music from a wide variety of sources, the HK Guitar Duo performs works never before heard on the guitar. From symphonies by Beethoven and Mozart, to piano works by Ravel and Schubert, the duo effectively adapts these works while infusing them with the inherent beauty of the guitar.

Drew Henderson and Michael Kolk met at the University of Toronto in 2004 and have since established themselves as one of North America’s premier classical guitar duos. They have released three albums to date which have received airplay on CBC Radio 2 and The New Classical 96.3 in Canada, as well as the Classical Guitar Alive! radio programme broadcast throughout the U.S.

Receiving numerous glowing reviews, their second album “Henderson Kolk duo play Bach, Ravel, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Lhoyer” was featured on Classical Guitar Alive! as a Best New Release. Their third and latest album, “HK Duo Plays Mozart” pushes the boundaries of what is possible on the classical guitar. This album features an 8-string guitar in their arrangement of Mozart’s 40th Symphony, along with arrangements of a piano sonata and a duo originally for violin and viola.

Drew and Michael are in high demand as concert artists, having completed two tours of central Canada as Prairie Debut artists, along with recent concerts in Toronto, Hamilton, Vancouver, Sarasota, Gatineau, and Muskoka, among others. They have also performed at the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America Convention in Columbus, GA, and the Mediterranean Guitar Festival in Cervo, Italy. Selected arrangements have been published and are available through Les Productions d’Oz. 

www.hkguitarduo.com

Conveniently located next to St. Andrew’s subway station. Use main doors on King St. Opposite Roy Thomson Hall in the Entertainment District.
Advance Tickets: $35 General | $30 Seniors | $15 Students
Subscription: $150 Members | $180 Non-members | $85 Students | $75 Student Members

Advance Tickets available through Eventbrite at above link. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase unless the event is cancelled. In that case, a refund will be issued within 60 days.

Please note: In keeping with a growing consensus among businesses, sports and arts organizations, the Guitar Society of Toronto has implemented a policy of requiring proof of full vaccination, or of a negative COVID test within 48 hours, before admission to our concerts. Masking and physical distancing will also be required.

COVID Public Health Measures from the Ontario government currently state that Concert Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets will not be sold at the door until further notice.

Whether the work of groundbreaking contemporary composers or elegant instrumental music rarely heard on guitars, Canadian ensemble ChromaDuo is commissioning, arranging, and performing some of today’s most enchanting music.

“These are uncommonly beautiful works, highly inventive and personal,” says Kenneth Keaton (American Record Guide). “ChromaDuo…is simply exquisite. Their sounds are perfectly balanced, yet individual, and each has a ravishing tone with lots of range. Ensemble is perfection, even in the freest passages; and their interpretations of these pieces are convincing, even compelling. This is some of the most purely beautiful playing I’ve heard in a while.” Germany’s Fidelity agrees: “The playing of ChromaDuo is extremely subtle and sophisticated, the communication nothing less than perfect.”

Their first recording, Hidden Waters (Naxos 2012), features five world-premieres by Roland Dyens, Stephen Goss, and Christopher William Pierce. Garrett Schumann of Sequenza21 called it, “one giant, convivial, through-composed exploration of the guitar’s expressive range… [T]he restraint of the performance makes you want to lean in closer to hear the expression on every note.” The CD is also recommended in Enrique Robichaud’s book, The Guitar’s TOP 100.

In September 2016, Naxos released their second album, the music of French Impressionist masters Debussy and Ravel, prompting Classical Guitar to call it “a revelation, and a superior achievement.” Minor7th’s reviewers called it “genius,” and noted, “Smith and MacDonald deliver these compositions with such resonance, sustain, and delicacy that their exchanges seem almost symbiotic, and profoundly moving as if the instruments were corporeal rather than of wood, nylon and brass.”

In demand as performers and pedagogues, ChromaDuo has performed in England, Mexico, across Canada and throughout the USA. 

www.chromaduo.com

Conveniently located next to St. Andrew’s subway station. Use main doors on King St. Opposite Roy Thomson Hall in the Entertainment District.
Advance Tickets: $35 General | $30 Seniors | $15 Students
At the Door: $40 | $35 | $20

Advance Tickets available through Eventbrite at above link. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase unless the event is cancelled. In that case, a refund will be issued within 60 days.

Founded in 1999, the Canadian Guitar Quartet originally consisted of Philip Candelaria, Denis Donegani, Patrick Roux and Louis Trépanier.  In 2014, Louis Trépanier was joined by new members Bruno Roussel, Julien Bisaillon and Renaud Côté-Giguère. The ensemble is now welcoming Christ Habib and Jérôme Ducharme with huge enthusiasm, joining Louis and Renaud, and looking forward to the upcoming concert seasons.

A composer with a unique sense of harmony and a guitarist with an exquisite tone, Renaud C. Giguère’s music strikes with emotion and fragility.  While studying at the San Francisco Conservatory, Renaud worked with Grammy winning artist Sergio Assad.  His compositions are published at Production d’Oz and were recorded by CBC and ATMA Classique. 

GFA winner Jérôme Ducharme is highly sought-after for solo recitals, chamber music projects, concerto performances, as well as teaching. He has performed in festivals in Canada, U.S.A and Mexico, and for numerous concert series.  His solo recordings include La Scena Musicale (Naxos) and a DVD (Mel Bay) as well as appearing on CDs featuring other artists. 

Christ Habib is becoming well known as an incredibly passionate musician who displays perseverance, discipline, and enthusiasm.  As well as stand-out appearances in numerous competitions, Christ was recently named one of Canada’s Top 30 Classical Musicians Under 30 (2020 edition).  In October he debuted with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, in a performance of Canadian composer Jacques Hétu’s Concerto for Guitar and Strings, Op.56.

Louis Trépanier has shown himself to be a seasoned chamber musician, occasional soloist, experienced pedagogue, composer and arranger, always with his customary energy and sensitivity.  He is a founding member of the CGQ, as well as Trio Tangere.  He has performed on three continents and judged competitions on the national and international levels. 

The Canadian Guitar Quartet is famous for their mesmerizing performances; the four members are also experienced teachers who dedicate themselves to sharing their knowledge and experience with students from beginner to advanced, giving master classes that often include chamber music as well as solo music. 

canadianguitarquartet.com

Conveniently located next to St. Andrew’s subway station. Use main doors on King St. Opposite Roy Thomson Hall in the Entertainment District.
Advance Tickets: $35 General | $30 Seniors | $15 Students
At the Door: $40 | $35 | $20

Advance Tickets available through Eventbrite at above link. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase unless the event is cancelled. In that case, a refund will be issued within 60 days.

Known for her energy, expression and technique, Daniela Rossi is an exciting classical guitarist from Argentina. She graduated from the Conservatory of Bahia Blanca in 2006 and has worked with many leading guitarists and teachers worldwide.

Currently based in Cambridge, UK, Daniela regularly performs in Latin America, Europe and the UK in solo recitals, duets and small ensembles.  Her orchestral debut was at the age of 21 in México, performing Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez with the University of Hidalgo Symphony Orchestra. She went on to perform Aranjuez in Argentina with the Bahía Blanca Symphony Orchestra, in Chile with the Chile Symphony Orchestra, and in London with Newham Philharmonic.

Daniela is comfortable with music from all periods. She is particularly interested in the music of Romantic composer Giulio Regondi, and has explored his language in depth, recently recording a CD of his works, including the Etudes.

Daniela also enjoys performing music by contemporary composers for guitar, and worked on several new pieces commissioned by the International Guitar Foundation in London.  She gave the first performance of Graham Lynch’s “Orpheus” for guitar and orchestra, with the Newham Philharmonic. Among her recent performances and masterclasses, she performed an online concert for the Guitar Society of Toronto.  

Daniela has a deep understanding of the music of her native Argentina, which she plays on the CD “Invierno Porteño” with her duet partner, Argentinian guitarist Sebastian Pompilio.  She has won numerous performance awards and prizes across South America and Europe. 

Daniela combines her performing career with an equally successful teaching career, working with players of all ages and levels, to extend their musicality and technical competence.

www.danielarossiguitarist.com

Conveniently located next to St. Andrew’s subway station. Use main doors on King St. Opposite Roy Thomson Hall in the Entertainment District.
Advance Tickets: $35 General | $30 Seniors | $15 Students
At the Door: $40 | $35 | $20
Subscription: $150 Members | $180 Non-members | $85 Students | $75 Student Members

Advance Tickets available through Eventbrite at above link. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase unless the event is cancelled. In that case, a refund will be issued within 60 days.

Widely acclaimed for the rare beauty of her sound and her enchanting presence on stage, Irina Kulikova has established herself as one of today’s leading guitarists. She tours far afield, with appearances at major festivals in Europe, North America and Asia and in concert halls such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, the Palau de la Musica in Valencia, the Musashino Hall in Tokyo and the Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai.

Irina Kulikova started playing guitar and piano at five. The daughter of a cellist and distinguished pedagogue, she was educated in the Russian tradition of classical music. At eight she gave her first public performances. By the time she was twelve, she was a child star playing all across Russia and at festivals in Europe. At seventeen, Irina Kulikova moved to Moscow to continue her studies at the Gnessins Academy. Later she graduated with distinction at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg and the Conservatoire of Maastricht in The Netherlands.

Performing with outstanding violinists, cellists and pianists, she developed her passion for chamber music. She joined the ‘Salzburger Solisten’ and ensemble-chef Luz Leskowitz with his Stradivarius for numerous concerts in Austria and Germany: “Wherever she performs, she plays herself into the hearts of her audience.” She played for various members of the royal and aristocratic families of Germany and Denmark.

Irina Kulikova received over 30 awards for her artistry, including 1st prizes at the highly prestigious competitions of Michele Pittaluga in Italy, Guitarra Alhambra in Spain, Forum Gitarre Wien in Austria and Iserlohn in Germany. She recorded six albums, five of which in cooperation with Grammy-Award winning producer Norbert Kraft. “Some of the most sheerly beautiful playing I have ever heard”, Soundboard Magazine reviewed.

The beauty of Ms Kulikova’s playing has become iconic for guitarists around the world. She is a much appreciated mentor for conservatorium students and fellow professionals and shares her profound understanding of music in master classes brimming with imagery and humour. She is founder and director of the online ClassicalGuitar.Academy and of the The Hague – Altamira Guitar Competition. Her personal motto, in life and music: It’s about the touch.

Irina Kulikova plays Simon Marty guitars (spruce top, cedar top) with Savarez strings.

www.irinakulikova.com

Conveniently located next to St. Andrew’s subway station. Use main doors on King St. Opposite Roy Thomson Hall in the Entertainment District.
Advance Tickets: $35 General | $30 Seniors | $15 Students
At the Door: $40 | $35 | $20

Advance Tickets available through Eventbrite at above link. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase unless the event is cancelled. In that case, a refund will be issued within 60 days.

Anna Pietrzak is a versatile guitarist, pedagogue, recording artist, and adjudicator.  She is artistic director of the GITAROMANIA Festival in Poland, and founder of the Vancouver Guitar Orchestra.

Anna is a laureate of over a dozen guitar competitions in Europe.  She has performed as a soloist as well as with chamber music ensembles and orchestras throughout Europe, Asia and North America.  In 2017 she made her Canadian debut with the Toronto Concert Orchestra under the baton of Kerry Stratton.

Anna received her PhD degree from the Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Poland where she studied with professors Piotr Zaleski and Marek Zieliński.  She completed her graduate degree at the Conservatory of Music in Piraeus in Greece in the guitar program of Costas Cotsiolis. She perfected her skills in master classes held by renowned guitarists including Aniello Desiderio, Joaquin Clerch, Carlo Domeniconi, Pavel Steidl, Ivo and Sofia Kaltchev and Peter & Zoltan Katona.

 She has released three albums which received positive reviews from the press; ‘La Catedral – 20th Century Guitar Music’, the crossover ‘GITANA Electric – Eclectic’ and ‘Farewell’ where she performs in a duo with her brother Łukasz Pietrzak.

Anna Pietrzak teaches students of all ages, from primary school to university level and beyond. Thanks to her vast experience her students are laureates of national and international guitar competitions. Until 2019 she was a guitar lecturer and chamber music teacher at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music and the Ryszard Bukowski Secondary Music School in Wrocław, Poland.  She also worked as a guitar teacher at the Fryderyk Chopin Primary Music School in Oleśnica from 2000 to 2019.  Currently she teaches at the British Columbia Conservatory of Music in Vancouver, Canada.

www.annapietrzak.com

Grammy-winner Jason Vieaux, “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists” (Gramophone), is the guitarist that goes beyond the classical. Among his extensive discography is the 2015 Grammy-winning album for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, Play.

Vieaux has earned a reputation for putting his expressiveness and virtuosity at the service of a remarkably wide range of music. His solo recitals have been a feature at every major guitar series in North America and important guitar festivals in Asia, Australia, Europe, and Mexico. Jason Vieaux has performed as concerto soloist with over 100 orchestras, including Cleveland, Toronto, Houston, Nashville, San Diego, Buffalo, Auckland Philharmonia, and Orchestra of St. Luke’s.  

Performance highlights include the Caramoor Festival as Artist-in-Residence, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, New York’s 92Y, Ravinia Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Curtis Presents, and performances at the Phillips Collection, the National Gallery of Art, Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Seoul Arts Center, and Shanghai Concert Hall.   Vieaux recently returned to San Francisco Performances for a solo recital in the Herbst Theatre and to the Ellnora Guitar Festival.  He performed at Wolf Trap with the Escher Quartet, and gave concerto performances with the New Mexico Symphony, New West Symphony, Bakersfield Symphony, and Kentucky Symphony. In a return to live performing in the fall of 2020, the Fort Worth Symphony re-engaged Jason Vieaux for four performances of Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez.

Jason has forged his reputation as a first-rate chamber musician and programmer through performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Bard Music Festival, Music@Menlo, San Francisco Performances, Cleveland Chamber Music Society and many others. Chamber music collaborators include the Escher String Quartet; Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke; violinists Nigel Armstrong, Anne Akiko Meyers, Kristin Lee, and Tessa Lark; acclaimed harpist Yolanda Kondonassis; and accordion/bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro.

Vieaux’s passion for new music has fostered premieres of works by Jonathan Leshnoff, Avner Dorman, Dan Visconti, Vivian Fung and many more.   In 2021, Jason Vieaux premiered and recorded “Four Points of Light” composed for him by jazz legend Pat Metheny for his new album Road To The Sun (Modern Records). Jason’s premiere recording of Jonathan Leshnoff’s Guitar Concerto with the Nashville Symphony (Naxos) was released in 2019. Previous albums include Jeff Beal’s “Six Sixteen” Guitar Concerto with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra (BIS); Infusion (Azica), a collaboration with bandoneonist Julien Labro; Ginastera’s Guitar Sonata, featured on Ginastera: One Hundred (Oberlin Music); and Together (Azica), a duo album with harpist Yolanda Kondonassis.

Jason Vieaux has an upcoming solo recording of Bach on Azica Records; his latest, Dance (Azica) with the Escher Quartet, includes works by Boccherini, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Aaron Jay Kernis. 

About Jason Vieaux’s album Play: “If you ever want to give a friend a disc that will cement his or her love for the guitar, this is a perfect candidate.” – Soundboard Magazine

www.jasonvieaux.com