James Ehnes
Violin
photo: Benjamin Ealovega
photo: Olivier Wilkins
with Andrew Armstrong – Piano
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
8 PM
McDOUGALL UNITED CHURCH
10025 – 101 St. | Edmonton, AB
To purchase parking permit
Known for his virtuosity and probing musicianship, Canadian-born violinist James Ehnes has performed in over 30 countries on five continents, appearing regularly in the world’s great concert halls and with many of the most celebrated orchestras and conductors.
In the 2013-2014 season James performs in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Russia, Israel, Belgium, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Australia. An avid chamber musician, Ehnes will tour with his string quartet, the Ehnes Quartet, and lead the winter and summer festivals of the Seattle Chamber Music Society, where he is the Artistic Director.
James Ehnes has an extensive discography of over 30 recordings featuring music ranging from J.S. Bach to John Adams. His newest recording, released this month, is of Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto paired with Shostakovich’s String Quartets Nos. 7 & 8. His recordings have been honoured with many international awards and prizes. This past weekend he added two JUNOs to his collection, winning for his double CD of the complete violin works by Prokofiev, also featuring Andrew Armstrong, and a CD of concertos by Britten and Shostakovich. It makes him the most JUNO-decorated classical artist with a total of nine awards, plus a Grammy and a Gramophone.
James Ehnes was born in 1976 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. He began violin studies at the age of four, and at age nine became a protégé of the noted Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin. He studied with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and from 1993 to 1997 at The Juilliard School. James Ehnes is a Member of the Order of Canada.
James Ehnes plays the "Marsick" Stradivarius of 1715. He currently lives in Bradenton, Florida with his wife and daughter.
The American pianist Andrew Armstrong performs frequently with James Ehnes and has recorded with him two highly praised volumes of works for violin and piano by Béla Bartók. A prize-winning soloist, Andrew Armstrong has appeared with major orchestras in Europe and Asia and throughout North America.
Jean-Marie Leclair
(1697-1764)
Sonata in D Major
Op. 9, No. 3, “Tambourin”
Johannes Brahms
(1833-1897)
Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor
Op. 108
Alexina Louie
(b. 1949)
Beyond Time* (2014)
–for violin and piano | Composer’s program notes
*Commissioned by James Ehnes
Richard Strauss
(1864-1949)
Sonata in E-flat Major
Op. 18
“Mr. Ehnes has technical brilliance to spare, but there was not a trace of flashiness in his majestic, poetic and transparent playing.” –New York Times
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