VC2’twist. Through extensive historical research we have identified several cellist-composers that were close to Beethoven and we are excited to unearth their hidden masterworks for two cellos. Though Beethoven himself was not a cellist, he left behind five sonatas that are at the core of the cello repertoire. The project is a programme comprised of works written by Beethoven and his cellist colleagues, including Anton Kraft, Bernhard Romberg and Jean Louis Duport. Interspersed throughout this semi chronological concert, currently titled Beethoven s Cellists, will be five new works written by Canadian cellist-composers, based on the aforementioned sonatas. These pieces will be premiered as part of a tour presented by Debut Atlantic between February 9 and 25, 2018. We have further plans to record and extensively tour the works across the rest of Canada shortly thereafter. The programme will focus on telling the story of Beethoven through the eyes of a cellist, which is a viewpoint not frequently expressed despite the fact that they were central to his musical development. These five works will shed neinstrumental in the proliferation of new works for two cellos.

“Beethoven’s Cellists”

The Composers:

We have chosen Andrew Downing to compose a work based on the first sonata, Op.5 No.1 in F

to inject wit, jocularity and emotional range into a piece is unparalleled and given the nature of the perfect fit. Andrew incorporates elements from the realms of jazz, classical, film score and World music to create a unique tapestry of influences in his writing. While he composes mostly for small chamber ensembles, Andrew recently wrote a piece for solo cello that was premiered by Rachel Mercer. We felt that it was important to capitalize on this opportunity while cello-centric writing is still fresh in his mind. www.andrewdowning.com Raphael Weinroth-Browne has been selected to compose a work based on the second sonata, Op.5 No.2 in G minor. As a cellist and composer, he has worked in a wide variety of genres. Since 2009, he has composed and performed music on over 30 full-length albums, including the Juno Award winning Woods 5: Grey Skies and Electric Light. His latest project, The Visit, is already garnering praise for its genre-defying fusion of dark chamber music, progressive metal,

s to extend the reaches of the cello beyond the traditional concert hall and to establish new roles for it as a performing instrument. This falls directly in line with VC2 - to showcase works that push the boundaries of the instrument and bring these works to untapped audiences. www.facebook.com/raphael.weinrothbrowne Fjola Evans will be composing a work based on the third sonata, Op.69 in A Major. Bryan has known Fjola since highschool, where they were at one point in a short lived cello-metal band called Melisma. Since

works are informed by her cello performance practice, using structures where timbral hierarchy dictates the musical development. Her works have been performed by ensembles such as the JACK Quartet, Contemporaneous, Bearthoven trio, and Architek Percussion. Fjola was also selected to be one of the 2016 Soundstreams Emerging Composers where she had the experience of working with Steve Reich. This fall Fjola began her pursuit of a DMA in Composition at the Yale School of Music. Her experience of performing her own works, and collaborations with many of VC2’ www.fjolaevans.com

Jazz cellist Matt Brubeck will be composing a work based on the fourth sonata, Op.102 No.1 in C Major. We first met Brubeck while we were completing studies at the University of Toronto. He visited the university weekly to give us improvisation lessons and it was with him that we first started to understand the jazz language. Brubeck comes from a rich musical background as the son of renowned jazz pianist Dave Brubeck. He is also an accomplished cellist, having

He brings a diverse array of influences from the realms of classical, jazz and freely improvised music. We feel his experimental approach to composition fits well with the experimental writing that Beethoven engaged in with his late works such as this C Major sonata. www.mattbrubeck.com Hunter Coblentz will be composing a work based on the fifth sonata, Op.102 No.2 in D Major. H Ex Animo, written for Rachel Mercer, was one of VC2s first performed works as a duo, and co-founder Amahl Arulanandam also performed the work with its dedicatee. Arulanandam and Coblentz have an existing connection as they both grew up studying Suzuki cello with the same teacher in Southern Ontario performing in studio recitals together. They went their separate ways and had lost contact for almost two decades, when they reconnected through Arul performance of Ex Animo. This piece has become very important to the duo and we have performed it many times in concerts across several different provinces. This connection with Coblentz made him an obvious choice to approach for our Beethoven s Cellists project. www.huntercoblentz.com The composers for this project were carefully chosen based on prior working relationships and knowledge of their artistic merit and compositional styles. With each work they continue to break new ground not only on their instrument, but in the world of Canadian music. These composers write unique and engaging works, and also have an intimate knowledge of the cello and the chosen subject material, resulting in music that will be creative and idiomatic. The works will be of great pedagogical value and our hope is that they will be performed by other ensembles in the future both at home and abroad.