Pianists
Violin 2023: Official and Collaborative PIanists
Between the shadows and the spotlight, collaborative pianists occupy an essential place in a musical competition. The CMIM recognizes the importance of these pianists’ innate abilities, as well as the collaborative effort between the two musicians.
CMIM Official PIanists
CARSON BECKE
Born and raised in Ottawa, Canadian pianist Caron Becke studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, and at the University of Oxford, where he completed a doctorate in musicology. As a chamber musician, Carson enjoys frequent collaborations with soprano Meghan Lindsay, violinist Carissa Klopoushak, pianist Suren Barry as Duo Octavian, and with clarinetist Juan Olivares and cellist Cameron Crozman as Trio des Collines. As an arranger, he has written transcriptions of music by Mendelssohn, Puccini, Holst, Richard Strauss, and others. Carson is committed to creating structural changes to the music industry in response to climate change, and has given a TedX talk entitled, “Environmental Sustainability and the Classical Music Industry.” He is enacting those ideas through his directorship of the Pontiac Enchanté concert series, the first classical series in Canada with a detailed Green Policy. After living in the UK for fifteen years, Carson returned home to Ottawa in 2019, and now lives in Wakefield, Quebec. He is a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa and is co-director of the recently founded Hills Winter Music Festival in the Outaouais region.
PHILIP CHIU
“A pianist-painter who transforms each musical idea into a beautiful array of colours” (La Presse), Philip Chiu is acclaimed for his brilliant pianism, sensitive listening, and a welcoming stage presence that eschews the hermit-pianist image in favour of openness, authenticity, and connection with audiences. Inaugural winner of the Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer, Philip has become one of Canada’s leading musicians through his infectious love of music and his passion for creation and communication.
Philip concertizes extensively as soloist and chamber musician and has performed in most major venues across Canada, as well as in France, Japan, and the United States. He is a member of the Juno award-winning piano quartet, Ensemble Made in Canada. Other chamber music partners have included James Ehnes, Emmanuel Pahud, Regis Pasquier, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Bomsori Kim, Johannes Moser, and the New Orford String Quartet; he also has a long-standing violin-piano duo with Jonathan Crow. Philip is a veteran touring artist of Prairie Debut, Jeunesses Musicales Canada, and Debut Atlantic, having toured the country 14 times with their generous support.
Philip Chiu is the recent winner of a JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year (solo artist) for his album Fables, on the ATMA label presenting original commissions from distinguished composers such as Odawa composer Barbara Assiginaak, alongside the music of Ravel and Debussy. Other recent recording projects include John Burge’s 24 Preludes for Solo Piano (Centrediscs), a recording/concert project with Pentaèdre honouring the music of Jacques Hétu (ATMA), Tapeo (ATMA) with cellist Cameron Crozman, and Night Light (Leaf Music) with flautist Lara Deutsch.
Philip can be heard on BBC Radio 3, France Musique, ICI Musique, and CBC Music. He is grateful for the support of Mécénat Musica, the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Philip also wishes to thank his teachers and mentors; notably, Marc Durand, Jenny Regehr, Susan Steele, and the late Peter Longworth. Philip is represented by Andrew Kwan Artists Management.
JINHEE PARK
*Winner of the John Newmark Prize for the 2022 Best Collaborative Pianist
Pianist Jinhee Park is a versatile artist who enjoys a multidimensional career as a chamber musician and educator. She has performed in major venues throughout North America, Asia, and Europe.
Ms. Park’s collaborative artistry spans across disciplines, as she frequently performs with renowned instrumentalists including Bomsori Kim, Stella Chen, and Timothy Chooi. As a vocal collaborative pianist performing with soprano Meredith Wohlgemuth at the CMIM Voice 2022 -Art Song Division, Jinhee Park was awarded the John Newmark Prize for Best Collaborative Pianist.
Ms. Park has made appearances in various summer music festivals such as Aspen Music Festival and Toronto Summer Music Festival. Since 2018, she has joined Chautauqua Institution as a vocal coach/pianist, where she participates in opera productions as well as recitals. In the past, she served as a vocal coach in Manhattan School of Music, and currently, is a studio pianist of Catherine Cho and Marlena Malas at Juilliard.
Ms. Park received her Bachelor’s degree at the Seoul National University and completed Master’s degree at The Juilliard School. She received Professional Studies Certificate and Artist Diploma at Manhattan School of Music. Her teachers include Jonathan Feldman, Warren Jones, Margo Garrett, and Lydia Brown. She has also made masterclass appearances with Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Juilius Drake, Robert McDonald, Roger Vignoles, Christoph Pregardien, and Craig Rutenberg. Currently, she is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Juilliard School as a C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellow.
FRANCIS PERRON
Francis Perron’s wide experience as chamber musician, accompanist and vocal coach have made him a much sought-after collaborator. This led him to work closely with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Opéra de Montréal, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Wien Kammeroper, the Vienna, Zurich Winterfur and ARD Musik Wettwerb conservatories, the Salzburg Summer Academy, the Freiburg University, the Avignon International Violin Competition, the Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition in Vienna, the Royaumont Festival and the Montreal International Music Competition, among others.
Francis Perron has taught masterclasses at the Vancouver International Song Institute, Orford Music, Mexico Liederfest, at the Paris and Lyon conservatories, and in many other countries, Argentina, Colombia, South Korea, Sweden, Belgium, USA. In 2013, he won the prize for best voice-piano duo at the Positively Poulenc Competition in New York. He has performed in recitals with prominent singers such as François Le Roux, Nathalie Paulin, Julie Boulianne and Christian Immler.
A founding member of the Orford Six Pianos ensemble and a member of the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM) since 2017, Francis Perron has made numerous records and has been heard frequently on CBC’s French and English networks as well as on France Musique. He is currently an associate professor at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Music, where he is also in charge of the collaborative piano studies program in addition to being the vice-dean for international affairs. He is also guest professor at the Academy of Chamber Music and Opera of the Mälardalen University in Sweden. He is also co-director of UdeM-McGill piano-vocal art Residency.
Collaborative pianists*
UMI GARRETT (United States) – Collaborative pianist of candidate Nathan Meltzer *
John Newmark Prize for the Best Collaborative Pianist
Pianist Umi Garrett was awarded 4th prize at the 2020 National Chopin Competition and 1st prize in the Juilliard School’s concerto competition, performing Ravel’s G Major Concerto.
As a soloist, she has also performed with many renowned orchestras, such as the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Wuhan Symphony Orchestra, Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, Symphonia Boca Raton, the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, the Pasadena Symphony and Pops, the Boston Pops, the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. As a passionate collaborator and chamber musician, she has performed with prizewinners in the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition and 2022 Sphinx Competition. Umi has recorded three solo albums and will be releasing her debut chamber album in 2022 of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 5 Sonatas for Piano and Cello with Emily Mantone. Umi is a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School, where she currently studies with Hung Kuan Chen. Umi is a Young Steinway Artist.
* Pianists eligible for the John Newmark Prize for the Best Collaborative Pianist
JIARONG LI (China) – Collaborative pianist of candidate David Bernat *
Chinese Pianist Jiarong Li is known for her sensitive and passionate collaborations with instrumentalists. Jiarong was a collaborative piano fellow at Bowdoin Music Festival and Music Academy of the West and is the staff accompanist for the Puerto Piano & Strings International Music Festival this coming summer. She has been featured as a pianist for the production of the contemporary opera Oedipus in the District at the Tank, the opening concert of the Modern Art Meet Chamber Music series at Stride Arts Gallery, Metropolis Ensemble, CelloBello Masterclasses, and the Rhode Island Chamber Players. She regularly appears recitals at Sacred Music at Columbia University and Music at the Farm at Grace Note Farm Music. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in collaborative piano with an assistantship at Manhattan School of Music, where she studies with John Forconi. Jiarong holds a Master of Music from New England Conservatory, where she studied with Bruce Brubaker and Pei-Shan Lee.
Jiarong Li is generously sponsored by Guy Breton.
* Pianists eligible for the John Newmark Prize for the Best Collaborative Pianist.
* * *
The John Newmark Prize for Best Collaborative Pianist, offered by the Lupien Family Foundation and with a value of $5,000, will be awarded to the most outstanding collaborative pianist of the Violin 2023 edition.
John H. Newmark (1904-1991), one of the greatest vocal partners of his generation, took part in thousands of recitals, concerts, and radio and TV broadcasts. He accompanied more than 80 international and at least 160 Canadian singers, and has recorded with several of the most prominent. His long collaboration with Maureen Forrester, with whom he toured the world, began in 1953.
