Sept 17, 2025 – 12pm – 1 pm – Free
Cheryl Duvall – piano
Maker’s Stage – Hazel McCallion Library – 301 Burnhamthorpe Rd W, Mississauga
Two-time Juno nominee and Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Mississauga, Cheryl Duvall opens this new monthly series in partnership with the Chamber Music Society of Mississauga and the Hazel McCallion Library – 3rd Wednesdays at Maker’s Stage Noon Hour Concerts – with a selection of hauntingly beautiful works for solo piano from her upcoming project – the complete piano works of Canadian composer, Linda Catlin Smith.
Toronto’s Cheryl Duvall is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost talents in contemporary music both for her work as a pianist and interpreter, but also as a presenter and for her tireless advocacy. Versatility is among her most celebrated artistic traits; she has immersed herself in a vast array of compositional aesthetics and collaborative contexts. In all of these scenarios, her thoughtful agility and nuance imbue both the sonic and evocative domains with power and depth.
Duvall’s dynamism and refined musicality has led her to solo appearances hosted by the likes of Innovations en concert, Suoni per il Popolo, The National Arts Centre, Bang On A Can, MTU Cork School Of Music (Ireland), University of Huddersfield (UK), and has toured and performed throughout Canada, Japan, Europe, Argentina and the U.S. In 2016 she was recognized with a nomination for the KM Hunter Award.
As the co-founder of the “adventurous and smartly programmed” (Musicworks Magazine) chamber group Thin Edge New Music Collective alongside Ilana Waniuk, she has commissioned over 80 works, mounted ambitious production that cross several disciplinary boundaries, and collaborated with leading performers like Charlotte Mundy, Jason Sharp, and Ensemble Paramirabo (with whom they recorded an album.) Their commitment to forging a strong, distinctive presence within contemporary concert music garnered a Friends of Canadian Music Award from the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre in 2020, nine years after their inception. The group’s 2023 recording Dark Flower, devoted to the chamber works of Canadian composer Linda Catlin Smith was featured on the BBC and CBC radio, listed in the top 10 Modern Classical releases of 2023 by in The Wire Magazine, nominated for a JUNO Award, while amassing considerable acclaim in various media outlets.
Duvall’s 2020 debut solo album Harbour (featuring the music of Canadian composer, Anna Hostman) was subject to praise of a comparable scope. Her second solo outing, Intimes exubérances, features the titular work by Québécois composer, Patrick Giguère one of many hour-long solo works that she has been commissioning since 2019. Among this same series is The Plains by Linda Catlin Smith, and in 2024 and 2025, Duvall recorded it alongside the internationally-renowned composer’s remaining solo piano repertoire. The four-volume collection is slated for release throughout 2025 and 2026.
Duvall has also worked with the likes of stalwart choreographer Peggy Baker, cellist Paul Pulford, film composer Darren Fung, and Essential Opera. She regularly performs outside of the contemporary music arena, notably with American violinist Andrew Sords, and accompanying Durham region’s Resound Choir. In February of 2022, she was appointed the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Mississauga and was the interim-co-artistic director of the Oakville Choir for Children and Youth for their 2021-2022 season. She operates a full private teaching studio and is a member of the College of Examiners with the Royal Conservatory of Music, adjudicates piano competitions across Canada and is Chair of the Music Committee at the Toronto Arts Council.
Duvall holds an Honours BMus and Diploma of Chamber Music from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Master’s of Piano Performance and Pedagogy from University of Toronto.