{"id":122664,"date":"2026-03-17T14:57:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T18:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=122664"},"modified":"2026-03-17T14:57:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T18:57:56","slug":"interview-conductor-matthew-jones-bassist-joel-quarrington-talk-dramatic-metamorphosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/03\/17\/interview-conductor-matthew-jones-bassist-joel-quarrington-talk-dramatic-metamorphosis\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Conductor Matthew Jones &#038; Bassist Joel Quarrington Talk About Dramatic Metamorphosis"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_122666\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122666\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-17T145310.436.jpg\" alt=\"Bassist Joel Quarrington (L) and Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra conductor\/music director Matthew Jones (R) (Photo courtesy of EPO)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-17T145310.436.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-17T145310.436-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-17T145310.436-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2026-03-17T145310.436-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122666\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bassist Joel Quarrington (L) and Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra conductor\/music director Matthew Jones (R) (Photo courtesy of EPO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Dramatic Metamorphosis is the name of the next concert for the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra, (EPO), featuring guest musician Joel Quarrington. The program features two pieces by Tchaikovsky, including his Rococo Variations, which Quarrington will play in a transcription for bass.<\/p>\n<p>The program includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Charles-Vincent Lemelin: Dans la tourbiere, je m&#8217;allongerai sur la mousse\u2019<\/li>\n<li>Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations<\/li>\n<li>Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Charles-Vincent Lemelin was the EPO\u2019s 2025\/26 Young Composer Competition winner, and his work will be a world premiere.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_122667\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122667\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122667\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Quarrington-rehearses-with-EPO.jpg\" alt=\"Bassist Joel Quarrington (Photo courtesy of EPO)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"890\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Quarrington-rehearses-with-EPO.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Quarrington-rehearses-with-EPO-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Quarrington-rehearses-with-EPO-1024x759.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Quarrington-rehearses-with-EPO-768x570.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122667\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bassist Joel Quarrington (Photo courtesy of EPO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Joel Quarrington<\/h2>\n<p>Joel Quarrington is a native of Toronto, where he began playing the double bass at the age of 11. His first gig was playing as part of a bluegrass trio with brothers Paul and Tony Quarrington.<\/p>\n<p>At 13, he began formal studies with Thomas Monohan, then principal bassist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Joel would go on to earn a degree in music from the University of Toronto \u2014 where he was the recipient of the Eaton Scholarship \u2014 followed by private studies in Austria and Italy.<\/p>\n<p>Along the way, he collected accolades that include first prize in the CBC talent festival in 1976, and second prize in the Geneva International Music Competition in 1978 (note: first prize was not awarded that year).<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s served as principal bass with the Hamilton Philharmonic, Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, he\u2019s performed across North America, Europe, and in China. He\u2019s also performed with many prominent string quartets, including the Orford, Vermeer, Cleveland, Colorado, St. Lawrence, Allegri, Artis, Leipzig and Tokyo Quartets, and the Pinchas Zukerman Chamber Players.<\/p>\n<p>Highlights of his career as a recording artist including a release of Schubert\u2019s Trout Quintet with the Pinchas Zukerman Chamber Players and Yefim Bronfman on the Sony label, and a 1982 recording session with the legendary Glenn Gould for the soundtrack of Timothy Findley\u2019s The Wars. He\u2019s released several solo albums on various labels, including the 2010 JUNO winning Garden Scene, which featured music by Korngold, Gliere, and Weinberg. He collaborated with pianist David Jalbert on the Prix Opus winning album Brothers in Brahms.<\/p>\n<p>As an educator, he has taught at the University of Ottawa, the Orford Arts Centre in Qu\u00e9bec, and as a Visiting Artist at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is a professor at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montr\u00e9al.<\/p>\n<p>He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Joel performs on a bass made in 1660 by Italian master Santo Maggini, and notably tunes his instrument in fifths rather than the usual fourths.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_122668\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122668\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122668\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Q-with-EPO.jpg\" alt=\"Bassist Joel Quarrington in rehearsal with Matthew Jones and the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra (Photo courtesy of EPO)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"886\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Q-with-EPO.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Q-with-EPO-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Q-with-EPO-1024x756.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Joel-Q-with-EPO-768x567.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-122668\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bassist Joel Quarrington in rehearsal with Matthew Jones and the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra (Photo courtesy of EPO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Matthew Jones &amp; Joel Quarrington: The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>Dramatic Metamorphosis is the title of the concert, and it was inspired by one of the pieces on the program, as Jones explains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do think the centre of gravity for that thought came from the redemption arc of Tchaikovsky&#8217;s Symphony No. 5,\u201d Jones says. He likens it to \u201c1812 on steroids\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think you&#8217;re going to equally say that there&#8217;s a dramatic metamorphoses in Tchaikovsky&#8217;s Rococo Variations,\u201d he says, noting that Quarrington\u2019s transcription is a metamorphoses of the work originally written for cello.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s more than a metamorphoses,\u201d Quarrington adds. Transposing music originally written for cello creates a different experience of the piece. Why transpose? \u201cIt&#8217;s mostly because of the existing double bass repertoire. There are a lot of original pieces for double bass, but it&#8217;s problematic programming them for a number of reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As he explains, not many are written to include a full orchestra with a bass soloists, and when they are, it\u2019s typically 20th and 21st century repertoire, which may or may not fit in with the rest of the program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey require a lot of rehearsal,\u201d he adds. \u201cI have to say, just as a personal thing, when I go with a contemporary concerto, no one&#8217;s heard it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It means new music for everyone, and a lot more prep time than is often feasible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt will be great to go in where everyone already knows the piece,\u201d he says. Limited rehearsal time is just one of the many practical considerations when it comes to programming.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI need to maximize every moment of rehearsal,\u201d Quarrington says. Tchaikovsky\u2019s Rococo Variations is something he\u2019s been working on for a while, but it\u2019s the first time he\u2019s playing it in concert. \u201cIt&#8217;s going to be new to me,\u201d he says. \u201cI&#8217;ve been teaching the piece for the last few years. A few bass players around the world play it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since he tunes his bass to fifths, as does the cello, the transition is easier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really don\u2019t have to change anything,\u201d Joel says. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty much all down an octave. I hope people can appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Tchaikovsky\u2019s Rococo Variations: Audience Appeal<\/h3>\n<p>As Quarrington points out, the audience is probably already familiar with the piece in its original form. \u201cIt&#8217;s not a publicity stunt, but it doesn&#8217;t scare audiences,\u201d he laughs. \u201cEveryone says, oh Tchaikovsky, I love Tchaikovsky. How bad can it be?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Matthew Jones, audience appeal is another of the elements he has to balance in the program. \u201cI think there&#8217;s a fascination with the instrument,\u201d he says of the bass. \u201cAudiences are really interested in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou could also say \u2014 the public, when you program a highly virtuosic work on an unlikely instrument [&#8230;] people throughout history have loved public executions,\u201d Quarrington quips.<\/p>\n<p>Jones laughs. \u201cMr. Quarrington plays the bass like a violin,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is a very challenging piece.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Played well, the audience may not even appreciate those challenges, he points out. \u201cIt&#8217;s a wild piece of music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, there&#8217;s a lot there that&#8217;s specific to cello technique that exists in no double bass piece,\u201d Joel explains. Again, his tuning in fifths makes some of that easier. \u201cI can do these sort of patterns that cellos do, with my tuning. You can&#8217;t do that with a fourth tuned bass.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He notes that he\u2019s encountering some patterns and techniques in the Tchaikovsky piece for the first time. \u201cThere are core patterns that don\u2019t exist in anything with the bass. That&#8217;s a challenge \u2014 also bowing,\u201d Quarrington adds. \u201cBut other than that new stuff, I&#8217;m pretty good at all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hired the right guy for the job,\u201d Jones says. \u201cThe difference between doing it on a cello and doing it on the bass is that the distances are greater. I appreciate that for Mr. Quarrington this is a trifling matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew points out that the audience will enjoy an active and dynamic performance from an instrument they may have never considered in that kind of role. The bass is typically in the background of orchestral sound. \u201cIt&#8217;s such an important instrument to the soundscape of the orchestra,\u201d he notes. \u201cWe build sound from the bottom up. If you want the orchestra to sound good, you go talk to the basses. When we talk about intonation and tuning and all of those thing, fundamentally that starts at the bottom,\u201d Jones explains. \u201cYour piccolo and your bass player \u2014 there&#8217;s the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Quarrington also considers the audience. \u201cWell, it&#8217;s a really fun ride, is how I think of it. As Matthew said, I think people are going to love it. It&#8217;s a beautiful tune,\u201d he says. He notes how the pieces builds and develops through each variation. \u201cThe cadenza, and seventh variation is this wild ride. Even if things don&#8217;t go that well, people are going to get excited,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n<p>He also notes the piece\u2019s slow, beautiful melodies. \u201cPeople will be exhilarated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTchaikovsky makes the audience feel very smart,\u201d Jones says. \u201cThe audience appreciate the journey.\u201d He points out that listeners can follow the progression of the variations quite easily. \u201cIt does make a listener feel smart.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a lighter hearted piece that contrasts with the Tchaikovsky symphony that closes the program, with its sweeping melodies, dramatic contrasts, and recurring theme representing fate. \u201cI think he was looking for a little bit of lighter fare when he wrote it,\u201d Jones adds.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_D9FsNyktcI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>Charles-Vincent Lemelin: Dans la tourbiere, je m&#8217;allongerai sur la mousse<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s a Qu\u00e9bec writer,\u201d Jones says of Lemelin, who won the EPO\u2019s Young Composer Competition. \u201cThis is our winner. This is a competition that has a multi decades of existence.\u201d The Competition attracts entries from promising young composers from across Canada, he notes. \u201cWe are excited to see our alumni, if we can call them that, go on to wide ranging careers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had 26 applicants this year from across the country,\u201d Jones adds. It\u2019s a testament to the depth of Canadian compositional talent. \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely alive and well in this country. It was tough to come up with the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With an undergraduate degree in composition from the Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Charles-Vincent Lemelin is currently working towards a Master\u2019s degree, studying with Ana Sokolovi\u0107.<\/p>\n<p>Lemelin has worked at a park on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, Jones explains, where he interacted with the natural world every day. Jones says that love of nature is distilled into the tone poem the EPO will play. \u201cIt&#8217;s very aware of its surroundings,\u201d Jones says of the music.<\/p>\n<h2>The Concert<\/h2>\n<p>The Etobicoke Philharmonic\u2019s Dramatic Metamorphosis takes place on March 27, 2026 at Martingrove Collegiate Institute.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find concert details and tickets [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eporchestra.ca\/season\/2526\/dramatic-metamorphosis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a;\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? 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