Min-Jeong Koh, violin; Sarah Nematallah, violin; Caitlin Boyle, viola; Rachel Desoer, cello

First prize-winners of the 2010 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC), Canada’s Cecilia String Quartet has quickly attracted the attention of the chamber world at home and internationally. Praised for their “extraordinary commitment and maturity” (Gazette) and “'talent, passion and mastery” (Jacques Robert, JR Multimedia), this young quartet is one of Canada's most exciting young ensembles today. They are currently the Graduate Resident String Quartet at The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School.

The Cecilia String Quartet takes its name from St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Members of the CSQ have attended the University of Toronto, The Glenn Gould School, The Juilliard School, Oberlin Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and the Hochschule fur Musik und Theatre Munchen in Munich, Germany. CSQ’s performances have been broadcast on Classical 96.3 FM, CBC Radio 2, KUT 90.5 FM (Austin, Texas), and ABC Classical FM (Melbourne, Australia). Min-Jeong Koh currently plays on the ca. 1767 Joannes Baptista Guadagnini violin on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts and an anonymous donor, and Sarah Nematallah currently plays on the 1851 Jean Baptiste Vuillaume on loan from an anonymous donor.  The quartet would like to thank the anonymous donor and the Canada Council for the Arts for their generous support. 

Pianist Alexander Seredenko is emerging as a leading voice in the next generation of Canadian young artists. His electrifying yet deeply expressive performances have, in recent years, been thrilling audiences in Canada, Europe, and Asia. Recital highlights of recent seasons include an appearance on the Young Artist Series of Canada’s National Arts Centre, a performance at The Canadian Opera Company’s Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, and recitals at Music At Sharon and the Barrie Colours Of Music Festival. Alexander Seredenko had the honour of performing for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and world leaders at the G-20 Conference in Toronto. He recently won the Toronto Symphony National Piano Competition and performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Maestro Peter Oundjian and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thompson Hall in December of 2010. Alexander Seredenko is currently pursuing his studies at The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School under the tutelage of Dean James Anagnoson.