2019, Looking Back : Bredeson / Ibsen, Made in Canada – Classical Guitar

Remember September? QSCM presented our first Classical Guitar event at Hazzard’s Corners in Madoc Township: Made in Canada with Michael Ibsen and Nathan Bredeson. I was just reviewing our year’s accomplisments when I came across the White Board Program on which were recorded comments from our listeners.

Here’s what first time classical music listeners had to say about “Made in Canada” with Ibsen and Bredeson when they played Hazzards Corners in Madoc Township: “I didn’t know the guitar could sound like that”, ” Classical Guitar seems really cool”, “So talented, Beautiful”, “I liked that we could talk to the players”, “That was really something else, They can really play”. Here’s how more experienced listeners responded: “The playing was great”, “I did not expect to hear playing like that without going to Toronto”, “Where did you find musicians like that?” and more.

The Made in Canada Duo presented a highly professional performance and engaging stage presence. The playing was excellent, the design of the program musically satisfying, and the presentation engaged people both new and experienced with classical music leaving them wanting more. They were excited by the quality of the playing, as well as the exclusively Canadian content. QSCM’s mandate is to make excellent classical music performance accessible to our rural residents. The Made in Canada Duo exceeded expectations on all accounts, and left us with many fond memories of two outstanding musicians and an evening of excellent music making.”

2019 was a great year with Between Friends II in the spring, featuring Amahl Arulanandam (cello) and Petya Stavreva (piano), and our first Vocal Chamber Music Ensemble Festival, with the Art of Song concert and Aline Kutan (Soprano), Annamaria Popescu (Mezzo) and Michael McMahon (piano). We’ll review these events in upcoming instalments of “2019 – Looking Back”. Meanwhile QSCM volunteers are hard at work planning and raising funds to support “The All Terrain Tour” with the 6ix Quartet, bringing the String Quartet to our rural communities in in May of this year. 2019 – a very good year. 2020 – it just keeps getting better!