ARTISTS
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SPIRIT '20 was launched at Festival of the Sound (Parry Sound, ON) on July 28th, 2010. Taking its name from the commissioned work by Canadian composer Allan Gilliland, SPIRIT '20 captures the essence of the roaring 20s: separating the old and making life new, a marriage between classical and jazz.
During the 1920s, the instrumentation of classical works was often copied from jazz ensembles. Publicity was guaranteed for any work that combined classical means with modern themes. The musical voices of SPIRIT '20 reflect this connecting of tradition with new popular forms. The ensemble's program includes Martinu's work depicting jazz-dancing kitchen utensils, La Revue de Cuisine; Mark Fewer's arrangement of Ellington's Jungle Music; James Campbell's transcription of Gary Kulesha's arrangement of Milhaud's Scaramouche Suite; John Novacek's Three Rags and Ravel's Sonata for violin and cello. Completing the evening is Gilliand's Spirit 20, a 10 minute work commissioned by Festival of the Sound, with references to Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington's early period, and George Gershwin.
The ensemble's repertoire highlights the unique talents of the individuals that make up SPIRIT '20. John Novacek, Mark Fewer and James Campbell for their classical and jazz experience, in particular improvisations; Guy Few's ability on trumpet (jazz and classical) piano and voice; Chloe Dominguez' contemporary music experience and James McKay's virtuoso technique on bassoon.
Management Contact:
Laurelle Favreau
GAMI/Simonds, Inc.
tel: (860) 567-2500
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JAMES CAMPBELL has followed his muse to five television specials, more than 40 recordings, over 30 works commissioned, a Juno Award for Stolen Gems, Canada’s Artist of the Year, and the Order of Canada. Called by the Toronto Star “Canada’s pre-eminent clarinetist and wind soloist,” his concerts have taken him to over 25 countries, appearing as soloist with over 50 orchestras including the Montreal Symphony, the Russian Philharmonic, the London Symphony, and the Boston Pops. Mr. Campbell has collaborated with many of the world’s great musicians, including Aaron Copland and the late Glenn Gould, as well as pianist Gene DiNovi. Most recent commissions are with composer/arranger Allan Gilliland: Dreaming of the Masters, premiered by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops; Jazz Suite for Quintet premiered at Festival of the Sound with the St Lawrence Quartet, and Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. His recording of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet was chosen by BBC and the The London Times as the best available. Jim is currently artistic director of Festival of the Sound and Professor of Music at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (since 1989).
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CHLOE DOMINGUEZ maintains a very active life as cellist in the Montreal contemporary and chamber music community. Chloé recently completed her Ph.D. in Performance under the guidance of Matt Haimovitz, at McGill University, where she won the largest privately funded music scholarship in Canada, the Schulich School of Music’s Golden Violin award. Deeply committed to contemporary music, and an associate of the interdisciplinary research centre CIRMMT, Chloé is a member of the Schulich String Quartet, and frequent soloist with Montreal’s top contemporary ensembles including the Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal, the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble, and the Société de Musique Contemporarine du Québec. As a chamber musician, Chloé has appeared at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Le Domaine Forget, Casalmaggiore, and the Orford Arts Centre. In 2007, she won Radio-Canada’s Jeunes Artistes award, as well as first prize at the Festival de musique du Royaume. She performed in Sean Ferguson’s Miroirs at the ENACTICE Festival in Grenoble, France. She is also part of the cello ensemble UCCELLO, formed by Matt Haimovitz in 2005, which tours regularly across North America. In September 2009, the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank awarded Chloé Dominguez the 1824 McConnell Nicolaus Gagliano cello, valued at $375,000.00, for a period of three years. Visit Chloé Dominguez
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In demand as a trumpeter, cornist, pianist, and singer GUY FEW is renowned for his virtuosity, musicianship and outstanding talent. The recipient of several awards, including CAPACOA Touring Artist of the year (2009-10), Montreal’ s Le Devoir calls him outrageously gifted and quite simply phenomenal. Equally at home in classical or contemporary genres, Guy has appeared with prestigious orchestras including the Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Quebec, Winnipeg and Santa Rosa Symphony Orchestras as well as the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra to name a few. As chamber musician Guy was featured at festivals throughout the USA and Canada. Guy Few has co-developed numerous existing projects including the Guy and Nadina Duo, Few Mara Duo, Bellows and Brass, Project Aria and the young audience program, Buzz & Crow. Guy is a part time faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier and is a Yamaha artist. He can be regularly heard on CBC radio, Classical 96.3 and NPR.
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MARK FEWER, known for his relaxed style and honest interpretations, easily switches duties as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral leader, artistic programmer, arranger, jazz musician, and teacher. While concertmaster for the Vancouver Symphony (2004-2008), Fewer gave the Canadian premiere performance of The Dharma at Big Sur by John Adams and Beethoven’s Unfinished Violin Concerto in C major. Recent appearances as soloist have included engagements with groups as wide-ranging as the Fodens-Richardson Brass Band (UK), the Melbourne Symphony (Australia), the Zapp quartet (Amsterdam), to name a few, as well as appearing as soloist/director with L’orchestre symphonique de Laval, 13 Strings of Ottawa, The McGill Baroque Orchestra, and the Newfoundland Sinfonia. As a chamber musician, Mr. Fewer is a regular member of the Duke Piano Trio, The Smithsonian Chamber Players, and Canada’s SuperNova String Quartet. When not performing with these groups, Mr. Fewer is invited regularly to perform chamber music around the world with many of the world’s best musicians. He is heard regularly on CBC (where he also frequently serves as guest commentator), RTVE, BBC Radio 3, ABC, and NPR. Mark’s most recent recording is Nine Daies Wonder, a new work written for him by Bramwell Tovey for violin and brass band. He is currently artistic director of the immensely successful Sweet Water Music Festival and professor at Schulich School of Music at McGill University.
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JAMES MCKAY maintains an active schedule as a bassoonist, conductor, acoustic researcher, university professor and adjudicator. He appears on over a dozen recordings with artists including James Campbell, James Sommerville, Anton Kuerti and Steven Staryk and with ensembles including the Festival of the Sound, the Amadeus Ensemble, and the Contemporary Chamber Players of Chicago. He is frequently featured as a soloist or conductor in broadcast concerts on CBC and NPR and in many North American music festivals. McKay is founding member of the York Winds, Triptych, and the Poulenc Ensemble. His book, “The Bassoon Reed Manual,” which details Lou Skinner’s theories and practice of bassoon reed making, was published by Indiana University Press in 2000. Jim was music director of Symphony Hamilton, Chair of the Department of Music Performance Studies at the University of Western Ontario, and Director of the Reverberation and Acoustics in Performance Studio.
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JOHN NOVACEK regularly tours the Americas, Europe and Asia as solo recitalist, chamber musician and concerto soloist. John is a much sought-after collaborative artist, having given numerous world premieres and worked closely with composers John Adams, John Harbison, Jennifer Higdon, John Williams, and John Zorn. Novacek’s own compositions and arrangements have been performed by the Pacific Symphony, The 5 Browns, Harrington String Quartet, Ying Quartet, Millennium, Quattro Mani and The Three Tenors. John%#146s major American career includes performances in NYC’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Arts, and the 92nd St. Y, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center and LA’s Hollywood Bowl. Internationally, venues familiar to John include Paris’ Musée du Louvre and the Theatre des Champs-Elysées, as well Japan’s major concert halls. He is a frequent guest artist at festivals around the globe, from Spain, Italy and France to Germany, Japan and the American Rockies. John records for 13 labels and is often heard on radio broadcasts worldwide. Of his recording Novarags on Ambassador, Seattle Times states “more than half of the 23 rags are Novacek’s original compositions or arrangement; at his best, he rivals some of William Bolcom’s superb contributions to this literature.”
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