Langley Community Music School (LCMS) alumnus Clayton Leung, viola, and award-winning Dr. Lisa Tahara, piano, grace the stage at the music school’s Concerts Café Classico series on Sunday, Oct. 29.
The duo will perform a variety of music for viola and piano from the romantic, such as Max Bruch’s Romance, to the rhapsodic, such as Rebecca Clarke’s Sonata.
The repertoire will also include Efrem Zimbalist’s Tango, George Gershwin’s Three Preludes, Paul Coletti’s From My Heart and Circus, and Frank Bridge’s Pensiero and Allegro Appassionato.
“Selections like Coletti and Bridge all draw out the sonorous and rich tone of the viola, with some technical virtuosity, and beautifully crafted melodic lines that soar,” said Leung, who is currently working with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
He was formerly the principal violist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, and has held positions in the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, the Castleton Festival, the National Repertory Orchestra and the Orchestre de la Francophonie.
Tahara is a classical pianist, teacher and former Fraser Valley resident, currently residing in Toronto, Ont. Over the past 17 years, she has appeared in solo and chamber concerts throughout North America and Europe.
Tahara has performed as a soloist with several orchestras across Canada such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the University of Victoria Orchestra and the Georgian Bay Symphony Orchestra. She also starred and performed in France Benoit’s short film, Kiri’s Piano, in Yellowknife, NWT.
The event starts at 2:30 p.m. with a pre-concert conversation with Leung and Tahara, hosted by LCMS artistic director Elizabeth Bergmann. This commentary will explore some anecdotes of the duo’s careers and highlight their insights into the selected repertoire. There will be a short break with coffee and refreshments, before the performance from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
“We are proud and thrilled to welcome back LCMS alumnus Clayton Leung and former Fraser Valley resident, pianist, Dr. Lisa Tahara,” said LCMS Artistic Director Elizabeth Bergmann. “It’s always special to be able to feature our alumni and our great British Columbian talent. We are very much looking forward to hearing these two dazzling young musicians.”
“Coming back to the Langley Music school, where I grew up, is so special for me,” Leung added. “It’s thrilling to return and pull myself out of the orchestra and perform in a duo, where I get the chance to challenge myself with programming and making my own musical decisions.”
Tickets for this Concerts Café Classico event are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students. Call the box office at 604-534-2848. The Rose Gellert Hall is located at 4899 207 St.
