The Ottawa Chamberfest summer festival is a

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

held by Ottawa Chamberfest, also known as Chamberfest, in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. This year's edition will be held between July 25 and August 8, 2019.

Artists

In 1994, the idea of a chamber music festival in Ottawa came to life to remedy the meager availability of live classical music during the summer months and fill the city’s churches with splendid sounds. Ottawa Chamberfest started life as the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival with 22 concerts in two churches and was an immediate hit. Artistic and executive director Julian Armor wanted to increase the popularity of classical music among citizens. Growing steadily over the years, the 2011 edition of Ottawa Chamberfest presented almost 100 concerts, attracting over 80,000 listeners and is the largest chamber music festival of its kind in the world. Roman Borys, the cellist of the Juno award-winning

Gryphon Trio The Gryphon Trio is a Canadian classical music ensemble that has been nominated for several and has won three Juno Awards for its classical recordings released by the Analekta label. Its members are Annalee Patipatanakoon (violin), Roman Borys (cel ...

is the Artistic and Executive Director of Ottawa Chamberfest. His fellow trio members, violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon and pianist James Parker, are among the organization's artistic advisors. Among those who performed in the 2011 edition of the festival were

Jan Lisiecki Jan Lisiecki (; born March 23, 1995) is a Canadian-born classical pianist of Polish ancestry. Lisiecki performs over a hundred concerts annually and has worked closely with the world's leading orchestras and conductors, his career at the top of ...

Isabel Bayrakdarian Isabel Bayrakdarian ( arm, Իզապէլ Պայրագտարեան; born February 1, 1974) is a Lebanese-born Canadian operatic soprano of Armenian descent who now resides and works in the United States. Early life Born in Zahlé, Lebanon, into an ...

Simone Dinnerstein Simone Andrea Dinnerstein (born September 18, 1972) is an American classical pianist. Education Dinnerstein was born in New York City, New York, United States to a Jewish family. She is the daughter of Renee and Simon Dinnerstein. She studied in ...

Marc-André Hamelin Marc-André Hamelin, OC, CQ (born September 5, 1961), is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer. Hamelin is recognized worldwide for the originality and technical proficiency of his performances of the classic repertoire. He has received 11 Gr ...

, Julie Nesrallah,

Yehonatan Berick Yehonatan Berick ( he, יהונתן בריק; August 30, 1968 – October 31, 2020) was a violin and viola virtuoso and pedagogue. Born in Holon, Israel, he started his musical education at the age of six. His principal violin teachers were Ilo ...

National Arts Centre Orchestra The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NAC Orchestra) is a Canadian orchestra based in Ottawa, Ontario led by music director Alexander Shelley. The NAC Orchestra's primary concert venue is Southam Hall at the National Arts Centre. Since its inceptio ...

The Swingle Singers 270px, The Swingles at the Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany">Kirchzarten.html" ;"title="Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten">Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany on 29 June 2019 The Swingles are a v ...

Nexus (ensemble) Nexus is a Toronto-based percussion ensemble that performs standard percussion ensemble repertoire, ragtime music, world music, contemporary classical music and as a group, has performed as soloist with some of the top orchestras around the wor ...

Trio con Brio Copenhagen Trio con Brio Copenhagen is a piano trio based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was formed in 1999 and consists of the Danish pianist Jens Elvekjaer and the two South Korean sisters Soo-Jin Hong and Soo-Kyung Hong. Soo-Jin Hong and Soo-Kyung Hong play a ...

New Zealand String Quartet The New Zealand String Quartet (established 1987) is New Zealand's only full-time string quartet. The current formation of musicians consists of Helene Pohl (1st violin), Monique Lapins (2nd violin), Gillian Ansell (viola) and Rolf Gjelsten (ce ...

, TorQ Percussion Quartet and more. Past performers include Paul Merkelo, Patrick Wedd, Guy Fouquet, Musica Camerata, Stéphane Lemelin, the Borodin String Quartet, the

Beaux Arts Trio The Beaux Arts Trio was a noted piano trio, celebrated for their vivacity, emotional depth and wide-ranging repertoire. They made their debut on 13 July 1955, at the Berkshire Music Festival, Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, known today as th ...

, the

Tokyo String Quartet The was an international string quartet that operated from 1969 to 2013. The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music. The founding members attended the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where they studied with Professor Hideo ...

Martin Beaver Martin Beaver (born 10 November 1967) is a Canadian violinist best known as first violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet. Beaver joined the Tokyo String Quartet as its first violinist in 2002 and remained until they disbanded in 2013. As a part ...

, Penderecki Quartet, Paul Stewart, Martin Chalifour, Monica Whicher, Jennifer Swartz, and

Gino Quilico Gino Quilico OC (born April 29, 1955) is a Canadian operatic baritone. Quilico was born in Flushing, New York City in 1955, the son of baritone Louis Quilico and pianist Lina Pizzolongo. He studied at the University of Toronto Opera School fro ...

, Quartango, Neil Gripp, Richard Raymond, the St. Lawrence Quartet, Mayumi Seiler, Keller Quartet, and Adaskin String Trio.

Music

Although the concerts are primarily traditional classical music, the scope has evolved to include music by pop and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

composers A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Classical music, Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. E ...

and also music from non-European countries. The concerts of a typical day would have several different types of music. For Ottawa Chamberfest 2011, performances are divided into several Concert Series. * Chamber Chat - Lecture series. * Music at Noon - Music at lunch. * New Music Now - Show casing new and emerging artists. * Meet the Artist - Meet several performers up close and personal. * Bring the Kids - Free shows for children. Interactive and fun. * 3PM Series - Afternoon shows * The Siskind Concerts - Nightly shows dedicated to Jacob Siskind, music critic and arts patron. * Market Soirées - Evening Shows with a focus on an intimate musical experience. * Alfresco Concerts and Guerilla Gigs - Free outdoor concerts at Rideau Hall and other undisclosed locations. * Late Night at the Kildare - Hosted by Saint Brigid's Church (Ottawa), a nightly series featuring a diverse set of performers. * Festival Gala Series - 3 high profile performances at

Dominion-Chalmers United Church Dominion Chalmers United Church is a large United church, located in downtown Ottawa, at the corner of Cooper and O'Connor Streets (with access from Lisgar Street). It is a 1962 merger of two key congregations from both the Methodist and Presbyte ...

Venues

The concert venues are generally churches or cultural facilities in the heart of downtown

. The confirmed venues for Ottawa Chamberfest 2011 are: *

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and their representative, the governor general of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main b ...

Beechwood Cemetery Beechwood Cemetery, located in the former city of Vanier in Ottawa, Ontario, is the National Cemetery of Canada. It is the final resting place for over 82,000 Canadians from all walks of life, such as important politicians like Governor Genera ...

* Saint Brigid's Church (Ottawa) *

Anglican Church of St. John the Evangelist (Ottawa) St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church is an Anglican church in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, at the corner of Elgin and Somerset streets. History Creation In 1853, the Duke of Newcastle, in a letter to the Earl of Elgin, then Governor Gener ...

In previous years the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

was also a regular venue. The Festival has also used, on occasion, Southam Hall in the

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) (french: Centre national des Arts) is a Arts centre, performing arts organisation in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre build ...

for special gala concerts.

Other activities

Apart from the annual summer festival, Ottawa Chamberfest also organizes activities throughout the year. The Concert Series takes place from fall to spring offering approximately ten concerts per season. CEE: Community Engagement and Education engages community members of all ages in a suite of free music experiences.

References

;Citations

External links

Ottawa Chamberfest
official website
Gryphon Trio
{{Chamber music festivals Music festivals established in 1994 Music festivals in Ottawa Classical music festivals in Canada Chamber music festivals