Halifax music presenter Cecilia Concerts has announced a 2022-2023 season that will see a return to a full slate of concert programming.
Now in its 34th season, the new season features seventeen mainstage concerts, including five special presentations and four shows featuring pianist Silvie Cheng, Cecilia Concert’s 2022-2023 musician-in-residence.
The award-winning pianist has performed in concert halls on five continents as a solo artist and as part of Cheng² Duo with her cellist brother Bryan. In addition, an affinity for collaborating closely with composers of our time has led Cheng to nearly fifty world premieres since 2010. Passionate about connecting with the next generation, she is a teaching artist for the Manhattan School of Music’s Distance Learning program and Living Arts Collaborative. As part of her residency with Cecilia Concerts, Cheng will collaborate with eleven other classical musicians from across North America over four distinct concert programs this season.
The new season opens with an eclectic concert on September 17 with Cheng paired with Cecilia’s outgoing musician-in-residence, violinist Jonathan Crow.
Other highlights include soprano Sondra Radvanovsky on November 5. Widely considered one of the world’s greatest living sopranos, she will take to the concert stage with pianist Anthony Manoli.
Kicking things off in the new year, Cecilia Concerts presents The Music of André Mathieu on January 7. Hailed as “The Mozart of Québec” at his Parisian debut in 1936, the Québecois pianist and composer ultimately faded into a haze of alcoholism and impermanent obscurity, succumbing to a heart attack at the age of 39.
In March 2023, Cheng performs in Pianomania! with three other female pianists – Â Isabelle David, Julia Hamos and Susan Zhang – for a mix of four-hand duets and two-piano duos. The concert includes one of Franz Schubert’s most important works for piano, his Fantasie in F minor.
The following month, the three-time Juno Award-winning Gryphon Trio celebrates its 30th year with a concert that adds violinist Ryan Davis performing both contemporary and classical piano quartets and piano trios.
The season concludes on May 12 with A Major Finale! with Pianist Silvie Cheng, featuring a first-time collaboration between chamber music ensembles Cheng² Duo and the Aizuri Quartet.
Individual tickets are available now for Cecilia Concerts’ five special presentation concerts, with tickets for the remaining shows on sale on August 10. Visit ceciliaconcerts.ca for details on its complete 2022-2023 season line-up.