Amy Hillis, violin
Meagan Milatz, piano
In search for a musical identity that embraces all of Canada, the duo meagan&amy presents connections between Canadian music and the traditional canon of classical repertoire. Selected as winners of the “Road Trip! A Pan- Canadian Partnership” recital tour offered by Debut Atlantic, Jeunesses Musicales Canada, and Prairie Debut, the duo will explore with Canadian audiences in all ten provinces and all three territories what it is that makes Canadian music “Canadian”. Their program pairs Canadian composers such as Jocelyn Morlock, André Mathieu and Saskatchewan’s own David McIntyre with well-known icons that influenced these contemporary composers including Mozart, Fauré and Shostakovich. This is an opportunity to discover a shared musical heritage that, while inspired by composers of centuries past, has evolved its own distinct Canadian qualities. The tour will not only be a partnership of the touring networks, but a partnership of composers, and a partnership of artistic excellence.
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W.A. Mozart (1756-1791) Sonata for violin and piano No. 21 in E minor, K. 304 (10′)
I. Allegro
II. Tempo di menuetto
Joceyln Morlock (b. 1969) New Commission (5′)
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Excerpts from 24 Preludes, Op. 34 (6′) (arr. Dmitri Tsyganov for violin and piano)
No. 11 in B major: Allegretto
No. 13 in F-sharp major: Moderato
No. 12 in G-sharp minor: Allegretto non troppo
No. 15 in D-flat major: Allegretto
No. 20 in C minor: Allegretto furioso
David McIntyre (b. 1950) Sonata for violin and piano No. 1 (16′)
I. Allegro robusto
II. In modo calmante
III. Presto spiritoso
INTERMISSION
André Mathieu (1929-1968) Sonate pour violon et piano (14′)
I. Allegro presto
II. Largo
III. Allegretto
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) Sonata for violin and piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13 (23′)
I. Allegro molto
II. Andante
III. Scherzo. Allegro vivo
IV. Finale. Allegro quasi presto
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meagan&amy, a vibrant Canadian duo consisting of violinist Amy Hillis and pianist Meagan Milatz, share an intense passion for innovative programming and fearless music-making. Both hailing from Saskatchewan, pianist Meagan Milatz and violinist Amy Hillis began their partnership in 2011 at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. meagan&amy’s recent performance highlights include recitals at Ottawa Chamberfest and the Festival International de Lanaudière, as well as a national broadcast of their complete recital on CBC’s In Concert in 2018. They are regularly featured on other CBC Music programs such as Tempo with Julie Nesrallah and Backstage with Ben Heppner. Drawing from their individual strengths – Milatz’s affinity for the fortepiano repertoire and Hillis’s aptitudes for contemporary music – their artistic acumen combines to create programs of interest, intrigue, and an informative concert experience for all audiences.
meagan&amy were awarded the first ever “Pan-Canadian Partnership” tour by Jeunesses Musicales Canada, Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut. As a result, they will tour to over 40 different Canadian cities during the 2019-2020 season.
Pianist Meagan Milatz has appeared as soloist with several Canadian orchestras including the Regina Symphony Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Sherbrooke Symphony Orchestra, and the McGill Symphony Orchestra. Top prizewinner at the 2014 Shean Piano Competition and the 2011 CFMTA National Piano Competition, her performance endeavours have brought her to international stages, including Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Bruges, Belgium; Gijón, Spain; and Gdańsk, Poland. Equally passionate as a collaborative pianist, Milatz is currently based in Montreal and has performed with top musicians from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra including concertmaster Andrew Wan, associate principal cellist Anna Burden, and principal clarinetist Todd Cope. She has also appeared in concert with violinist Jinjoo Cho and as guest pianist with Trio Saint-Laurent. Milatz began her studies in Saskatchewan with Cherith Alexander, and holds a Master’s degree from McGill University where she studied modern piano with Ilya Poletaev and fortepiano with Tom Beghin. She subsequently spent a year studying collaborative piano with Philip Chiu. She has participated in summer music programs such as the renowned Kneisel Hall Young Artist Program, the Banff Centre, and Morningside Music Bridge, and was the recipient of a Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award in 2017
Amy Hillis has “a rich, warm sound and has mastered the violin with such ease, that it is impossible to ignore her passion in performance” (Ludwig Van Montréal). Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, Hillis collaborates with musicians from around the world in order to explore new approaches to classical and contemporary music. In 2018, she won first prize at Canada’s Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition. The previous year, she was an Artist-in- Residence at La Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, a residency awarded by the Conseils des Arts et des Lettres du Québec. She is also winner of the 2017 McGill Concerto Competition, a Sylva Gelber Foundation Music Award, and a doctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Her principal teachers have been Axel Strauss, Ian Swensen, Denise Lupien and Eduard Minevich. Hillis performs on the 1902 Enrico Rocca violin, on generous loan from the Canada Council for the Arts Instrument Bank. amyhillis.com
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