Roots and Branches pairs established professional mentors with upcoming student artists in a brand-new, side-by-side mentorship and performance initiative.
Clarinetist Hwan Gyu Cho and pianist Anica Warkentine perform with professional musicians Caitlin Broms-Jacobs (oboe), Layla Roberts (flute), Minna Rose Chung (cello) and Madeline Hildebrand (piano) in the first Virtuosi concert of the new year.
“It’s always so neat how music can connect people so fast,” says Warkentine.
Currently pursuing a Post-Baccalaureate diploma at the U of M’s Desautels Faculty of Music, Warkentine notes that the limited rehearsal schedule has made for a professional working atmosphere. Collaborating with Cho and the mentors for the first time, they quickly found a united artistic voice, she says.
Creating a professional experience for young artists is the focus of this latest Virtuosi Young Artist Program initiative, one which has been equally appreciated by Cho.
“I learned many things from them,” says Cho, a graduate of the Brandon School of Music currently preparing for doctoral study application. “I’m really excited to play with them.”
A rich and varied program consisting of Brahms, Bruch, Beach, Saint-Saens, Martinu, Coleman, and Manitoba’s own Karen Sunabacka will have the players busy in various combinations.
“It feels very collaborative in the true sense of what chamber music means,” says Warkentine. “Equal conversation where everybody plays a different role but has an equal part within the music-making.”
Roots and Branches: The Mentorship Concert Project takes place on Sunday, January 15 at 3 p.m.
Note: Virtuosi Concerts returns to their longtime home, Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall, for the show.
For tickets and details, visit: www.virtuosiconcerts.ca