GWEN HOEBIG, VIOLIN
Long recognized as one of Canada’s most outstanding violinists, Gwen Hoebig is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York City. As a student she won every major Canadian music competition, and in 1981 was the top prizewinner at the Munich International Violin Competition. A champion of new music, she has given the Canadian premieres of violin concertos by S.C. Eckhardt-Gramatté, T.P. Carrabré, Randolph Peters, Gary Kulesha, Joan Tower, Christopher Rouse and Philip Glass, and as soloist with orchestra she has performed all the major violin concerti with orchestras across Canada, the United States and Europe. As a chamber musician she appears frequently in recital with her husband, pianist David Moroz, and has performed at many of the country's foremost festivals including The Banff Arts Festival, the Festival of the Sound at Parry Sound, the Domaine Forget, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Festival Vancouver, the Scotia Festival of Music, the Stratford Summer Music Festival and the WSO’s New Music Festival.
Gwen Hoebig joined the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as Concertmaster in 1987, having been awarded the position as the unanimous choice of the audition committee. In 1993 she was honoured by the Government of Canada when she received the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation, in recognition of her contribution to the Arts. She has always taken a great interest in the development of young musicians and maintains a private teaching studio in Winnipeg. She has also been an instructor at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music and teaches regularly at the Mount Royal University in Calgary, where she is a member of the Extended Faculty. Founding Co-Artistic Director of The Morningside Music Bridge, an international summer program featuring the finest young violinists, cellists and pianists from across China, Europe, the United States and Canada, she has mentored many of the world's leading young soloists and competition winners over the past 20 years.
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KARL STOBBE, VIOLIN
Karl Stobbe is recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished and diverse violinists. Very few violinists can lay claim to performances of all six Ysaÿe sonatas for solo violin, all sixteen Beethoven string quartets, and all nine Mahler symphonies. Whether as soloist, concertmaster, chamber musician, or teacher, he is known for his dedication to excellence on the violin and to classical music in all its forms.
Karl Stobbe has performed in many of North America’s most famous concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, the National Arts Centre, Roy Thompson Hall, Segerstrom Hall, and the Chan Centre. As a chamber musician and soloist, he has shared the stage with many of the most important and diverse violinists of our day, from James Ehnes to Mark O’Connor. His recently released CD on Avie Records featuring Ysaÿe’s solo violin sonatas has received worldwide attention and a nomination for a Juno award; 2014 also marked the release of a live recording of Karl joined by Jonathan Crow and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in the title track of “Cobalt,” a CD of the music of Jocelyn Morlock. He frequently performs and records new music, and has been involved in numerous commissions and world premieres.
A lover of all things violin, Karl completed a minor in Violin Repair and Construction at Indiana University. His passion for the construction and mechanics of the violin contributes to his ability as a performer and teacher. Through building and restoring violins, he continues to learn about and appreciate the work of the master luthiers. A connoisseur of string instruments, he never misses an opportunity to see and play fine violins and bows. He has given multiple lectures on the history of the violin family, and organized showings and lecture recitals of rare, fine instruments, in concert halls, art galleries, universities, and conservatories.
Karl continues to devote his time in performance as the Associate Concertmaster of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and as a core member of the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society.
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YURI HOOKER, CELLO
Yuri Hooker is Principal cellist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and is a core member of the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society. His frequent concerto appearances with the WSO and the MCO have met with critical and audience acclaim, and his most recent performances include the world premiere of John Tavener’s new work for cello and orchestra Popule Meus, the world premiere of the orchestral version of Michael Oesterle’s Agate Rosary and the North American premiere of Tavener’s Requiem. He was also honoured to present the Western Canadian premiere of Henri Dutilleux’s cello concerto Tout un monde lointain in 2009 with the WSO conducted by Michelle Mourre. A strong advocate of new music, he appears regularly with Groundswell, and made the premiere recording of Ørjan Sandred’s Amanzule Voices for cello and live electronics (Navona Records).
In addition to performing, Yuri is a dedicated teacher. He maintains a private teaching studio and was the Sessional Instructor of Cello at the Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba from 2004-08. In 2007 he founded the Winnipeg Summer Cello Institute, and most recently launched the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy for young string players, which had its inaugural session in the summer of 2011. Yuri has also been a faculty member of the Valhalla Summer School of Music in Silverton, BC, and was formerly Principal cellist with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Brandon University, which he followed with graduate studies under Janos Starker and Stanley Ritchie (period performance) at Indiana University.
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MICAH HEILBRUNN
Born in London, Ontario, Micah Heilbrunn is currently Principal clarinettist of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. His principal teachers include Jerome Summers, Deborah Chodacki, Robert Crowley and Joaquin Valdepeñas.
Micah has been a member of the clarinet faculty at Brandon University, the University of Windsor, and at the University of Manitoba. He has been a featured artist at the Aspen Music Festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Las Vegas Music Fesitval and the Scotia Festival of Music, and has been heard in broadcasts both on the CBC and National Public Radio.
An active orchestral and chamber musician, Micah has served as guest Principal Clarinettist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Symphony Nova Scotia. An advocate of new music, he has been a member of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and Brave New Works Ensemble, and has performed in both Toronto New Music concerts and Winnipeg's GroundSwell.
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DAVID MOROZ, PIANO
A graduate of the Juilliard School, Winnipeg-born pianist David Moroz enjoys a career as one of Canada’s most versatile artists. As a soloist he has performed in every major Canadian city, and as a collaborative artist he appears regularly in recital with Canada’s most distinguished musicians. A gifted and dedicated teacher, he was guest instructor at The Banff Centre’s Special Studies for Young Musicians in the mid-1990’s, and in 1998 was named to the Extended Faculty of the Conservatory at Mount Royal University in Calgary, one of Canada’s leading institutions for the education of young musicians. Twice nominated for Manitoba’s Artist of the Year, he is a frequent guest of CBC Radio and is a veteran performer at Canada’s most important music festivals. A devoted advocate of new music, he has given premieres of dozens of solo and ensemble works, including concertos by Kelly-Marie Murphy (Hammer of the Sorceress) and Gary Kulesha (Partita for piano and orchestra), which was written especially for him.
David Moroz was awarded a Doctor of Music degree from the University of Montréal, and holds both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the celebrated Juilliard School in New York City. He has been Artistic Director of The Winnipeg Chamber Music Society since 1987, and served as Assistant Program Director for Music & Sound at The Banff Centre from 1995-99. He was appointed to the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music in 1999, where he heads the Piano Department, and teaches piano, piano repertoire and chamber music. In 2000, he began his long and rewarding association with The Morningside Music Bridge as coordinator of its Piano Department; his work alongside the early core members of the MMB Faculty made significant contributions to the development and success of this elite program through its first 20 years. He has since visited China regularly, performing, teaching and giving masterclasses at major Schools and Conservatories in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
David Moroz made his debut in Shanghai performing a recital with the acclaimed American cellist Lynn Harrell and the Dvořák quintet with the Shanghai String Quartet. In past seasons he has appeared in recital with the renowned Taiwanese-American violinist Cho-Liang Lin and with the eminent viola virtuoso Roberto Diaz, and also appeared as solo pianist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, performing Alexander Scriabine’s legendary score Prometheus; he has toured the Prairie provinces with saxophonist Allen Harrington under the auspices of Prairie Debut, and also performed as solo pianist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Stravinsky's Petrouchka with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. His recording From the Heartland with violinist Erika Raum was nominated for Classical Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Government of Canada, in recognition of his contribution to the Arts.
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JAMES EHNES, VIOLIN (2022-2023 guest artist)
James Ehnes is recognized as one of the world’s foremost violinists, and is a favorite guest of many of the world’s most celebrated orchestras and concert halls. Recent orchestral highlights include the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, London Symphony, Gedwandhausorchester Leipzig, New York Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Chicago Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, and Hong Kong Philharmonic.
Alongside his concerto work, Ehnes maintains a busy recital schedule and performs regularly at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Center Chicago, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. In 2010, he established the Ehnes Quartet, with whom he has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He has an extensive discography of over 40 CDs and has won many awards for his recordings, including a Gramophone Award, two GRAMMY Awards and 11 JUNO awards.
Born in Brandon, James Ehnes began violin studies at the age of four, and at nine became a protégé of Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin. He made his orchestral debut with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal at age 13 and studied with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and from 1993 to 1997 at The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music.
James Ehnes is a member of the Order of Canada, an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London and a fellow to the Royal Society of Canada, and has received honorary doctorates from Brandon University and the University of British Columbia. He plays the ‘Marsick’ Stradivarius of 1715.
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TRACY DAHL (2022-2023 guest artist)
Canada’s premiere coloratura soprano Tracy Dahl has appeared throughout her career with such esteemed opera companies as the Metropolitan, San Francisco, Houston Grand, Santa Fe and Calgary operas; the Canadian Opera Company, Pacific Opera Victoria, Teatro alla Scala (Milan) and the Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris).
On concert stages, her many appearances include performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra at The Blossom Festival, the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, Vail Summer Music Festival, the Monterey Symphony, the Vancouver, Toronto and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco and St. Louis symphonies. Her discography includes A Disney Spectacular with the Cincinnati Pops (Telarc), Glitter and Be Gay with the Calgary Philharmonic (CBC), A Gilbert and Sullivan Gala with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (CBC), and Love Walked In, a Gershwin collection with the Bramwell Tovey Trio (Red Phone Box Company).
The “incredible Canadian soprano,” known for her agility and vocal range, values education alongside her impressive performing career as a Professor of Voice at the Desautels Faculty of Music, University of Manitoba. Born in Winnipeg, she commenced her vocal training at age 12, and had her heart set on a career in musical theatre. Under the guidance of Mary Morrison and Martin Isepp, she developed her career in opera, ultimately performing with world renowned symphonies, orchestras, and opera companies. In July 2017, Tracy Dahl was appointed to the Order of Canada for her accomplishments as an opera singer and for her commitment to mentoring the next generation of Canadian singers.
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AT 7:30pm
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