2016.17Our 20thTouring Roster

Prairie Debut gratefully acknowledges the support from:

And from the following individuals:

The Lloyd Carr-HarrisFoundation

Canada Councilfor the Arts

Conseil des Artsdu Canada

Prairie Debut

Lynne Bailey, Executive Director

PO Box 273, 55 Wildwood Bay,

Onanole, MB R0J 1N0

ldbailey@mymts.net

204.848.7427

www.prairiedebut.com

James Anagnoson

Lynne Bailey

Susan Bailey

Sophie Bouffard

Lucille Chung

Andrea Davison

Engaged Innovations Inc.

Guy Few

Colin Fox

Yi-Jia Susanne Hou

Andrew Kwan

Kevin Korchinski

Music Mind Canada

Patricia Reinhardt

Sharon Wei

Kornel Wolak

Prairie Debut Inc. is a registered charitable organization (No. 86799 3495 RR0001)

The concert was fantastic to say the

least! The talent was amazing, their

personalities matched. Such lovely

young people to work with, and they

were crowd pleasers, mixing right in

and greeting everyone on their way out

after the show. We had about 25 young

piano students there as well as several

teachers. The crowd responded really

well to the question and answer period

as there were many questions.

Thank you for sending them out on

tour, Phil and Janelle are wonderful!

Brenda Major

Golden Prairie Arts Council

Carman, MB

Most importantly, though, Prairie

Debut gave us the opportunity to share

the music that we love, to build a new

audience base far from our Montreal

home, and to help support the

promotion of classical music in

smaller Canadian cities. Along the way,

we got to meet and work with

incredible people. Executive Director

Lynne Bailey might be the most

organized person I know. Every detail

of our tour was attended to and every

challenge was anticipated and solved

in advance. All of the concerts were

organized in a professional and serious

manner, and we received warm

welcomes everywhere from Prairie

Debut’s partner organizations.

Janelle Fung

Fung-Chui Piano Duo

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October 2015

Bonjour! Nous sommes fier de vous présenter la 20e cuvée des artistes

de Prairie Debut.

This brochure, presenting our 20th touring roster, consists of three

talented ensembles from Quebec. Their travels throughout the west,

will bring Canadians together and celebrate our vast and diverse

country. Prairie Debut continues bringing Canada's finest musicians

to Western Canada's smaller communities. In doing so, Prairie Debut

contributes to community enrichment, audience growth and

emerging artist development.

Since our first tour in 1997, Prairie Debut has taken 124 artists on 46

tours to 67 communities throughout the Prairie Provinces and Yukon.

With over 550 concerts, we have reached more than 60,000 people.

Our activities have an incredible impact on Western Canada's

communities.

Working with community arts councils, concert series, and house

concert presenters, our organization develops performance tours to

communities of all sizes. Complementing the public performances,

Prairie Debut organizes numerous school concerts and these are often

the first exposure to classical music for many school children...and

they love it! Other outreach activities such as workshops and master

classes in conjunction with local music teachers are a wonderful

opportunity to work with such amazing professional musicians.

All of our stakeholders - the artists who perform, the presenters we

work with, the Board and staff and the generous donors who support

the organization - have benefited greatly from Prairie Debut's

activities.

We truly look forward to continuing this fabulous journey and

insuring that Canadian artists thrive as an artistic force across our

amazing country. To find out more about Prairie Debut's activities

please visit our fantastic website and to hear all our current news and

announcements, please subscribe to our e-newsletter.

À bientôt!

Lynne Bailey

Executive Director, Prairie Debut

2016.17Our 20thTouring Roster

Duo Fortin-Poirier

One Piano, Four Hands

“The ears of audiences were first caressed by silky notes, a light music

reminiscent of a f lowing stream on a beautiful summer day. It was the

swing, during which it was fascinating to watch the pianists, moving in

unison, while gliding their fingers over the keyboard. Enchanting.

-Le Quotidien

PROGRAM:

The Duo Fortin-Poirier has been

heralded as one of the most

promising piano duos of its

generation. With an intuitive

musicianship, this young duo

has an extraordinarily natural

partnership that has quickly

garnered acclaim. Their concert

program titled Mémoires,

features works for one piano,

four hands from across the

classical, tango, and ragtime

genres. Exploring the theme of

memories, the program weaves

between the intensity of

Piazzolla's tangos, the lyricism

of Rachmaninov, and the

liveliness of Samuel Barber.

Mémoires is a concert that

blends hard-driving rhythm with

sweet nostalgia, resonating with

audiences who will remember

the dynamism of Duo Fortin-

Poirier.

Amélie Fortin

Marie-Christine Poirier

Duo Fortin-Poirier, featuring pianists Amélie Fortin and Marie-

Christine Poirier, has been heralded as one of the most

promising of its generation. Graduates of the Université de

Montréal with a master and D.E.S.S. (Specialized Graduate

Diploma) under the direction of Jean-Eudes Vaillancourt and

Paul Stewart, each pianist has won several awards and grants

individually before making their debut as a duo team in 2005.

They immediately developed an extraordinarily powerful

ensemble, and with their very similar piano artistry, a

remarkable musical union was born. Their dynamism does not

go unnoticed and their lively and explosive style is impressive.

Since its creation, Duo Fortin-Poirier has given many concerts in

Canada as well as abroad. The two pianists are grant winners of

the Office Franco-Québécois pour la Jeunesse (2005), the Conseil

des Arts et Lettres du Québec (2009-2010), the Canada Council

for the Arts (2011-2013), and they have also won First Prize at the

Concours de Musique Clermont-Pépin, the Festival de Musique du

Royaume as well as the Canada Music Competition.

At the international level, they were finalists in the Concours

International de Piano à 4 mains de Valberg (France, 2009) and

in the Liszt 200 Chicago International Piano Duos Competition

(U.S., 2011). Their brilliant interpretation of John Corigliano's

Gazebo Dances also awarded them a special mention from the

jury at the prestigious Concours Grieg – International Piano

Competition in Oslo (Norway, 2010). Recently, they won the 2nd

prize at the Roma International Piano Competition (Italy, 2013).

Very active on the Quebec scene, Amélie Fortin and Marie-

Christine Poirier created a wonderful program titled Vingts

doigts et un piano concert in 2008 and they have since

performed it throughout Quebec. It was the first classical

concert selected to take part in the Entrées en Scène Loto-Québec

for 2013-2014. In 2014-2015, the Duo Fortin-Poirier will be in

residence at the prestigious Chapelle Historique du Bon-Pasteur.

Their first CD, Vingt doigts et un piano, released at the end of

November 2013, and can be heard on Ici Radio-Canada Première,

Espace Musique and Radio Classique Montreal and Quebec.

www.duofortinpoirier.com

Flûte Alors!

Recorder Quartet

2016.17Our 20thTouring Roster

“Vincent Lauzer, Alexa Raine-Wright, Caroline Tremblay and

Marie-Laurence Primeau have displayed their talent and virtuosity

with confidence. Equipped with well-oiled musical mechanics and the

precision of a clockmaker, Flute Alors! stunned the audience with

repertoire from two very different eras.” - Le Soleil

PROGRAM:

Dynamic and versatile, Flûte

Alors! is composed of four new-

generation recorder players.

Since 1999, this award-winning

quartet has received distinction

for the audacity of their

programs and the excellence of

their performances. Their

special touring program is

inspired by the cultural diversity

seen from a bistro patio in Old

Montréal. Titled Bach'n Jazz,

the program is infused with

masterpieces by the Johann

Sebastian Bach and paired with

the well-known and much loved

jazz standards of Dizzy

Gillespie and more. The quartet

also presents their own thrilling

arrangements that push the

performance technique of the

recorder to unbelievable new

limits.

Vincent Lauzer

Marie-Laurence Primeau

Alexa Raine-Wright

Caroline Tremblay

Dynamic and versatile, Montreal-based ensemble Flûte Alors! is

composed of four new-generation recorder players. Since 1999,

this award-winning ensemble has received acclaim and

distinction for the audacity of their programs and the excellence

of their performances. Flûte Alors! is the only professional

recorder quartet in Canada and continues a grand tradition of

the recorder ensemble in Quebec. The musicians provide a

unique and refreshing style, introducing all audiences to the

scope of the recorder, an instrument capable of expressing the

most extreme emotions and the most gentle of nuances.

Flûte Alors! has been awarded prizes and nominations both

nationally and internationally. The ensemble has been featured

at numerous music festivals including the Montreal Baroque

Festival, the Montreal Recorder Festival, and the Concerts aux

Isles du Bic. Internationally, they have performed in France,

Germany, and the United States. In Canada, Flûte Alors! has

toured extensively and been featured with Jeunesse Musicales

du Canada (2012-13) and Debut Atlantic (2014). Their first

album, Kaléidoscope, was released in 2011.

Dedicated to pushing the limits of the recorder and expanding

the instrument's repertoire, Flûte Alors! programs repertoire

that encompasses music from the Renaissance and Baroque eras,

as well as contemporary, jazz, and even pop songs. The ensemble

often collaborates with esteemed guest artists from diverse

musical backgrounds, and frequently commissions works for

recorder ensemble from young composers, in addition to

creating their own arrangements. Flûte Alors! presents colourful

and vibrant programs that offer audiences a unique experience

and a fresh look at an often misunderstood and neglected

instrument.

Through their performances, Flûte Alors! embarks on an

incredible voyage that traverses the ages, revealing a bouquet of

colors and sounds to every audience.

www.flutealors.com

Duo Milot & Bareil

Harp & Violin

2016.17Our 20thTouring Roster

"Harpist Valérie Milot and violinist Antoine Bareil offer exquisite

sonority and complicity through their dynamic performances."

- Journal Pioneer

PROGRAM:

The relationship of the

performers and their passion for

the music played is the

foundation of Duo Milot &

Bareil. Performing Duos &

Duels, this unique program

highlights the dynamics

between the violin and harp. A

couple on stage and in life,

harpist Valérie Milot and

violinist Antoine Bareil offer

performances marked by

exceptional artistry and

intimate connection. While

some works pair the

instruments as a beautifully

intertwined duo, other works pit

them in an artistic battle of

virtuosity. In English or French,

the duo takes time to explain

the instruments, tell stories

about the music, and share

anecdotes about their own

experiences.

Valérie Milot, harp

Antoine Bareil, violin

Duo Milot & Bareil are more than two musicians on stage, they

are a couple in life. Since 2006, harpist Valérie Milot and

violinist Antoine Bareil have offered performances marked by an

exceptional artistry both through their live performances and

their recordings. With custom made arrangements and

transcription by Antoine Bareil, the duo's unique signature

highlights the similarities and differences of the two musicians

and their two instruments.

Both Valérie and Antoine were awarded the prestigious Prix avec

grande distinction upon completion of their studies at the

Conservatoire de musique de Trois-Rivières. Valerie won the

prestigious Prix d'Europe scholarship and went on to perfect her

art in New York under the tutelage of Rita Costanzi. Meanwhile,

Antoine pursued his studies with Paul Roczek at the Mozarteum

University of Salzburg in Austria.

Together, Duo Milot & Bareil have collaborated on several

critically acclaimed recordings including Old Friends – A

Classical Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel (2011) and Around

Christmas (2012). They also participated in numerous radio

broadcasts together and in collaboration with various artists.

In addition to her busy schedule with the Duo Milot & Bareil,

Valerie leads an active career as a soloist and chamber music

musician. She is regularly invited as a soloist with orchestras

such as Les Violons du Roy under the direction of Bernard

Labadie and Angèle Dubeau & La Pieta. She has also performed

numerous times on the international scene, particularly in

Geneva (Switzerland), in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and France.

Antoine has given concerts in more than a dozen countries. He is

a member of Quartango since 2009 and is concertmaster of the

Laval Symphony Orchestra since 2013. He plays on a violin made

by Vuillaume and a bow made by Voirin, courtesy of Canimex.

www.valeriemilot.com

www.antoinebareil.com

Cecilia String Quartet, 12/13

Prairie Debut Alumni - You made it possible for all these artists to share their music, thank you.

1997/98 St. Lawrence String Quartet1998/99 Bellows & Brass1999/00 Ricardo Peres, piano

Michael Donovan, baritone with Susan Sametz, piano2000/01 Anagnoson & Kinton, piano duo

Sylvie Proulx, guitar2001/02 Gryphon Trio

Lee Pui Ming, piano2002/03 Jasper Wood & Peter Allen, violin & piano

George Gao Erhu TrioIan Parker & Kaori Yamagami, piano & cello

2003/04 Lucille Chung, pianoErika Raum & David Moroz,violin & piano Les Voix Baroques Ensemble

2004/05 Robert Pomakov, vocal bassDaniel Bolshoy, guitarMagnan & Parker, oboe & piano

2005/06 Yi-Jia Susanne Hou & Daniel Spiegel, violin & piano Guy Few & Stephanie Mara, trumpet & piano Fubuki Daiko, taiko drumming

2006/07 10th Anniversary SeasonDenise Djokic & David Jalbert, cello & piano Gryphon Trio & Barry Shiffman Montreal Guitar Trio

2007/08 Winston Choi, pianoSophie Bouffard & David McIntyre, soprano & piano Anne-Julie Caron & Akiko Tominaga, marimba & piano duo

2008/09 Les Boréades de MontréalHarrington & Moroz, saxophone & pianoBellows & Brass

2009/10 The Schumann LettersQuartangoJean Sébastien Roy & Mathieu Gaudet, violin & piano

2010/11 Bax & Chung, piano duoGuth, Duncan & Switzer, voices with pianoJorge Miguel Flamenco Ensemble

2011/12 Alexander Sevastian, accordionSharon Wei & Angela Park, viola/pianoTorQ Percussion Quartet

2012/13 Winners' Tour with Georgy Tchaidze & Cecilia String Quartet Couloir: Ariel Barnes, cello and Heidi Krutzen, harpKornel Wolak and Chris Donnelly, clarinet and piano

2013/14 musica intima, vocal chamber ensembleYadong Guan Trio, pipa, cello & guitarGuy Few & Nadina Mackie Jackson, trumpet & bassoon

2014/15 Fung-Chiu Duo, one piano, four handsEnsemble Caprice, baroque quintetKang-Mercer-Park, violin, cello & piano trio

2015/16 Marie-Josee Lord Trio Duo Rendezvous Luis Mario Ochoa Cuban Quartet

Lucille Chung, 03/04

Bellows & Brass, 98/99

Quartango, 09/10

Fung-Chiu Duo, 14/15

Artists in Biggar, SK

Winston Choi, 07/08

Fubuki Daiko, 05/06

The Schumann Letters, 09/10

Prairie Debut brings

Canada's finest musicians

to Western Canada's

smaller communities. In

doing so, Prairie Debut

contributes to community

enrichment, audience

growth and emerging

artist development. Since

our first tour in 1997,

Prairie Debut has taken

124 artists on 46 tours to

67 communities

throughout the Prairie

Provinces and Yukon.= Committed to Communities!

Our Partners

ALBERTA Virden Virden Community Arts Council

Airdrie Bert Church Theatre Winnipeg University of Manitoba

Banff The Banff Centre Winnipeg Virtuosi Concerts Inc. , U of Winnipeg

Barrhead Barrhead Arts Council Winnipeg Women's Musical Club of Winnipeg

Bragg Creek Bragg Creek Performing Arts

Brooks Newell Concert Association SASKATCHEWAN

Camrose Performing Arts Centre Camrose Assiniboia Assiniboia Arts Council

Cold Lake Kinosoo Performing Arts Biggar Biggar & District Arts Council

Consort Neutral Hills Arts Alive Canora Canora Arts Council

Drayton Valley Eleanor Pickup Arts Centre Estevan Estevan Arts Council

Edson Chautauqua Edson Arts Council Hudson Bay Hudson Bay Allied Arts Council

Ft McMurray Keyano Theatre - Celebrity Series Kindersley Kindersley & District Arts

Ft Saskatchewan Dow Centre Kipling Kipling & District Arts

Grand Prairie Grand Prairie Concerts La Ronge La Ronge Arts Council

High River High River Gift of Music Society Leader Leader & District Arts Council

Lacombe Burman University Luseland Luseland Arts Council

Leduc MacLab Centre for the Performing Arts Melfort Melfort Arts Council

Lloydminster Lloydminster Concert Association Melville Melville Arts Council

Morinville Morinville Community Cultural Centre Moose Jaw Moose Jaw Cultural Centre

Okotoks City of Okotoks Moosomin Moosomin & District Arts Council

Red Deer Red Deer Concert Society North Battleford Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts

Sherwood Park Festival Place Ltd. Outlook Outlook & District Arts Council

Spruce Grove Horizon Stage Prince Albert E.A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts

St. Albert Arden Theatre Quill Lake Quill Plains Arts Council

Stettler Stettler Variety Showcase Quill Plains Quill Plains Region Arts Council

Vermilion Vermilion Allied Arts Ravenscrag The Seville Theatre

Westlock Westlock Cultural Arts Theatre Series Redvers Redvers & District Arts Council

Regina Regina Musical Club

MANITOBA Rosthern Station Arts Centre

Altona Southern Manitoba Concert Series Saskatoon Lyell Gustin Recital Series

Brandon Pro Series, Brandon University Saskatoon Third Avenue Centre

Carman Golden Prairie Arts Council Saskatoon University of Saskatchewan Arts Council

Flin Flon Flin Flon Arts Council Shaunavon Shaunavon Arts Council

Holland Tiger Hills Arts Association Swift Current Swift Current Allied Arts Council

Killarney Tri Lake Concert Association Tisdale Tisdale Arts

Minnedosa Minnedosa Performing Arts Committee Unity Unity Council of the Arts

Pinawa Eastern Manitoba Concert Assoc. Watrous Watrous Area Arts Council

Portage la Prairie William Glesby Centre Weyburn Weyburn Concert Series

Snow Lake Ravna Concerts Yorkton Yorkton Arts Council

Souris Souris District Arts Council

Steinbach Steinbach Arts Council Golden Golden District Arts Council, BC

Strathclair Strathclair & District Theatre Committee Haines Jct Haines Junction Performing Arts, YT

St. Jean-Baptist Comite Culturel St. Jean Whitehorse Whitehorse Concerts, YT

The Pas The Pas Arts Council

Thompson City of Thompson

2016.17Our 20thTouring Roster

Prairie Debut Inc. is a registered charitable organization (No. 86799 3495 RR0001)

Prairie Debut

Lynne Bailey, Executive Director

PO Box 273

55 Wildwood Bay,

Onanole, MB R0J 1N0

ldbailey@mymts.net

204.848.7427

www.prairiedebut.com

Duo Fortin-Poirier,

Flûte Alors!,

Duo Milot & Bareil,

one piano-four hands

recorder quartet

harp & violin

Alberta Showcase 2015

Duo Milot & Bareil

Violin & Harp Duo

Friday, October 23, 2015 (Evening Showcase)

Shell Theatre, Fort Saskatchewan, AB

OSAC Showcase 2015

Flûte Alors!

Recorder Quartet

Saturday, October 17, 2015 (Afternoon Showcase)

Regina Performing Arts Centre, Regina, SK

MAN Showcase 2015

Duo Fortin-Poirier

One Piano-Four Hands

Friday, October 23, 2015 (Evening Showcase)

R.H. Channing Auditorium, Flin Flon, MB