Ottawa Chamberfest returns to celebrate 30 years of bringing beautiful music to the nation’s capital. This year’s Chamberfest takes place from July 25 to August 8, and includes mainstage headliners, along with the late night Chamberfringe lineup, and Signature Series, which sees international stars collaborate with emerging Canadian artists.
“Chamberfest is turning 30 and we are ready to celebrate!” says Carissa Klopoushak, Artistic Director of Ottawa Chamberfest in a statement.
“Over the last three decades, we have grown from a plucky upstart into a trailblazing leader in our field, due in no small part to the many artists and patrons who have championed our cause since day one.”
Chamberfest: At A Glance
“This summer, we’ve put together an inspiring lineup of local, Canadian, and international giants to celebrate this milestone, featuring many returning Chamberfriends and the next generation of artists we’re championing — a current you’ll see running throughout the festival.
“We have been building toward this festival for decades, and our audience grows each year.” says Klopoushak.
Signature Series
Signature Series concerts take place at 7 p.m. at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
Art of Time Ensemble: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (July 25)
The Art of Time Ensemble will be making their final Ottawa appearance to reimagine the iconic Beatles album, featuring the voices of Steven Page, Chris Murphy, Andy Maize, and Ottawa’s Jeremy Fisher.
Canadian Brass: All You Need is Love (July 28)
Ashley Hall-Tighe (trumpet) is the new addition to international favourites the Canadian Brass, and only the second-ever woman to join the ensemble. They’ll play a crowd-pleasing program of classical and pop faves.
Two Pianos, Two “Hams”: Marc-André Hamelin & Charles Richard-Hamelin (July 30)
Canada is home to two piano legends with the same last name, and who are actually unrelated. Marc-André Hamelin and Charles Richard-Hamelin come together for a Chamberfest first to perform Mozart, Chopin, C.P.E. Bach, Medtner, Chaminade, and Gershwin.
Angela Hewitt and the Chamberfest Anniversary Orchestra: Mozart & Brahms (August 3)
The pride of Ottawa returns to Chamberfest to perform a perform of Mozart and Brahms with the Chamberfest Anniversary Orchestra and young Canadian pianist Carter Johnson. Hewitt is in the midst of her monumental Mozart Complete Piano Concertos project, which will continue until 2026.
Cheng2Duo with James Campbell: Kindred Spirits (August 7)
Siblings Bryan and Silvie Cheng perform a program of their favourite composers, including Ottawa’s JUNO-nominated Dinuk Wijeratne, Sibelius, Grieg, and Sulkhan Tsintsadze. Clarinetist James Campbell joins the duo for Bruch’s Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano.
Marina Kun Series
The Marina Kun Series features talented Canadian and international artists in performance at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre,. This year’s theme revolves around the concepts and realities of migration, gender, transformation, and the tension between past and present.
Brooklyn Rider & Soprano Ariadne Greif: Chalk and Soot (July 26)
Brooklyn Rider returns pay homage to their namesake, “Der Blaue Reiter,” with a program that includes four newly commissioned works and the song cycle Chalk and Soot. The group will also present Schoenberg’s Second String Quartet, featuring American soprano Ariadne Greif.
Ottawa Bach Choir: Flights of Angels (July 27)
The JUNO Award-winning Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) performs Bach, Bruckner, Isabella Leonarda, Clara Schumann, Monteverdi, Purcell, Pärt, and Taverner.
Gryphon Trio: Breathe (July 29)
The trio will perform the work of contemporary American composers Reena Esmail and Paul Wiancko, paired with Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D Minor.
Blake Pouliot & Mendelssohn’s Octet (July 31)
Toronto-born violinist Blake Pouliot performs with piano virtuoso David Jalbert in the first half, and then with the Ironwood Quartet and other musical friends for Mendelssohn’s Octet for Strings.
Emily D’Angelo & Sophia Munoz in Recital (August 1)
Multi-award-winning mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo is joined by sought after collaborator pianist Sophia Munoz in a program to be announced, fresh from their debut at Carnegie Hall.
Danish String Quartet with Johannes Rostamo: Schubert & Adès (August 2)
The renowned Danish String Quartet return for the fourth and final instalment of their Doppelgänger project, in which they pair a Schubert work with a brand-new commission. This summer, along with Finnish cellist Johannes Rostamo, they perform Schubert’s String Quintet alongside its doppelgänger Wreath for Franz Schubert by British composer Thomas Adès.
Allison Au & Migrations Ensemble (August 4)
The Toronto-based award-winning saxophonist, composer, arranger, and singer performs her JUNO-nominated album Migrations, inspired her family history of immigration to Canada, in its entirety.
Operatic Fluidity: Handel Arias with Arion Baroque (August 5)
The Arion Baroque Orchestra performs a program exploring the ‘Operatic Fluidity’ of gender through some of Handel’s most beautiful arias. It is historical truth that Handel wrote the arias to be performed by castrati. Arion reveals new sides to Handel’s characters as Amelia Keenan, contralto, and countertenor Ian Sabourin perform roles of the opposite gender.
Echo Chamber: A World Transformed (August 6)
“A World Transformed” shares the story of Matthew Shepard, a young man from Laramie, Wyoming who was killed because of his sexuality in an immersive Echo Chamber performance that combines music and dance.
Chamberfest’s 30th Anniversary Celebration: Ironwood Quartet, Philip Chiu, Radia (August 8)
Chamberfest winds down with a 30th birthday celebration that includes the world premiere of Kevin Lau’s Song of the Quaking Aspens, commissioned by Chamberfest, along with Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A major.
Chamberfringe
Chamberfringe is a late-night series that begins at 9:30 p.m. in a variety of alternative venues.
- Moskitto Bar mixes up Ukrainian, Balkan, Iraqi Middle-Eastern, and French Celtic music (July 26, La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins)
- Vocalist, dancer, and choreographer Tamar Ilana fronts Ventanas in performances of Sephardic and Balkan music and dance in 20 languages (July 27, The Gladstone)
- Eclectic JUNO Award-winning supergroup string quartet The Fretless with special guest singer Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter Madeleine Roger (July 28, The Gladstone)
- Local Synth composer Nick Schofield’s recreates his latest release Ambient Ensemble, using tape-slowed piano parts layered with synthesizers with Ottawa’ musicians Philippe Charbonneau, Mika Posen (Merganzer), and Yolande Laroche (Orchidae)(August 1, Club SAW)
- JUNO-nominated Cree cellist Cris Derksen performs solo and quartet works with drum machines and loop pedals, Powow singers, hoop dancers, and cello, with singer Rebecca Benson, and friends (August 2, Club SAW)
- Toronto’s Moneka Arabic Jazz performs Maqam-influenced melodies and African grooves, led by Ahmed Moneka, whose music and storytelling touch on his experiences as an Afro-Iraqi refugee (August 3, The Gladstone)
- Montreal’-based Kleztory have carved out an international reputation for innovative arrangements of traditional music from Eastern European shtetlech—small Eastern European villages or “ghettos” in Yiddish (August 4, The Gladstone)
- Ottawa-based cellist and composer Raphael Weinroth-Browne is known for virtuosic playing and improvisation on stage and in the studio, combining classical training with his love for progressive metal and Middle Eastern music (August 5, The Gladstone)
Find more details about Ottawa Chamberfest, and tickets, [HERE].
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