Classical and Contemporary
chamber music for ensembles & orchestras
July 8, 15, 22, 29, 8:30am-2:00pm
Concert: July 30 @ 4:00pm
We are excited to present Mooredale Summer Music 2023 for orchestra players wishing to improve their performance skills through intensive chamber music training. There will be 4 weekly in-person sessions on Saturday mornings held at Mooredale House and the Studio, followed by a performance with all participants. Limited scholarships are available.
The camp is open to 30 participants and two skill levels – JR/INT & advanced INT/SR.
Music will be selected from classical, cinema, jazz, pop, and world genres, depending on what the players wish to explore. Two chamber music formats will be studied – ensemble (4-6 players, up to 6 groups) and orchestra (13-15 players). A coach is assigned to each ensemble to lead the chamber rehearsals. Two of these coaches will be conductors of the combined chamber orchestras.
Schedule:
In-person rehearsals:
4 Saturdays: July 8, 15, 22, 29
| 8:30-8:45am | Arrival/check-in |
| 9:00-10:00am | Chamber rehearsal No. 1 |
| 10:10-10:50am | Guest artist performance/activity |
| 11:00-12:00pm | Chamber rehearsal No. 2 |
| 12:00-12:30pm | Lunch and outdoor time |
| 12:30-2:00pm | Chamber orchestra rehearsal |
Performance: Sunday July 30 at 4:00pm
Location TBA (in the rehearsal vicinity)
Deadline to register: Thursday April 27th 5:00PM
For further information including scholarships, please email: [email protected]
Faculty:
Bijan Sepanji is a Canadian-Iranian violinist, violist, and educator based in Toronto, and has performed across Canada, USA, China, Turkey, Iran, and Italy. As a member of the Ton Beau String Quartet, he performs new compositions by living composers as well as well-known classical works. His latest work with the quartet led to a 2023 JUNO nomination for the album ‘Black Fish’ written by Keyan Emami.
As conductor with Mooredale Youth Orchestras, Bijan leads the junior strings division preparing them for three diversely-programmed concerts per season, assists both the Intermediate and Senior orchestras, and since 2020 has established a growing and successful summer chamber music program for Mooredale string players.
Bijan is your camp leader, coach, and conductor.
Jamie Godber holds a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Toronto where she studied with Dr. Timothy Ying. She has led the University of Toronto Symphony and Opera Orchestras as Concertmaster and in Summer 2022 she was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra in Germany. She has performed with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, in masterclasses with Marie Bedard, Mark Fewer, Jupiter and St. Lawrence String Quartets and is an active freelance chamber violinist throughout Canada. During her undergraduate studies with Annalee Patipatanakoon (Gryphon Trio), Jamie’s ensemble (Aeris Quartet) won the Felix Galimir Award in Chamber Music Excellence, as well as first prize in the Haydn String Quartet Challenge. Jamie has a passion for teaching. She is equally familiar with both the Suzuki Method and Royal Conservatory System.
Adrian Irvine is Toronto-based violinist, producer, composer, and educator. He received his Masters in Violin from the University of Toronto where he studied with Erika Raum and was a teaching assistant Dennis Patrick, then Director of the Electroacoustic Music and Recording Studios. This experience sparked a keen interest in contemporary classical and popular music from both performance and production perspectives. He can be heard on recordings for Centre Disks, Universal Music Mena, and Paper Bag Records along with releases from independent artists spanning genres from hip-hop to folk. Adrian performed on the premiere recording of Bekah Simms’ Granitic which received a 2018 JUNO nomination. He is member of Strings from Paris, a collective of string players and producers dedicated to breaking down barriers in traditional classical music while pushing the boundaries of string composition and recording.
Parnian Aghaiani holds a Bachelor of Music from Tehran University of Art and a Master’s degree in Music Literature & Performance from Western, where she studied with Sharon Wei St. John and Dr. Caitlin Boyle. She received the Gordon Jeffery Strings and Chamber Music Graduate Award while there. In addition to being an active chamber musician in Southern Ontario, she has worked with a number of Iranian Orchestras and is a regular player at the Tehran Philharmonic and Iran National Orchestras. As a music teacher, she has experience with the Suzuki and RCM methods in teaching both viola and violin. In 2016, she won 2nd prize at the Iran Youth Music competition.
Sarah Steeves has performed around the world in Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, New Zealand, Peru, Spain, United Kingdom, USA, and Uruguay. As a certified Suzuki teacher, Sarah teaches cellists at the Classical Music Conservatory, Lippert Music Centre, and Toronto Suzuki School while maintaining a private studios in Toronto and Owen Sound. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Performance from the University of Toronto and a Master of Music in Performance from McGill University. She is a member of Sinfonia Toronto and the Ton Beau String Quartet. Sarah has performed with the Banff Summer Festival Orchestra, Britten Pears Orchestra, Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Orchestra London, and Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. As a teacher internationally, she has participated in the 2013-14 Youth Orchestra of the Americas Global Leaders program.