Jennifer King:
Pianist Jennifer King is known as an energetic, insightful and versatile musician who is at home as a collaborator, soloist, and speaker on the concert stage. Her performances, as they have been described in reviews of her recorded albums, are “…dramatic out-of-this-world sonic listening featuring contrasting harmonic textures. King’s sensitive performances make for moving moonlight listening.” (The Wholenote) “King creates an introspective and meditative universe, both serene and lively. Contrasted both emotionally and aesthetically, …[it] soothes and brings warmth to the cold winter.” (Panm360) And: “One can only be charmed by the calm and meditative sweetness that emanates from her piano interpretations. Modern musical language often takes us out of our comfort zone and brings with it its share of anxieties, but it can also be intoxicating when the pace quickens. There are many moments when the music reaches heights of vitality. One can say that the album breathes renewal.” (La Scena)
Gillian Smith:
Hailed as a “rising star” by The WholeNote magazine, Nova Scotian violinist Gillian Smith Gillian Smith has performed widely throughout Nova Scotia as a solo and chamber musician with Musique Royale, the Music Room Chamber Players, Open Waters Festival, Shattering the Silence Festival, and Sunday Music in the Garden Room, among others.
Her album Into the Stone, which was released on the Leaf Music label in 2019, features works for solo violin by five Canadian women composers. La Scena Musicale wrote of the album, “Gillian Smith demonstrates a great skill and mastery…magnificently appropriates Canadian repertoire”. Into the Stone was nominated for an ECMA award for Classical Recording of the Year in 2020 and has been heard on radio broadcasts across Canada and in the U.K.