Ensemble Made in Canada is rapidly gaining recognition as Canada's premier piano quartet. Awarded the 2006 CBC Galaxie Stars Award from the Banff Centre for the Arts, the quartet was also featured in 2008 Chatelaine Magazine's 80 women to watch as an ensemble that is leading the next generation of classical musicians. The members of the group, violinist Elissa Lee, violist Sharon Wei, cellist Rachel Mercer and pianist Angela Park, have been forging outstanding individual careers and bring together a shared love of chamber music and a wealth of experience having already appeared at prestigious festivals such as Marlboro, Ravinia, Orford, Verbier, Prussia Cove, Pablo Casals and Evian. Ensemble Made in Canada has performed for such series as Winnipeg's Virtuosi series, Jeffery Chamber Music Series, Lindsay Concert Productions, and Almonte in Concert in Ontario. They have been re-invited to perform at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Parry Sound's Festival of the Sound and the Stratford Music Festival. Other recent performances include Montreal Pro Musica series, Sherbrooke Bishop's University Series, SUNY New Paltz, U.S.A., and Toronto's Syrinx Series. Ensemble Made in Canada has provided master classes, chamber music coachings, and lectures at universities across Canada and in the United States and have also participated in outreach programs for public schools in Ontario. Ensemble Made in Canada was a recent recipient of the Music Touring Grant, generously awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts. They have recently received Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council and Queen's University grants to record the music of JUNO-winning Canadian composer John Burge in 2014.
ANGELA PARK, piano
Pianist Angela Park has established herself as one of Canada’s leading young musicians. She has won numerous awards in major competitions both at home and abroad; the list includes the International Grace Welsh Prize for Piano in Chicago, World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, Canadian National Music Festival, Honens International Piano Competition, and the Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona. As soloist and chamber musician, Angela has performed for such notable concert series as Montreal's Pro Musica, Ottawa Chamberfest, Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut Tours, Yamanashi Series in Japan, Orchestra London Masterworks, Sinfonia Toronto, and the Northern Lights Festival in Mexico. She is a founding member of the award-winning piano quartet Ensemble Made In Canada, and is also in high demand as a collaborative pianist. In 2010 Angela earned her DMA from the Universiteé de Montréeal and is currently Visiting Assistant Professor at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.
Visit Angela Park's website
ELISSA LEE, violin
Winner of the 23rd Eckhardt-Gramatté Strings Competition, Elissa Lee has appeared as a soloist with top orchestras across Canada. She has held positions as second concertmaster in both the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestraand the WDR Sinfonie Orchester. Now enjoying a busy freelance career, Elissa tours frequently the greatest concerts halls and festivals in Europe. She has performed as Concertmaster with the Rundfunk Orchester München, the Swedish Radio Orchestra, the KlangVerwaltung Orchestra in Munich, and Festival Strings Luzern, and in leading positions with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Luxembourg Philhamonic and the Canadian Opera Company. She has also been a guest of world renowned Chamber of Orchestra of Europe, and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and has worked under the baton of Claudio Abaddo, Simon Rattle, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bernard Haitink and Daniel Harding. As a chamber musician she has performed with Louie Lortie, Augustin Dumay, Anton Kuerti, Pascal Devoyon, Kevin Fitzgerald, Lawrence Lesser, and Shauna Rolston and has been a frequent participant of Open Chamber Music in Prussia Cove, England. Elissa Lee joined Ensemble Made in Canada in 2010, which performs concerts and tours throughout Canada and the United States.
Visit Elissa Lee's website
SHARON WEI, viola
Violist Sharon Wei was a National and a Canadian Merit Scholar at the University of Western Ontario. She completed her studies at the Curtis Institute and at Yale, graduating with the Viola Prize. Other honours include top prizes at the London Music Competition, and the Washington International Competition. Sharon has appeared as soloist with orchestra throughout North America. She has performed with the Stratford Civic Orchestra, New Haven Chamber Orchestra, Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Southern Utah. Past highlights include concerts at the International Viola congress, Ravinia, Norfolk, Verbier, Scotiafest and Musique de Chambre a Normandie. Recent concerts include concertos with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and a Debut Atlantic Recital tour of the Maritime provinces in Canada. She has pursued her studies on grants from the Canada Council and Chalmers Foundation. Sharon has taught in Yale University's undergraduate department, given masterclasses throughout Canada and has been on faculty at Stanford University. Sharon will be Assistant Professor of Viola at the University of Western Ontario from January 2014.
Visit Sharon Wei's website
RACHEL MERCER, cello
Described as a "pure chamber musician" (Globe and Mail) creating "moments of pure magic" (Toronto Star), Canadian cellist Rachel Mercer has demonstrated her love for sharing music through performance since she was three years old. Winner of the 2009 Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank Competition, Rachel was awarded the use of the 1696 Bonjour Stradivarius cello, until August 2012. As the grand prize winner of the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam, Rachel made her European debut in the Concertgebouw and has appeared as a soloist across Canada, in Europe, the United States, Balkans and Israel. A member of the award-winning Aviv String Quartet from 2002-2010, Rachel toured regularly on five continents. Currently based in Toronto, Rachel is cellist of Ensemble Made In Canada, the Mercer-Park Duo, the Seiler Trio, and is Artistic Director of the "5 at the First" chamber series in Hamilton. Rachel has given masterclasses at schools, conservatories and universities across North America, South Africa and in Israel and currently teaches chamber music at the University of Toronto. Rachel can be heard on the Naxos, Dalia Classics and EnT-T record labels.
Visit Rachel Mercer's website
ANGELA PARK, piano
Pianist Angela Park has established herself as one of Canada’s leading young musicians. She has won numerous awards in major competitions both at home and abroad; the list includes the International Grace Welsh Prize for Piano in Chicago, World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, Canadian National Music Festival, Honens International Piano Competition, and the Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona. As soloist and chamber musician, Angela has performed for such notable concert series as Montreal's Pro Musica, Ottawa Chamberfest, Debut Atlantic and Prairie Debut Tours, Yamanashi Series in Japan, Orchestra London Masterworks, Sinfonia Toronto, and the Northern Lights Festival in Mexico. She is a founding member of the award-winning piano quartet Ensemble Made In Canada, and is also in high demand as a collaborative pianist. In 2010 Angela earned her DMA from the Universiteé de Montréeal and is currently Visiting Assistant Professor at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.
Visit Angela Park's website
ELISSA LEE, violin
Winner of the 23rd Eckhardt-Gramatté Strings Competition, Elissa Lee has appeared as a soloist with top orchestras across Canada. She has held positions as second concertmaster in both the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestraand the WDR Sinfonie Orchester. Now enjoying a busy freelance career, Elissa tours frequently the greatest concerts halls and festivals in Europe. She has performed as Concertmaster with the Rundfunk Orchester München, the Swedish Radio Orchestra, the KlangVerwaltung Orchestra in Munich, and Festival Strings Luzern, and in leading positions with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Komische Oper Berlin, the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Luxembourg Philhamonic and the Canadian Opera Company. She has also been a guest of world renowned Chamber of Orchestra of Europe, and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and has worked under the baton of Claudio Abaddo, Simon Rattle, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Bernard Haitink and Daniel Harding. As a chamber musician she has performed with Louie Lortie, Augustin Dumay, Anton Kuerti, Pascal Devoyon, Kevin Fitzgerald, Lawrence Lesser, and Shauna Rolston and has been a frequent participant of Open Chamber Music in Prussia Cove, England. Elissa Lee joined Ensemble Made in Canada in 2010, which performs concerts and tours throughout Canada and the United States.
Visit Elissa Lee's website
SHARON WEI, viola
Violist Sharon Wei was a National and a Canadian Merit Scholar at the University of Western Ontario. She completed her studies at the Curtis Institute and at Yale, graduating with the Viola Prize. Other honours include top prizes at the London Music Competition, and the Washington International Competition. Sharon has appeared as soloist with orchestra throughout North America. She has performed with the Stratford Civic Orchestra, New Haven Chamber Orchestra, Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Southern Utah. Past highlights include concerts at the International Viola congress, Ravinia, Norfolk, Verbier, Scotiafest and Musique de Chambre a Normandie. Recent concerts include concertos with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and a Debut Atlantic Recital tour of the Maritime provinces in Canada. She has pursued her studies on grants from the Canada Council and Chalmers Foundation. Sharon has taught in Yale University's undergraduate department, given masterclasses throughout Canada and has been on faculty at Stanford University. Sharon will be Assistant Professor of Viola at the University of Western Ontario from January 2014.
Visit Sharon Wei's website
RACHEL MERCER, cello
Described as a "pure chamber musician" (Globe and Mail) creating "moments of pure magic" (Toronto Star), Canadian cellist Rachel Mercer has demonstrated her love for sharing music through performance since she was three years old. Winner of the 2009 Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank Competition, Rachel was awarded the use of the 1696 Bonjour Stradivarius cello, until August 2012. As the grand prize winner of the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam, Rachel made her European debut in the Concertgebouw and has appeared as a soloist across Canada, in Europe, the United States, Balkans and Israel. A member of the award-winning Aviv String Quartet from 2002-2010, Rachel toured regularly on five continents. Currently based in Toronto, Rachel is cellist of Ensemble Made In Canada, the Mercer-Park Duo, the Seiler Trio, and is Artistic Director of the "5 at the First" chamber series in Hamilton. Rachel has given masterclasses at schools, conservatories and universities across North America, South Africa and in Israel and currently teaches chamber music at the University of Toronto. Rachel can be heard on the Naxos, Dalia Classics and EnT-T record labels.
Visit Rachel Mercer's website
