The Ensemble
Gwen Hoebig, violin
Karl Stobbe, violin
Daniel Scholz, viola
Yuri Hooker, cello
David Moroz, piano

Special Guests
Tracy Dahl, soprano
Desmond Hoebig, cello
Jon Kimura Parker, piano

Guest Performers
Alexandra Eastley, bassoon
Patricia Evans, horn
Micah Heilbrunn, clarinet
Meredith Johnson, bass

Performer Biographies

Yuri Hooker, cello

Yuri Hooker is Principal cellist with both the Winnipeg Symphony and Manitoba Chamber Orchestras, and is a core member of THE WINNIPEG CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY . His frequent concerto appearances with the WSO and MCO have met with critical and audience acclaim, and his most recent performances include the world premiere of John Tavener's new work for cello and orchestra Popule Meus and the North American premiere of the orchestral version of Michael Oesterle's Agate Rosary and the North American premiere of Tavener's Requiem. He was also honoured to present the Western Canadian premiere of Henri Dutilleux's cello concerto Tout un monde lointain in 2009 with the WSO conducted by Michelle Mourre. A strong advocate of new music, he appears regularly with GroundSwell, and recently made the premiere of Ørjan Sandred's Amanzule Voices for cello and live electronics (Navona Records).

In additional to performing, Yuri is a dedicated teacher. He maintains a private teaching studio and was the Sessional Instructor of Cello at the University of Manitoba from 2004-08. In 2007 he founded the Winnipeg Summer Cello Institute, and most recently launched the Rosamunde Summer Music Academy for young string players, which had its inaugural session in the summer of 2011. Yuri is also a faculty member of the Valhalla Summer School of Music in Silverton, BC. He Holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Brandon University, which he followed with graduate studies under Janos Starker and Stanley Ritchie (period performance) at Indiana University.

Yuri Hooker (photo: Andrew Sikorsky)

(biography current as of October, 2011)