Trio d’Argento stands for a superb level of excellence, performances of virtuoso pieces and original arrangements, combined with a fun, relaxed and conversational atmosphere onstage.
The trio has firmly established itself in the Ontario chamber music scene in the past few years, playing to standing ovations and rave audience reviews for many series. In December 2014, the trio had its Music Toronto debut at the St. Lawrence Centre and has appeared in concerts for the Sarnia, Muskoka, Midland, Orangeville, Gallery 345 Toronto and Brantford Musical Club concert series, at McMaster University, Wilfrid Laurier University, Conrad Grebel University, the University of Guelph and the University of Toronto. They have also performed many times for Caledon Chamber Concerts and the Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Music Society over the past few years.
Trio D’Argento has commissioned pieces from First Nations composer and performer Barbara Croall, Kevin Lau and Alice Ping Yee Ho, showcasing their strong commitment to Canadian music. Their highly-successful debut recording with members of the Canadian Brass was released on the Opening Day Label.
The trio has toured to Québec, British Columbia and Yukon Territories and has been supported through multiple granting bodies.
From the classics to exotic world music, these brilliant musicians provide lively and entertaining concerts with spoken introductions to each piece.
Paul Pulford, Cello
Cellist Paul Pulford is a chamber musician, soloist, conductor and educator. Since his debut recital in Winnipeg in 1967 he has performed on four continents and has recorded over 30 CDs.
For over 25 years Pulford pursued a passion for the string quartet, playing with the internationally acclaimed Penderecki String Quartet from 1990-2013, and Orford String Quartet from 1987-1989. With the Penderecki Quartet he recorded many CDs including the Bartok String Quartets; Brahms, Shostakovich and Schnittke Piano Quintets; the quartets of Penderecki and many works by Canadian composers.
As a quartet player, Pulford has performed in many of the great venues of the world, including Concertgebauw, Amsterdam; Wigmore Hall, London; Oratorio del Gonfalone, Rome; La Caxia, Barcelona; Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City; Kennedy Centre, Washington; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Takefu Festival in Japan; Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City; National Arts Centre, Glenn Gould Studio & St. Lawrence Centre, Canada; to name a few.
From 1989 to 2017 Pulford was Professor of Cello and Director of Orchestral Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, where he also served for seven years as Associate Dean of Music. During his tenure at Laurier he developed a professional-level orchestral training program, and taught and mentored many cellists and orchestral musicians who are now part of the professional music world in Canada and abroad. In 1991, Pulford founded QuartetFest, a festival based at Laurier that celebrates the art of the string quartet with performances by international ensembles and mentorship of emerging string quartets from around the world. Pulford remains Professor Emeritus at Laurier.
As a conductor, Pulford has worked with Symphony New Brunswick, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Mississauga Symphony, Stratford Symphony Orchestra and as Resident Conductor of the NUMUS Ensemble. He has conducted many premiers of new works, including Tim Brady’s opera The Salome Dancer, and Glenn Buhr’s Red Sea (2010) and Piano Concerto (2015).
Pulford maintains a passionate commitment to contemporary music through his involvement with Blue Rider Ensemble, which he co-founded in 1989. Based in Montreal, Blue Rider specializes in 20th and 21st century Instrumental Theatre works, having released a highly acclaimed CD recording of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, premiered experimental works such as Peter Hatch’s Mounting Picasso, and created new works, including the large-scale multi-media work, Frankenstein’s Ghosts.
Pulford continues to perform and record as a soloist. He has recorded the complete works for cello and fortepiano by Beethoven (IBS Label) and Brahms (Doremi Label).
His most recent CD, Volume I, Suites 1, 2 and 3 for Solo Cello by J.S. Bach is available on iTunes. He is currently working on Volume II.
Paul was an artist-in-residence at UNB Fredericton as a member of the New Brunswick String Quartet from 1984-1989. He lives in Long Reach, New Brunswick.
Todd Yaniw, Piano
Canadian pianist Todd Yaniw is a young artist praised for his “atmospheric contrast of poetry and power … a hair-raising performance”. Since his debut with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at age 13, Mr.Yaniw has performed frequently in Alberta and Ontario; at festivals and venues including the Banff Centre for Music, Edmonton’s Winspear Centre for Music, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Toronto’s Arts & Letters Club, the Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre and Koerner Hall. Mr.Yaniw has performed with the symphony orchestras of Edmonton, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Windsor and Guelph. Mr.Yaniw toured the Canadian maritime provinces as a soloist in February 2013, under the auspices of Debut Atlantic. Todd has been interviewed and broadcast on several occasions on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [CBC], and Toronto’s Classical 96.3 FM. In December 2012, Todd recorded a one-hour program for the CBC as part of its NEXT series, a radio program at the Monte Carlo Opera House in Monaco, the Jamaica School of Music in Kingston, Jamaica, several concert halls in China and Italy, St.Martin-in-the-Fields and St.James’s Piccadilly in London England and the Eastman Theatre in Rochester, New York. Yaniw’s debut CD “Todd Yaniw: Scriabin, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Chopin” was released on the Chestnut Hall Music label in September 2006.
Todd’s extensive prize list includes Winner of the Roy Thomson Hall First Prize at the 2005 Toronto Symphony Volunteer Committee’s TD National Piano Competition; two-time national winner of the Canadian Music Competition, as well as silver medalist at the Eastman International Piano Competition. Mr. Yaniw has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, and was a recipient of the 2010 and 2012 Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Awards.
Todd Yaniw was born in Edmonton, Alberta and his teachers include Michael Massey, Dr. James Parker, Professor James Anagnoson (The Glenn Gould School), and Dr. Jon Kimura Parker (Rice University). Mr. Yaniw completed his doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked with Dr. Anton Nel.
For more information please email: Trioargento@yahoo.ca