GRYPHON TRIO is firmly established as one of the world’s preeminent piano trios. For more than 25 years, it has earned acclaim for and impressed international audiences with its highly refined, dynamic, and memorable performances. The Trio’s repertoire ranges from traditional to contemporary, and from European classicism to modern-day multimedia. It is committed to redefining chamber music for the 21st century.

Violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon, cellist Roman Borys, and pianist Jamie Parker are creative innovators with an appetite for discovery and new ideas. They have commissioned over 85 new works, and they frequently collaborate with other artists on projects that push the boundaries of Classical music.
The Trio tours regularly throughout North America and Europe. It enjoys longstanding relationships with prominent festivals and arts incubators like Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Orford Music Academy, Music Toronto, Ottawa Chamberfest, and Festival del Lago International Academy of Music in Ajijic, Mexico. Gryphon Trio often performs triple concerti with the world’s major symphony orchestras and smaller chamber orchestras.

Gryphon Trio’s prolific recording catalogue includes 22 releases on Analekta, Naxos, and other labels; it is an encyclopaedia of works for the genre. Honours include 11 nominations and three Juno Awards for Classical Album of the Year in 2004, 2011, and most recently in 2019. In 2013, Canada Council for the Arts presented Gryphon Trio with the prestigious Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts.

The Gryphons are deeply committed to community engagement, education, and the development of next-generation audiences and performers. They conduct masterclasses and workshops at universities and conservatories. They are ensemble-in-residence at the Isabel Bader Centre for Performing Arts in Kingston, Ontario, and artists-in-residence at Trinity College, University of Toronto. Since 2010, the Trio’s ground-breaking outreach program, Listen Up!, has inspired 16 Canadian communities to collaborate on large-scale multifaceted arts creation projects. The Trio leads Orford Music Academy’s Piano Trio Workshop and directs the Classical Music Summer Programs at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

From 2007 to 2020, Roman Borys was Artistic Director of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society; Annalee Patipatanakoon and Jamie Parker served as OCMS’ Artistic Advisors. Mr. Parker is the Rupert E. Edwards Chair in Piano Performance at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Ms. Patipatanakoon is Associate Professor of Violin and Performance Area Chair of Strings.

Known for their innovative programming and unique approach to chamber music, two-time
Juno-nominated Montreal string nonet collectif9 performs “with an infectious energy and
vigour that grabs an audience’s attention” (The WholeNote). Since their 2011 debut, collectif9
has performed numerous concerts across North America, Europe, and Asia. As performers of
classical and contemporary music, the ensemble combines the power of an orchestra with the
agility of a chamber ensemble. collectif9 operates on the premise that a change of context can
influence communication and experience.

collectif9 presents new programmes every season in Montréal, Canada, and their national and
international touring schedule includes performances in chamber music series, festivals,
universities, and more. Highlights include concerts in the Festival de Música de Morelia
(Mexico), La Folle journée de Nantes (France), Festival de Lanaudière (Québec), Shenzhen
Concert Hall (China), and Sound Unbound (Barbican Centre, London). The ensemble continually
explores new repertoire and new artistic partnerships with composers, video artists, poets,
lighting designers, and other inspired collaborators, to create multidisciplinary projects that
come to life in acoustic or amplified settings.

Dévah Members:
Liza McLellan – Cello, Electric Cello, Writer, Arranger, Vocals
Emily Hau – Violin, Electric Violin, Vocals
Sharon Lee – Violin, Viola, Electric 5-string Violin/Viola, Vocals
Moira Burke – Viola, Violin, Electric 5-string Violin/Viola, Vocals
Mackenzie Longpre / Kristofer Maddigan – Drums

Dévah recently released their third album Prometheus, just on the heels of their second
album 2112, which features a full length instrumental tribute to Canadian icon RUSH’s suite
of the same name. Prometheus has been featured in various Prog Rock journals and
podcasts, and 2112 was featured in the UK magazine PROG (Dévah’s second write up in this
publication). Dévah’s tribute to Rush’s 2112 led to being invited to perform at A Night for
Neil, the tribute event held for Rush drummer Neil Peart.

A multi-genre (note: not cross-genre) string quartet, Dévah has held residencies at the
University of Toronto’s New Music Festival performing works on both acoustic and electric
instruments, and at San Jacinto College in Texas as visiting artists, where they provide
masterclasses and composer workshops with both sets of instruments.

Dévah’s notable performances include Canada Day at Yonge and Dundas Square (twice),
the countdown launch for the Pan Am Games, The 2022 Canada Games, and featured guest
artists at Interprovincial Music Camp’s CAMP ROCK. When in electric mode, Dévah
performs high energy sets with effects pedals and wireless cables, enabling them to
encourage interaction with the audience through movement. Dévah Quartet’s shows are
often performed by memory and backed by a drummer, and at times accompanied by a
projection artist.

No stranger to multi-disciplinary collaboration, Dévah has performed live with dancers,
including Toronto’s A2D2 Aerial Dancers, and a special collaboration with ballet dancers for
the Kubrick: A Clockwork Orange installation party for the Toronto International Film
Festival.

Classically trained, Dévah Quartet’s members are active principal players in Toronto-based
ensembles. Violinist Sharon Lee is Concertmaster of Toronto Concert Orchestra, violinist
Emily Hau is Principal Second of Sinfonia Toronto, cellist Liza McLellan was cellist of
Quartetto Gelato for nine years, violist Moira Burke plays for Mirvish productions.
Dévah became Yamaha Canada Artists in 2011, and D’Addario Canada Artists in 2013.

Toronto Mass Choir continues to be on the cutting edge of Canadian gospel music, bringing its
distinctive sound to the world stage. Their music incorporates contemporary gospel, traditional
gospel, and Caribbean music influences.
Karen Burke, a Professor of Music at York University, is the director of the diversified group of
singers and musicians, and her husband, Oswald Burke, is their Executive Producer. Now 45-
strong plus a five-piece band, the not-for-profit choir consists of adult members from all across
the GTA.
TMC’s travels abroad have taken them to several countries, including England, Poland,
Romania, Italy, Barbados, Dominion Republic, and the United States.
The choir has performed at countless churches, festivals, award shows, and venues such as The
Ottawa Bluesfest, the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Canadian National Exhibition, Roy Thompson
Hall with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

The name Niccolo Paganini is inextricably combined with the concepts of extraordinary virtuosity and intensity of the violin. And he was a man of such legendary stage presence that ladies of the audience would regularly faint during his performances. It is no wonder that the concept of the ‚Devil’s Violinist‘ comes to mind in connection with Paganini. Yet Paganini was far more than this – not only was his command of the guitar equal to his command of the violin, he also composed a body of extensive and extraordinary chamber music: 250 compositions in various instrumental combinations, i.e. solos, duets, and trios, as well as the quartets for violin, guitar, viola, and violoncello. He presented his compositions for violin and orchestra to larger audiences, while composing for the violin both solos and quartets with guitar, which were played in private concerts.

Other musicians and composers knew of Paganini’s compositions, and even the great Rossini – himself composer of numerous operas – once sighed with relief and said it was a stroke of luck for Italian composers that Paganini did not compose operas, for with his talent, he would outshine all other composers.

The “Paganini Ensemble Vienna” is committed to these rarely played (chamber music) compositions.
Indeed, Paganini’s chamber music is exceptionally demanding of the musicians who interpret it. These are not pieces composed for a soloist and accompanists – to the contrary, they demand a maximum of every instrument, be it the violin, guitar, viola, or violoncello.

The “Paganini Ensemble Vienna” has set its goal high in presenting this rarely played programme which offers unique insight into Paganini’s extensive oeuvre for the violin, guitar, viola, and violoncello. These works offer not only technical virtuosity and moments of tremendous passion, but also passages expressing great tenderness, suffering, and joy. Indeed, these emotional elements are essential to understanding the music of Nicolo Paganini, who once said „We must strongly feel to make others feel“

Mario Hossen is the founder of the Paganini Ensemble Vienna. He is a Bulgarian-Austrian concert violinist, considered as one of the leading interpreters of Paganini Music. He made his debut as a soloist with an orchestra at the age of eight. As a concert soloist of international acclaim, Mario Hossen has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the Bruckner Orchestra, the Orchestra della Scala di Milano, the English Chamber Orchestra. Hossen‘s musicological and artistic endeavors are focused among other things on source research on Niccolo Paganini. Mario Hossen performs on G.B. Guadagnini Violin (1749), which is placed at his disposal by the Austrian National Bank. He plays all concerts exclusively with his preferred strings, the Vision Titanium Solo strings manufactured by Viennese company Thomastik-Infeld

Marta Potulska is a laureate of several international competitions including 1st prize at the Johannes Brahms Competition in Austria (2007) and at the International Bled Competition and Festival in Slovenia (2011), she is also the recipient of a special award at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition on the Isle of Man, UK (2006). Marta Potulska is an active participant in many international music festivals such as Salzburger Festspiele, Styriarte, Eggenberger Schlosskonzerte, St Gallen Festival, Austria, the Park City Music Festival, in Las Vegas, USA, the International Suzuki Institute in Salt Lake City, USA. She is currently a member of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Wien International Soloists Ensemble and Varietas Ensemble as well as a member of Ensemble of Burgtheater in Vienna.

Liliana Kehayova, a forth generation musician, received her Master degree in cello performance in the Vienna Conservatory studying with Lilia Schulz-Bayrova. As a passionate solo and chamber music performer, Ms. Kehayova has participated in numerous music festivals & recitals throughout Europe. She performed as a soloist with orchestras such as Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Mitteleuropa Orchestra Udine, North Czech Philharmonic, Varna Philharmonic Orchestra, New Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Orphica among others. She has performed in venues such as Musikverein (AT), Athenaeum (RO), Rudolfinum- Dvorak Hall and Smetana Hall (CZ), Palau de la Musica Catalana (ES) & Bulgaria Hall (BG). In 2012, Liliana was honoured with the grand scholarship of the Austrian foundation “Alban Berg”.

Alexander Swete is one of the leading and internationally most sought-after guitarists in Austria. His expressive playing, sense of sound and virtuosic ease delight both critics and audiences. During his studies at the Conservatory in Bregenz with Georg Gaupp-Berghausen and at the Vienna Music Academy with Konrad Ragossnig he had already achieved great success in prestigious international guitar competitions (Havana / Cuba and ARD Munich). His international breakthrough started in 1991 after winning the 1st prize at the International Guitar Competition of Radio France in Paris, the world’s most important competition for guitar. Alexander Swete is professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and is D’Addario Artist, playing on D’Addario Pro Arte Nylon strings.

For more information, visit https://paganiniensemblewien.com/