≈ 1 hour · No intermission
Repertoire
Summer Music for wind quintet, Op. 31
American composer Samuel Barber (1910–1981) wrote Summer Music in 1955, to fulfill a commission from the Chamber Music Society of Detroit (it was financed, remarkably for the time, through public donations similar to today’s crowdfunding campaigns). Although the work was premiered in March 1956 by the principal players of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Barber composed it with the New York Wind Quintet in mind. After initially meeting the group’s members in January 1955, he observed them working in rehearsal, during which they explored techniques of producing unique sonorities as an ensemble. When the Quintet read through the finished work for the first time, flutist Samuel Baron expressed delight at what the composer had created for them: “We were completely gassed! What a wonderful new quintet conception. [Barber] has written some of our favourite effects.” After the premiere, Barber decided to shorten the piece, in consultation with the Quintet, to the final version that is performed today.
Summer Music unfolds continuously in one movement, structured as a series of episodes during which main themes are presented and return. It opens with a slow introduction featuring a gentle pulsating theme first introduced by the horn and bassoon, evoking the languor of a hot summer’s day or night. A tender melody of darker character follows, a kind of melancholy serenade played by the oboe. The mood lifts, with the instruments “chattering” on a playful rhythmic motive, after which an even livelier section of shifting rhythmic patterns ensues. The principal themes are then reintroduced in reverse order. Later, a new urgency takes hold, intensifying to a grand climax; it eventually dissolves, returning to the opening mood before the ensemble closes with a virtuosic flourish.
Program notes by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Suite Piedra Libre
Sinfonietta for Woodwind Quintet
Artists
Named one of 2020’s “Rising Stars” by BBC Music Magazine, flutist Lara Deutsch is a versatile soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player known for her engaging warmth and ability to connect with audiences. Recipient of the $125,000 Prix Goyer for 2019-2020, Lara was also a first prize winner of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s 2014 Manulife Competition, at which she was awarded a total of seven prizes. Additionally, she was the Grand Prize Winner of both the National Arts Centre Orchestra Bursary Competition (2014) and the Canadian Music Competition (2010), as well as a laureate of the Concours Prix d’Europe (2016).
An avid chamber musician, Lara’s recent performance highlights include recitals for the New Classical FM’s Zoomer Hall series, the National Arts Centre (NAC) & Facebook’s #CanadaPerforms initiative, Newport Classical (Rhode Island, USA), the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s Virée Classique, Ottawa’s Music & Beyond Festival, and the Allegra Chamber Music series, of which she was Artist-in-Residence for the 2019-2020 season. Among her favourite collaborators are pianists Philip Chiu and Frédéric Lacroix, guitarist Adam Cicchillitti, and harpist Emily Belvedere, with whom she founded Duo Kalysta. She has recorded two chamber music albums on the Leaf Music Label: Origins (2019, Duo Kalysta) and Night Light (2022, with Philip Chiu), both of which were named to Top 20 lists for their respective years by CBC Music.
Lara is currently based in the Ottawa-Montreal area, where she has performed extensively with the NAC Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, she has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (of which she acted as Assistant Principal Flute & Piccolo for the 2016-17 season), the symphony orchestras of Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Kingston, and the McGill Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Whenever possible, Lara enjoys performing for young audiences through educational outreach concerts, principally as a member of the NAC’s Ayorama Wind Quintet. She is similarly dedicated to sharing her transformative experiences working with Olympic mental performance coach Jean-François Ménard, having hosted workshops internationally for performers of all ages. In November of 2020, she joined the music faculty at Carleton University as a performance instructor.
Lara performs on a 14k gold Haynes flute, generously loaned by Canimex Inc. of Drummondville, Québec.
She is incredibly grateful for the support of Mécénat Musica, the Canada Council for the Arts, and FACTOR in her ongoing projects, as well as for the years of invaluable guidance from her principal teachers and mentors: Denis Bluteau, Tim Hutchins, Camille Churchfield, and Cathy Baerg. She is represented by Latitude 45 Arts.
Ludovik Lesage-Hinse currently holds the position of second clarinet with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. He is often invited as an extra for many orchestras in Ontario and Quebec, including the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. He is also a musician for the Canadian Armed Forces. As a soloist, Ludovik was invited to perform with Montreal’s I Musici Chamber Music Orchestra and with the Conservatoire de musique de Trois-Rivières Orchestra.
A dedicated educator, Ludovik now teaches at Collège Lionel-Groulx, at École des Petits chanteurs de Trois-Rivières and at La Découverte High School in Saint-Léonard d’Aston, while also offering lessons in his private studio. He has taught at the Conservatoire de musique de Saguenay and the Conservatoire de musique de Trois-Rivières.
Ludovik holds a master’s degree in both saxophone and clarinet from the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec. He also obtained a certificate for advanced studies in saxophone in 2016. His outstanding work at the Conservatory earned him a career development scholarship of $10,000 from the Conservatory’s Foundation. He later perfected his craft with Alain Desgagné and received a Graduate Diploma in Performance from McGill University in 2017. His principal teachers are Claude Brisson, Gilles Carpentier, Alain Desgagné, Dorvalino De Melo, Stéphane Fontaine, Mark Simons and Kimball Sykes.
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A native of South Korea, Yewon Kim is an oboist currently living in Montreal, Canada who achieved a master's degree at McGill University Schulich School of Music in 2019 under the tutelage of Theodore Baskin. She received her Bachelor of Music from SangMyung University, Seoul in 2012 with renowned oboist Soo-Keum Kim. As a soloist, Yewon performed with the Seoul Wind Orchestra in the Jeju International Wind Festival. She is a passionate orchestral performer as well as a Chamber musician. Yewon has performed with Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Young Philharmonic Orchestra, and Suwon Philharmonic. Yewon was a member of the Janinto Ensemble and toured and recorded four chamber music albums. As a student, Yewon has performed in masterclass for world-renowned performers including, Albrecht Mayer, Eugene Izotov, Nathan Hughes and Maurice Bourgue. She has devoted an important part of her activities to chamber music since 2018. She is presently a member of Ensemble Trapèze and Ensemble Les Étoiles. In addition, Mrs. Kim has served on the oboe faculty at Yamaha Music School in Incheon and the Vancouver Academy of music the VCMA.
Ever since he picked up the French horn in High School, Olivier Brisson has been extremely passionate about his instrument. He pursued classical music as a career and completed his B.Mus. from the University of Ottawa in 2015 studying under both Daniel Gress and Lawrence Vine (NACO Principal Horn). He then attended the Glenn Gould School of Music under Gabriel Radford (TSO).
Mr. Brisson is an alum of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (2012-13), the NYO Canada/India exchange program (2013) and the National Arts Centre Young Artists Program (2014).
Mr. Brisson is currently a member of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the Bel Canto Wind Quintet and since May 2018, he is Principal Horn of the Kingston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Brisson is a frequent additional musician with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.