September 25, 2006 Source: :
http://www.brandonu.ca/news/article.asp?A_ID=1100 Brandon University's Kerry DuWors Receives Rare 1747 Violin BRANDON, MB – The Canada Council for the Arts announced today that violinist Kerry DuWors, a faculty member at BU School of Music since 2004, has been awarded, for the second time in a row, a rare instrument from the Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank. Created in 1985, the Musical Instrument Bank acquires through donations and loans fine stringed instruments to be loaned to gifted young Canadian musicians to help further their international solo or chamber music careers. Winners of this year’s competition were awarded the use of their instruments for a three-year period. The instrument Kerry selected from the Canada Council collection is a fine violin made by Januarius Gagliano in Naples in 1747. In 1895, W.E. Hill & Sons of London sold the violin to John A. Brown, Esq. In 1938, it was sold by Pierre Vidoudez to Jean Klein of Geneva. Pearl Palmason of Toronto purchased the instrument in 1960 when she was a member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and loaned it to the Canada Council in 2003. The winners were selected by a peer assessment committee consisting of Walter Homburger, a Toronto-based agent and former managing director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Isolde Lagacé, director of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal; and internationally-acclaimed violinist Andrew Dawes. The committee evaluated all applications – which included recordings of the applicants’ playing – and selected finalists who were invited to come to Glenn Gould Studio for auditions and interviews. While teaching at BU, Kerry maintains a demanding concert career as a soloist and chamber musician. She began music studies in Saskatoon, followed by the University of Victoria (Bachelor of Music) with the Lafayette String Quartet, and the University of Toronto (Master of Music) with Lorand Fenyves, receiving the Eaton Graduate Scholarship, the Yo-Yo Ma Fellowship, and the Felix Galimir Award for Chamber Music Excellence. Winner of the 26th Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, Ms. DuWors made a Canada-wide recital tour with pianist Lydia Wong. She is currently first violinist of the Toronto-based Rocca String Quartet. She has collaborated with James Ehnes, Angela Cheng, Denise Djokic, Martin Fröst, Yehonatan Berick, Jonathon Crow and Marc?André Hamelin. From 2003 to 2006, Ms. DuWors played on the 1902 Enrico Rocca violin on loan from the Canada Council’s Musical Instrument Bank. Performing contemporary Canadian music and promoting the works of contemporary Canadian composers are a major focus of her career. Recent engagements include performances at the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, Agassiz Chamber Music Festival, Vancouver Recital Society Summer Combustion, Maureen Forrester Young Canadian Artist Series (Stratford Summer Music Festival), Gustin House Concert Series, CBC’s Galleria, Music Around Us and In Performance broadcasts, the world première of David R. Scott’s Concerto for Violin and Cello, and triple quartet collaborations with the Penderecki and Lafayette Quartets. Local audiences will hear the 1747 Palmason Januarius Gagliano violin for the first time on Tuesday, September 26 at the Lorne Watson Recital Hall. Kerry is performing that night on the first pro series concert of the season, along with fellow faculty members Megumi Masaki (piano), David Playfair (baritone), Tom Van Seters (piano), Alexander Tselyakov (piano) and Mark Rudoff (cello). For further information, and to arrange interviews, please contact: Kelly Stifora
Communications Officer
Brandon University
Phone: (204) 727-9762
Email: communications@brandonu.ca - 30 -
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