Chamber music festival celebrates 14 years

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This article was published 17/07/2019 (1736 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Alla Turbanova and her husband, Alexander Tselyakov, had a vision to make chamber music accessible to everyone — even if they don’t live in a big city.

To that end, the two faculty members at Brandon University’s School of Music started the Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival 14 years ago.

It was and still is the only chamber music festival of its kind outside of Winnipeg.

“Our festival, it’s for everyone in Manitoba,” said Turbanova, the festival’s director.

Originally from Belarus, she and Tselyakov moved to Brandon from Toronto in 2003.

While living in Brandon, Tselyakov founded the Pender Harbour Chamber Music Festival in British Columbia.

A year later, they decided to do the same thing here.

The first chamber festival was held over three days at Elkhorn Resort, near Wasagaming, with five musicians. After the second year, the festival moved to the Onanole Community Centre, “which acoustically was not so bad at all,” said Turbanova.

They later discovered the Erickson Lutheran Church “with super, super acoustics. With a chamber festival, it’s … about sound and acoustics,” she said.

Brandon University was added to the roster so that those who could not travel far from the city would also be able to enjoy chamber music.

This year, the festival from July 24-28 features a total of six concerts — five chamber concerts and a jazz concert — held at venues in Wasagaming, Erickson and Brandon.

The musicians range from award-winning BU faculty members to internationally acclaimed artists, including Tselyakov and their son, Daniel, who both play piano. Turbanova is also a pianist and music teacher at the school.

Among the roster of talented musicians performing in the festival is violinist Kerry DuWors, one of BU’s youngest faculty members.

“She is extremely talented,” said Turbanova. “She is still very young but she is so brilliant and outstanding.”

Another notable musician performing is jazz pianist Michael Cain, a BU faculty member from New York.

“He is an absolutely amazing jazz pianist,” Turbanova said.

Eric Platz, meanwhile, is a composer and percussionist who has also put out an album.

“Again, he is in the faculty and he’s outstanding.”

Rounding out the large-scale roster of guest artists are host Paul Shore; Katie Gannon, violin; Simon Fryer, cello; Crystal White, double bass; Nancy Hennen, flute; Chris Byman, clarinet; Sabina Rzazade, piano; Diogo Peixoto, guitar, and Steve Hamilton, jazz bass.

“For us, it’s really, really important to bring high-calibre musicians” to the festival, Turbanova said.

“We started our festival with really high notes and we still keep really high notes for our festival.”

More details are available at  clearlakefestival.ca.

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FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

• Opening night: July 24, 7:30 p.m.; Lorne Watson Recital Hall, Brandon University

Festival opens with Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 23” and with one of the most popular piano concertos ever written, Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Concerto No. 1” featuring master soloist Alexander Tselyakov. After the concert, mingle with all festival artists at a complimentary wine and cheese reception sponsored by Brandon University.

• July 25, 7:30 p.m., Lorne Watson Recital Hall

Masterworks I features an evening of superb program selections including one of Dmitri Shostakovich’s best-known chamber works, the “Piano Quintet in G Minor, Opus 57.” Artists will include virtuoso musicians Daniel Tselyakov, soloist; Kerry DuWors, violin; Kathy Gannon, violin; Michael Scholz, viola and Simon Fryer, cello.

• July 26, 7:30 p.m.; Lorne Watson Recital Hall

Masterworks II. The evening program will include one of Saint-Saëns’ most famous works, “Carnival of the Animals,” which was written as a musical joke for an all-ages audience and one of the monuments to the young Mendelssohn’s tremendous gifts, his Piano Sextet, Opus 110.

• July 27, 11 a.m., Erickson Lutheran Church

Relax with a complimentary coffee and pastries while enjoying a concert full of humour and entertainment from light classical works to musicals, tangos and a jazzy style concerto.

• July 27, 7:30 p.m., Wasagaming Community Arts

Saturday jazz evening. Each summer, the Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival features some of Canada’s most celebrated jazz musicians. This year, jazz pianist Michael Cain and percussionist Eric Platz will be joined by Steve Hamilton, bass, and, from Brazil, guitarist Diogo Peixoto.

• July 28, 3 p.m., Erickson Lutheran Church

The festival’s grand finale features selections of Saint-Saëns, Gershwin and Tchaikovsky’s music featuring Nancy Hennen, flute; Chris Byman, clarinet; Daniel Tselyakov and Alexander Tselyakov, pianists.

TICKET PRICES

• Adult festival pass: $90

• Seniors 65+ festival pass: $70

• Student festival pass: $35

• Adult tickets: $25 (at the door $30)

• Senior tickets: $20 (at the door $25)

• Student tickets: $15 (at the door $20)

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS

• Brandon University School of Music: 204-727-9631

• Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival: 204-571-6547

• Ted Good Music, Brandon: 204-728-1110

• Surridge’s Music Centre, Brandon: 204-727-3322

• Wasagaming Community Arts Gallery, Wasagaming (Clear Lake): 204-848-2993

• Poor Michael’s Bookshop, Onanole: 204-848-0336

• The Green Spot Home & Garden, Brandon: 204-727-5884

• The Green Spot Cottage Country, Onanole: 204-848-3516