Silver Birch String Quartet
Named after the trees inhabiting the area around their home, Sudbury’s JUNO-nominated Silver Birch String Quartet is one of Canada’s most exciting and innovative young quartets, earning the admiration of audiences and critics alike for their vibrant performances. In addition to extensive activities throughout Northern Ontario, the SBSQ has been featured in concerts and given masterclasses at QuartetFest at Wilfrid Laurier University, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, Laurentian University, the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. The quartet has collaborated in concert with some of Canada’s finest chamber musicians, including octets with the Penderecki String Quartet, quintets with renowned Canadian virtuoso Scott St. John, pianist Peter Longworth, and conductor Joel Sachs (Julliard School).
2009 saw the SBSQ undertake a multi-city cycle of the complete string quartets of Felix Mendelssohn (in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the composer), as well as receive a prestigious career development residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Strongly committed to Canadian music of our time, the quartet’s extensive repertoire includes music by John Weinzweig, R. Murray Schafer, Linda Bouchard, Robert Lemay, along with the young composer Alex Eddington. The quartet particularly prides itself on its innovative programming, presenting interdisciplinary concerts bridging the gap between traditional classical chamber music and other genres in an effort to introduce new audiences to the world of chamber music. Past projects include tango collaborations with such artists as Argentine Tango dancers Roxanna and Fabian Belmonte, and Quartetto Gelato accordionist Alexander Sevastian, as well as narration projects involving CBC Radio host Dan Lessard. The quartet’s long association with Montreal-based jazz pianist John Roney resulted in their first album “SILVERBIRCH” on Montreal’s Effendi record label, which is rapidly gaining critical acclaim, including a 5-star review in both the Montreal Gazette and the Vancouver Sun, praising the album’s “…transcendent ease” and “…joyous and energetic” performances. SILVERBIRCH was also named one of the Top 10 Albums of the year by the Montreal Gazette, has received frequent airplay on CBC Radio 2 and Espace Musique, was nominated for a prestigious Félix Award in the province of Quebec, as well as a 2010 JUNO nomination.
“… played with effortless precision, unequivical virtuosity, and refined elegance. All-in-all a stunning performance that, by completely avoiding the potential for saccharine often inherent in “jazz meets classical” ventures, suggests new possibilities for merging the two genres with greater success.” – allaboutjazz.com
Christian Robinson, Violin I
Geoff McCausland, Violin II
Jane Russell, Viola
Alexandra Lee, ‘Cello