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 for their vibrant performances. In addition to extensive performing and educational 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, 5-Penny New Music Concerts, Laurentian University, the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, the Banff Centre for the Arts, and the Stanford University Summer Chamber Music Festival. The quartet has collaborated in concert with some of Canada’s finest chamber musicians, including octets with the Penderecki String Quartet, quintets with pianist Peter Longworth, accordionist Joseph Petric, and ‘cellist Simon Fryer. The quartet has also received prestigious grants from FACTOR, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Strongly committed to Canadian music of our time, the quartet’s extensive repertoire includes music by numerous contemporary Canadian composers, both established and emerging. The quartet will soon be returning to the studio for their next commercial recording project, the complete music for string quartet by acclaimed Canadian composer Robert Lemay, to be released on the CENTREDISCS record label in 2013. The SBSQ 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 Quartetto Gelato accordionist Alexander Sevastian, as well as narration projects involving the Sudbury Theatre Centre. 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 earned 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, as well as a 2010 JUNO nomination, and 2 Félix Award nominations in the province of Quebec. The album was also named one of the Top 10 Albums of the year by the Montreal Gazette, and has received frequent airplay on CBC Radio 2 and Espace Musique.
“… 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