It’s my great pleasure to share this concert from Chamberfest 2022. Originally performed and livestreamed on August 2, this concert exemplifies the joy of collaboration found only at a summer chamber music festival! As a member of the ensemble performing this concert, I can tell you that the rehearsals were joyful and the performance was one that we will all cherish for many years to come!

This concert marked an exceptional Chamberfest debut for Tunisian-born mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, who has captivated audiences around the world with her vocal clarity and lavish tone – equal parts passion and precision. 

In this performance, Chaieb joined forces with a sextet of strings from the newly-minted Chamberfest Artists-in-Residence, faces familiar to chamber music stages across Canada: violinists Aaron Schwebel and Emily Kruspe, violists Keith Hamm and me (Carissa Klopoushak), cellists Leana Rutt and Rachel Mercer, as well as German pianist and Honens laurate Hinrich Alpers.

Together, the ensemble performed works befitting a hot summer’s eve, including Respighi’s musical depiction of a sunset, Berlioz’s take on a summer night, and Schoenberg’s transportive Transfigured Night – indeed, the timing was almost synchronous with the real sunset outside! Our 2022 festival explored the theme of Light After Darkness; we can now revisit and celebrate the transformative power of the night together.  We hope you enjoy this performance, and welcome you to join us at the 2023 edition!

– Carissa Klopoushak, Chamberfest Artistic Director