National Youth Orchestra of Canada

Date
Genre
Classical

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYO Canada) embarks this summer on its 2023 Aurora Tour with stops in Ontario, Québec, and a return to the East Coast after six long years. Join us as over 80 of today's brightest young classical musicians take to the stage under the baton of world-renowned conductor Maestro Sascha Goetzel. NYO Canada will perform works by Canadian composer Jocelyn Murlock's, My Name is Amanda Todd.

Mali Obomsawin

Date
Genre
Jazz
Other

Mali Obomsawin is an award-winning bassist/ composer from Odanak First Nation. Her 2022 debut album Sweet Tooth has garnered international acclaim, quickly establishing her as a rising jazz star and an innovative folk music visionary. With an expansive background in American roots, rock and improvised music, Obomsawin has performed at Newport & Philly Folk Festivals and in premier venues across the US, Canada, and Germany. JazzTimes calls Obomsawin’s Sweet Tooth “a breath of fresh air,” that delivers a suite of “gripping, dynamic, and thunderous music.”

Eve Egoyan

Date
Genre
Classical

Venture into Eve Egoyan’s musical world with this beautifully made visual essay featuring art from David Rokeby. Known as one of the greatest Canadian classical pianists of all time, Egoyan welcomes audiences into unknown territory with her insightful interpretations and playful compositions. Through snapshots, journal entries, and fragments from an enigmatic solo performance, experience how characteristic elusive sounds can be combined to create new work for augmented piano and performs it live on the Isabel stage.

Photo of Eve Egoyan by David Rokeby. 

Chanticleer

Date
Genre
Classical

The Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer has been hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus” (New Yorker) and is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Their repertoire is rooted in the Renaissance and has continued to expand to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz, and popular music, and a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements. Their Isabel program will include some of their greatest hits.

Photo by Stephen K. Mack.

Cheng2 Duo: Aurora Borealis

Date
Genre
Classical

Captivating audiences and critics alike, the “brilliant” (The Sunday Times) and “truly exhilarating” (The WholeNote) Cheng2² Duo (pronounced Cheng Squared Duo) distinguishes itself with its uncompromising musical integrity, undeniable chemistry, and unparalleled communication with its listeners.

Encounter As Author In Early Modern Images From The Atlantic World

Date
Genre
Other

Early modern central Africa comes to life in the vivid full-page paintings Italian Capuchin Franciscans, veterans of the Kongo and Angola missions, composed between 1650 and 1750 for the training of future missionaries. Their “practical guides” present the intricacies of the natural, social, and religious environment of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century west-central Africa and outline the primarily visual catechization methods they devised for the region.

Capella Cracoviensis

Date
Genre
Classical

Capella Cracoviensis, chamber choir and orchestra based in Krakow, Poland, is one of the most exciting ensembles on the contemporary scene of period music. Performed on period instruments using historical performance techniques, Capella Cracoviensis makes their Isabel debut with a special program of Bach.

Capella Cracoviensis owns special thanks to the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ottawa for its support of the concert tour in Canada in November 2023.

Photo by Jacek Poremba. 

Tony Siqi Yun

Date
Genre
Classical

Combining poetry and elegance, charismatic young pianist Tony Siqi Yun is the recent first prize winner at the 2019 First China International Music Competition and a Recipient of the Rheingau Music Festival's LOTTO-Förderpreis, 2023. Known as “a true poet of the keyboard” (Pianist Magazine), Tony Siqi Yun will be bringing an intriguing showcase of Bach, Liszt, Beethoven, and Berio, ending the recital with Brahms’ powerful third Sonata.

Photo by Jennifer Taylor.

Celebrating the Holidays with Miss Emily

Date
Genre
Jazz
Other

Miss Emily’s performances are foot stomping, heart-wrenching adventures in rhythm, blues, jazz, and rock and roll. For over 15 years she has captivated listeners across Canada, the US, and the United Kingdom with her unique combination of passion and talent. In early 2020, Miss Emily won two Maple Blues Awards for new artist and female vocalist of the year, and in 2022, her “LIVE at the Isabel” album was nominated for JUNO Blues Album of the Year. Join Miss Emily as she shares her remarkable artistry and holiday tunes.

 

Photo by Jillian Lorraine Photography

Gryphon Trio, Echo: Memories of the World

Date
Genre
Classical

Imagined within this multimedia project is an exploration of the many efforts around the world to bring voice to submerged histories. Echo: Memories of the World highlights these important efforts through a unique fusion of music, video, spoken word, soundscape, and other artistic media. With a core team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous creators, this project not only tackles, but engages in the process of establishing and maintaining mutually respectful relationships between artistic genres, timeframes, spaces, histories, and peoples. 

Janina Fialkowska

Date
Genre
Classical

For almost 50 years, pianist Janina Fialkowska has enchanted audiences and critics around the world. Praised for her musical integrity, refreshing natural approach, and unique piano sound, she has been hailed as “one of the Grandes Dames of piano playing” (Frankfurter Allgemeine).  A venerated interpreter of the music of Chopin, she makes her long-awaited return to the Isabel, sharing the music that made her famous.

Photo by Julien Faugère / ATMA.

Esme Quartet with Yekwon Sunwoo, piano

Date
Genre
Classical

The award-winning Esmé Quartet—four outstanding young musicians born in South Korea and now based in Germany—has taken concert halls by storm. Discover why, as the members explore the richness of the European chamber tradition alongside Gold medalist of the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, pianist Yekwon Sunwoo, in a program featuring Haydn, Mendelssohn, Debussy, and Brahm's celebrated Piano Quintet in F minor.

Angela Cheng

Date
Genre
Classical

Consistently praised for her brilliant technique, tonal beauty, and superb musicianship, Canadian pianist Angela Cheng is one of the country's national treasures. We welcome her as she makes her solo recital debut at the Isabel.

Manchester Collective with Abel Selaocoe

Date
Genre
Global

“Sirocco is a once in a lifetime experience,” describes Plays to See. Sirocco is guest-directed by South African cellist Abel Selaocoe and has received rave reviews since its 2018 premiere. Abel Selaocoe and his band Chesaba join the UK’s Manchester Collective in a program covering everything from arrangements for solo cello to classics by Purcell and Haydn, original African music, and a collection of gorgeous Danish folk songs.

Photo of Manchester Collective by Gaelle Beri. Photo of Abel Selaocoe by Phil Sharp.