Nicholas Denton Protsack
ClassicalValley: Mendelssohn's Octet
The Cathedral Church of St Michael & All Angels
608 Sutherland Ave
May 20, 2023
7:30 PM PDT
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About this concert
The complete troupe of ClassicalValley’s resident artists will come together for a blockbuster finale featuring Mendelssohn’s timeless and celebrated String Octet. Additionally, our resident pianists, Meagan Milatz and Philip Chiu, will perform a selection of Schumann’s works for piano 4-hands, and festival co-director Nicholas Denton Protsack will premiere an original composition for two cellos and piano, specially written to celebrate the second edition of our festival. This spectacular conclusion to ClassicalValley 2023 will not be one to miss!
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Nicholas Denton Protsack Biography
An ongoing aspiration of BMI Award-winning composer and cellist, Nicholas Denton Protsack, is to seek new connections between music and the natural world. Called a "(composer) to keep a close eye on" by the Canadian Music Centre, Nicholas' ecologically informed music—including notated works, recorded works, and experimental improvisations—has been featured in a wide variety of concert settings across North America, Europe, and New Zealand. Recent accomplishments include winning both a first and second prize in the 2023 SOCAN Foundation Young Composers Awards, as well as commissioned works for the Toronto Summer Music Festival and the American Prize-winning Ensemble for These Times (E4TT).
As a cellist, Nicholas is an active freelance performer and advocate of new music—frequently involved in collaborative projects that range from traditional to highly experimental concert idioms. He is a founding member of New Zealand's Moth Quartet, as well as the Canadian-based Branchroot Ensemble. Although primarily a chamber musician, he has also appeared as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra.
Nicholas is currently undertaking a PhD in music at Victoria University of Wellington (NZ), studying with composers Michael Norris and Dugal McKinnon. His other major teachers have included David Garner (composition), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello), Jennifer Culp (cello), and Morna Howie (cello).
As a cellist, Nicholas is an active freelance performer and advocate of new music—frequently involved in collaborative projects across North America that range from more traditional idioms, to free-form improvisations. Although primarily a chamber musician, he has also appeared as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra.
Nicholas is currently undertaking a PhD in music at Victoria University of Wellington, studying with composers Michael Norris and Dugal McKinnon. His other major teachers have included David Garner (composition), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello), and Jennifer Culp (cello).
Read MoreAs a cellist, Nicholas is an active freelance performer and advocate of new music—frequently involved in collaborative projects that range from traditional to highly experimental concert idioms. He is a founding member of New Zealand's Moth Quartet, as well as the Canadian-based Branchroot Ensemble. Although primarily a chamber musician, he has also appeared as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra.
Nicholas is currently undertaking a PhD in music at Victoria University of Wellington (NZ), studying with composers Michael Norris and Dugal McKinnon. His other major teachers have included David Garner (composition), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello), Jennifer Culp (cello), and Morna Howie (cello).
As a cellist, Nicholas is an active freelance performer and advocate of new music—frequently involved in collaborative projects across North America that range from more traditional idioms, to free-form improvisations. Although primarily a chamber musician, he has also appeared as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra.
Nicholas is currently undertaking a PhD in music at Victoria University of Wellington, studying with composers Michael Norris and Dugal McKinnon. His other major teachers have included David Garner (composition), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello), and Jennifer Culp (cello).
Contemporary Classical Music
Experimental
Free Improvisation
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