Westwood Concerts Presents The Millar Piano Duo

Wedneday, October 7, 2015 @ 7:30pm

$20 regular / $15 students and seniors

Program

Sicilienne, Op. 78 G. Fauré (arr. G.Millar)

Trois morceaux en forme de poire E. Satie

Barcarolle, from Six Pieces for Piano Duet, Op. 11 S. Rachmaninov

Petrushka (1911) I. Stravinsky

(Original version for piano four hands by the composer)

Biographies

Michael Westwood

“It was easy to imagine the assembled audience members and musicians…rising from their seats and joining a procession heading to greet the divine.”

Michael WestwoodAfter taking a short hiatus from performing, Michael Westwood is solidly back in Toronto’s music scene with his own chamber series, some high profile solo performances, a teaching degree, and is developing tour dates across Canada. He is much more than a clarinetist; he is a highly sought after soloist and chamber musician who has collaborated with a great number of leading Canadian musicians over the past two decades. He frequently appears in solo recitals, chamber music concerts and as soloist with orchestra. His programming ideas combine a passion for the monumental standard repertoire, rarely heard music spanning the past two centuries, and new music of the past few years. A tireless musician with a desire for constant renewal and inspiration, Michael founded a new chamber music series in Toronto in the summer of 2013, Westwood Concerts, to further share his unique programming and interest in a diverse range of music.

Michael has, throughout his career, commissioned and performed many new works. Most recently, he commissioned two new pieces from Canadian composer Frank Horvat; If Not Us, Then Who, for clarinet, cello and piano was written and premiered in 2014 and Michael has since performed it a second time, and in 2015, Michael premiered Frank Horvat’s brilliant new Clarinet Concerto Couple Dies Holding Hands in Toronto with the Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra. A new work for clarinet and piano is planned for 2015-2016. During the 2014-2015 season, Michael also performed Canadian composer Ian McDougal’s great clarinet concerto in Toronto for a very fortunate audience.

Michael’s abilities and programing are far from limited to the repertoire of the present day. He has developed in combination with pianist Gregory Millar a program of music from the era of swing music and big band consisting of newly commissioned and brilliant arrangements for clarinet and piano by Millar. The Westwood-Millar duo has performed this concert several times since its premiere in 2014 to great audience acclaim. Recently, Michael performed with the Westwood-Millar duo at the Pointe-Clair recital series a concert of all Brahms’ music – both clarinet sonatas and three new arrangements by Chistopher Kies of solo piano works for clarinet and piano.

As well as being a highly sought-after clarinetist, in 2013, he founded his own concert series, Westwood Concerts; with two successful seasons now complete, and the third one upcoming, Westwood Concerts is an exciting venture which brings in musicians from all over Canada to collaborate on innovative and thrilling chamber music concerts.

Millar Piano Duo

Gregory Millar

Originally from Lachine, Quebec, pianist Gregory Millar performs widely as a soloist, chamber musician, accompanist and orchestral player. He appears regularly on the Westwood Concerts series in Yorkville and as one half of the Millar Piano Duo. He is also active as a teacher, arranger, music engraver and translator.

Millar has a keen interest in the music of Canadian composers both present and past. Last June he presented a recital of the 13 Preludes for Piano by Jean Coulthard at the Conference of the Canadian University Music Society in Victoria, BC, and previously gave the premiere performances of Book of Saints by Toronto composer Colin Eatock.

Gregory was the first graduate of the University of Toronto’s Collaborative Piano Master’s degree program, and has worked with prominent artists including violinist Mark Fewer (St. Lawrence Quartet), hornist Bernhard Scully (Canadian Brass), oboist Philippe Magnan (Quebec Symphony), and soprano Julia Bullock. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY in 2010.

Lisa Millar

New England native Lisa Raposa Millar is featured in a new audio recording of 19th and 20th century Brazilian art song with soprano Jenni Cook, scheduled for release in September. Currently freelancing in Toronto, Millar is a member of the piano accompanying staff at The Glenn Gould School and is listed in the Music Arts Management ArtsTie Directory of Teaching Artists.

Millar has appeared as a piano soloist and collaborator in Music on the Hill (RI), the Women in Music Festival (Eastman School of Music) and, with the Millar Piano Duo, on the Sunday Rendez-vous concert series at the Pointe-Claire Cultural Centre (QC). Musicians with whom she has performed include opera singer Diane Alexander, internationally-renowned tuba soloist James Gourlay, and Shanghai Baroque Chamber Orchestra violinist Hyungi Kim.

Lisa Raposa Millar earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music where she was a recipient of the Excellence in Accompanying Award. In 2010, she was honoured with The Virginia Pleasants Accompanist Award (Category One Winner) at the 34th Annual Competition for Singers hosted by Civic Morning Musicals of Syracuse.