Music Sense Richard Vachon

- her love for country music, and classical crossover

- her experience with covid

- her experience with the Southern border 

- Favorite composers: Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Brahms, Shostakovitch, Stravinsky.

- 2019 - 2020: The MCO is named Classical Artist/Ensemble of the Year at the Western Canadian Music awards.

- 2019: Tour of the Dvorák's ‘American’ string quartet (arranged for chamber orchestra) with the MCO.

- 2018: Tour of the Philip Glass' third piano concerto with Simone Dinnerstein.

- 2013: CD recording of Philip Glass' third piano concerto with Michael Riesman.

- 2009: Tour with Dame Evelyn Glennie, resulting in a CD recording.

- 2008: Tour with Isabel Bayrakdarian, including a concert at the Carnegie Hall in New York, and resulting in a CD recording (2013).

- 2008 to present: Music Director of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (MCO) in Winnipeg, where she explored the Haydn Symphonies perfectly suited for chamber orchestra. The MCO presents at least nine concerts annually, most of which feature guest soloists, and all of which present an accessible, eclectic repertoire ranging from the mega-hits of the common practice tradition to exciting new premieres. The rest of its programming energies are devoted to an extensive program of touring, recording, and outreach.

- 1999 to 2003: Music Director of the Kansas City Symphony, where conducted Brahms, Shostakovitch, Stravinsky, and where she accompanied Frederica von Stade singing Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfairer), Denyce Graves singing Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children), and Chick Corea playing Mozart's Piano concerto no. 20 in D minor.

- 1997: Conductor at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London performing Kurt Weill's Seven Deadly Sins.

- 1994: The first woman to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival, leading them in the opera Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky to critical acclaim. Her landmark appearance in Salzburg was made possible by the renowned conductor Claudio Abbado. Ms. Manson went to Vienna to observe Mr. Abbado in rehearsal at the State Opera. Just then the maestro’s assistant quit. Mr. Abbado invited Ms. Manson to be his new  assistant, which involved helping him prepare performances at the opera  house, including a production of “Boris Godunov.” When the Vienna Philharmonic performed this Mussorgsky opera at Salzburg, Mr. Abbado could not conduct one of the performances. At his suggestion, Ms. Manson was hired.

- 1988 to 1996: Conductor of the London Mecklenburgh Opera, exploring the composers of the Eastern Bloc. She inaugurated the Mecklenburgh Opera with a production of a neglected work, “Der Kaiser von Atlantis,” by the German-Czech composer Viktor Ullmann, who was killed at Auschwitz in 1944. To raise funds for the production, she turned to prominent cultural figures in London who had roots in Eastern Europe: the conductor Georg Solti and the playwright Tom Stoppard. The success of this production earned the Mecklenburgh Opera regular support from  the government arts council.

- Favorite composers: Mozart, Chopin

- Favorite music pieces: Mozart piano concerto no. 22 in E flat K.482, Mozart piano sonata no. 13 in B flat major K.333, Chopin Ballade no.4 in F minor Op. 52.

- Equally at home on the 18th-century fortepiano as he is on the modern concert piano, Canadian pianist Ludwig Sémerjian holds a special place on today's music scene. His sensitive and original interpretations regularly garner praise from critics, while audiences are delighted by his dazzling virtuosity, unusual grace and poetic temperament. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal, Ludwig Sémerjian began to take an interest in historic pianos from the 18th and 19th centuries. The enormous success achieved on these instruments led him to collaborate with such eminent early music specialists as Nicholas McGegan, Jaap Shröder, Paul Badura-Skoda and Andreas Staier. This marriage of the old and the new has produced a peerless artist in Ludwig Sémerjian who continues to capture the imagination of critics and audiences alike. Sémerjian has performed in Europe and North America as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra and chamber musician, playing on both ancient and modern instruments. Recent concerts by Ludwig Sémerjian include a North American tour as a soloist with the Concerto Köln as well as appearances on some of the most prestigious stages in the world, including the Library of Congress in Washington, Studio Glenn Gould in Toronto, the Accademia Bartolomeo Cristofori in Florence and the Beethoven-Haus Kammermusiksaal in Bonn where it was praised by German critics. Ludwig Sémerjian's recordings can be found on the Atma Classique label, with which he completed recording all of Mozart's sonatas on pianos from the 18th and 19th century.

- His mother liked to play Chopin prelude Op. 28 no. 15 'Raindrop'.

- Favorite Composers: Bach, Beethoven, Bartok, Prokofiev, Shostakovich

- Favorite pieces of music: Bach, Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin - Bach, Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major - Beethoven, Violin Concerto - Beethoven String Quartets - Shostakovich, String Quartets.

- JUNO Award Nomination for his Avie recording of Ysaÿe’s Solo Violin Sonatas.

- Karl Stobbe is the Associate Concert Master of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Remarkable performances of the orchestra include the 10 Mahler Symphonies, Beethoven Symphonies, Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, Elgar Enigma Variations, Bartok Miraculous Mandarin. - Culminating in 2020 he performed the 16 Beethoven String Quartets with the Clearwater Quartet composed of the best members of the WSO, Gwen Hoebig (Violin Concertmaster), himself, Daniel Scholz (Principal Viola) and Yuri Hooker (Principal Cello). - In 2021 he performed an online concert series of the Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin.

- Karl Stobbe is recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished and diverse violinists, noted for his generous, rich sound, and long, poignant phrasing. He has appeared in North America’s most notable concert halls, including New York's Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall, Ottawa's National Arts Centre, Toronto's Roy Thompson Hall, and the Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, California. - As a chamber musician and soloist, Karl has shared the stage with many leading and diverse violinists of our day, from James Ehnes to Mark O’Connor. - Also an accomplished luthier, Karl’s passion for the construction and mechanics of the violin contributes to his utmost ability as a performer.

- His mother loved to play the Schumann piano concerto.

Favorite pieces: Smetana, Ma Vlast, The Moldau - Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 - Brahms, Symphony No. 4 - Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain

Favorite music pieces: Mahler, Symphony No. 4 - Rimsky Korsakov, Sheherazade - Bach, Cantata No. 82

2018 to present Artistic Director at Sinfonia de l'Ouest

2017 Canada 150 Community Service Award

2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition for his contribution to the musical life of the West Island of Montreal

2010 Prix Ferdinand Lindsay from the Association des orchestres de jeunes du Quebec in recognition of his dedication to the cause of youth orchestras in Quebec

1999 to 2017 Artistic Director at West Island Youth Symphony Orchestra

2009 to present Music Director/Conductor at Lakeshore Chamber Orchestra

1995 - 1996 Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra 'Composer of the Season'

1988 Heinz Unger Award from the Association of Canadian Orchestras for his many accomplishments in Lethbridge

1978 - 1994 Music Director of the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra

1972 - 1974 Oboe & Cor anglais at the National Arts Centre Orchestra

1969 Premier Prix in oboe in the class of Melvin Berman at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal