Join us for the opening concert of our Winter 2024 Signature Series with a program featuring one of the most famous love triangles in Classical music history – just in time for Valentines Day! Both world renowned in the own rights, American virtuoso violinist, Andrew Sords and TSO principal cellist, Joseph Johnson join long time collaborator and CMSM Artistic Director, Cheryl Duvall in an evening of chamber works by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms alongside Shostakovich’s famous Trio No 2 in e minor (and a few other fascinating musical treats!) We look forward to sharing this dynamic and very romantic program with you on Feb 10, 2024 at 7:30 pm!
Get TicketsArtist’s Bios
Andrew Sords
American violinist Andrew Sords maintains a prolific touring schedule with his piano trio and as soloist with orchestras. Having appeared on four continents and in nearly all of the 50 states, his performances have been cited for combining visceral virtuosity and ravishing tone, while international critics have endorsed Sords as “a fully formed artist” (Kalisz-Poland News), “utterly radiant” (Canada’s Arts Forum), and “exceptionally heartfelt and soulful” (St. Maarten’s Daily Herald). In 2018, an appearance at Festival Bravissima in Guatemala was heralded by the Prensa Libre: “Sords demonstrated what it means to be an artist. He paired maximum delicacy with fire and brilliance, and had a subtle handling of sonority – clearly audible even in his softest and sweetest moments.” Sords has received numerous awards and
distinctions reflecting his career trajectory, including the Pittsburgh Concert Society’s Career Grant; was profiled by NPR’s “Morning Edition”, XM’s “Derek and Romaine Show”, and STRINGS Magazine (covering his residency in Trinidad and Tobago); and has recently made débuts for the Ravinia Festival, Québec’s Lakeshore Chamber Festival and Série de musique de chambre, and with orchestras in Scotland, Australia, the Caribbean, Canada, and Poland. The 2022/23 concert season features return appearances in Montréal, Beverly Hills, Toronto’s Glenn Gould Theatre, Cleveland’s Trinity Cathedral, the Norton Museum Series in West Palm Beach, and performances of concerti by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bruch, Wieniawski, and Bologne.
Joseph Johnson
Joseph Johnson has been heard throughout the world as a soloist, chamber musician and educator. His festival appearances include performances in all classical genres at the American festivals of Santa Fe, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Bard, Cactus Pear, Grand Teton, and Music in the Vineyards as well as the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, and the Virtuosi Festival in Brazil.
Highlights of Joseph Johnson’s 2023/2024 season include concerto performances of the Brahms Double Concerto with Symphony Nova Scotia, CPE Bach Concerto in a minor at U of T, Strauss Don Quixote with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Beethoven Triple Concerto with Jonathan Crow and Jan Lisiecki with the Toronto
Symphony. Recent recital and chamber music appearances include performances at the Faculty of Music Walter Hall series at the University of Toronto, the Chatter series in Albuquerque, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, as well as the Shostakovich Cello Concerto with the Niagara Symphony.
A champion of new Music, Joseph has played the Canadian Premiere of the Unsuk Chin Cello Concerto with the Esprit Orchestra, Canadian Premiere of the Miguel del Aguila Cello Concerto with the Toronto Symphony and Edmonton Symphony, North American Premiere of the Peter Oetvos Cello Concerto with the Toronto Symphony, and the Marc-Andre Dalbavie Cello Concerto with the Esprit Orchestra.
Principal cellist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra since the 2009/2010 season, Mr. Johnson previously held the same position with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Principal Cellist of the Santa Fe Opera, and during the 2008-2009 season, was acting Principal Cellist of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Johnson has also performed as guest Principal Cellist with the Detroit Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Trondheim Symphony, and this year will serve as guest Principal Cellist with the San Francisco Symphony for their Carnegie Hall/Europe Tour in the Spring. Prior to his Milwaukee appointment, Joseph Johnson was a member of The
Minnesota Orchestra cello section for eleven years, during which time he performed numerous chamber music works during the orchestra’s Sommerfest, both as cellist and pianist. He was a founding member of both the Prospect Park Players and the Minneapolis Quartet, the latter of which was honoured with The McKnight Foundation Award in 2005.
A gifted and inspiring teacher, Mr. Johnson is Assistant Professor of Cello at the University of Toronto, the cello coach for the Toronto Youth Symphony, and regular coach and teacher at the New World Symphony in Miami. He has conducted numerous master classes for a wide range of institutions and ensembles, including The Shepherd
School of Music at Rice University, Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Northwestern University, the youth orchestras of the Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, Madison, and Toronto symphonies, as well as The Glenn Gould School of The
Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Joseph Johnson earned his Master’s degree from Northwestern University. Awards and honours include a performer’s certificate from the Eastman School of Music and first prize from the American String Teachers Association National Solo Competition.
Mr. Johnson performs on a magnificent Paolo Castello cello crafted in Genoa in 1780.
Cheryl Duvall
Toronto-based pianist Cheryl Duvall has established herself as one of Canada’s foremost contemporary music interpreters, immersing herself in a wide variety of compositional aesthetics and collaborative endeavours.
Her lucid sense of contour, evocative sonic and emotional presence, and boundless versatility make her both a dynamic soloist and in-demand collaborator. Recently, Duvall has begun gathering hour long commissioned works from cutting-edge artists such as Kieko Devaux, Linda Catlin Smith, Lieke Van Der Voort, James O’Callaghan, Daryl Jamieson, Jason Doell, Patrick Giguère and Anna Höstman, whose music is the subject of her debut solo recording, Harbour, a highly acclaimed album released in January 2020 on the Redshift Record Label. Harbour has been featured on the CBC radio and was chosen as the #1 Modern Composition Recording of 2020 by UK’s ‘The Wire’ Magazine and was nominated for a Juno for Classical Composition of the Year.
In 2012, she co-founded the “adventurous and smartly programmed” (Musicworks Magazine) chamber group Thin Edge New Music Collective. Since their inception, they’ve commissioned over 70 works, mounted lavish multidisciplinary productions such as Balancing On The Edge, and collaborated with leading performers like Charlotte Mundy, Jason Sharp, Ensemble Paramirabo (with whom they recorded an album.) They’re also widely noted for their direct engagement with composers, among them Linda Catlin Smith, Elliott Sharp, Barbara Monk Feldman, and Sarah Hennies. Their tours and residencies across Europe, and in Japan and Argentina have positioned them as ambassadors for Canadian music abroad. TENMC was awarded the 2020 Friends of Canadian Music Award from the Canadian League of Composers and the Canadian Music Centre for being ‘an important musical innovator, working creatively across disciplines with an unwavering commitment to diverse and equitable programming.’ Their most recent album, ‘Dark Flower’ featuring the chamber works of Linda Catlin Smith was chosen amongst the top 10 best Modern Recordings of 2023 by ‘The Wire Magazine’ and Bandcamp’s Classical Recordings Year End list.
In 2016 her formidable skill was recognized with a nomination for the KM Hunter Award. She also made an acclaimed recording with Bespoken, and worked with the likes of stalwart choreographer Peggy Baker, cellist Paul Pulford, film composer Darren Fung, and Essential Opera. Duvall also regularly performs outside of contemporary music spheres, notably with American violinist Andrew Sords, and accompanying the renowned Oakville Choir for Children and Youth, with whom she has toured, recorded and competed internationally (with gold standings). She was appointed the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Mississauga in February 2022. She operates a full private teaching studio, is a member of the College of Examiners with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and adjudicates piano competitions across Canada.
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.