Mary Sokol Brown

Mary Sokol Brown, violin, is a well-known performer, appearing to Vancouver audiences since 1979. Active as both a performer and teacher, she holds a prominent position in the first violins of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and has been featured as a soloist with the orchestra several times.

As a chamber musician, she performs extensively with many of Vancouver’s well-known ensembles including the Vetta Recital Series, Music in the Morning and the Turning Point Ensemble.

A musical highpoint for Mary has been her involvement as a founding member of Trio Accord. This dynamic string trio has served both as performers and clinicians throughout BC, and has been featured on CBC radio many times. In addition, Mary enjoys creating exquisite evenings of chamber music in private homes. These concerts are highly acclaimed for their intimacy and beauty.

As part of her commitment to the communities’ musical life, Mary has played a leading role in the development of chamber music seminars which are held in some of BC’s most beautiful settings. She is highly regarded for her accomplished, enthusiastic teaching and coaching skills. Traveling extensively to work with young musicians, adult amateurs and community-based ensembles, Mary appears regularly at the Naramata and Gabriola String Ensemble retreats and has an association with Kelowna’s Festival of the Arts. She has also conducted many orchestral and chamber workshops with the Terrace Symphony.

During the summer months, Mary performs and teaches at music festivals. These have included Festival Vancouver, Courtenay International Youth Festival, West Coast Amateur Music Society, Bellingham International Festival, Marrowstone Music Festival, and the Midsummer Music Retreat. Typically, at these festivals and as part of her teaching, Mary performs in faculty concerts for the education of the attendees and the entertainment of the general public.

It is through these initiatives that Mary continues to realize her musical ambitions, and share with her audiences her passionate commitment to the violin.

 

Andrew Brown

Andrew James Brown, viola, is the Associate-Principal violist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the CBC Radio Orchestra for over eighteen years. A prominent chamber musician, Andrew has performed extensively with Vancouver’s leading musical organizations, including the Vetta Quartet, Curio, the Vancouver New Music Ensemble and Masterpiece Players. He is a founding member of Trio Accord.

Andrew’s musical endeavours have given him the opportunity to perform throughout North America, Korea, China and Japan, but he enjoys the eclectic musical environment in Vancouver where his engagements have ranged from intimate chamber music performances to rock and roll at the Coliseum with members of Led Zeppelin.

A former member of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Andrew earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at The College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati – studying with Donald McInnes, Paul Coletti, Gerald Stanick and Masao Kawasaki.

Ariel Barnes

Cellist, Ariel Barnes, enjoys a diverse career performing as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician.  Born in Toronto, Ontario to violinist Nancy Mathis DiNovo and composer Milton Barnes, Ariel began his violin studies at the age of three.  Transfixed by the rich, expressive sonority of the cello, he made a transition to the larger instrument at age five.  The following year, a family move to Boston offered him the opportunity to study at the All Newton Music School, where he began to enjoy the thrill of performing in frequent recital appearances. Returning to Canada, at ten years old, Ariel was an Ontario Kiwanis Festival Provincial Finalist in the under 30 category, having been described as “a fine example of a flourishing musical talent”. 

Two years later, a move to British Columbia allowed him to begin studies with Eric Wilson, founding cellist of the Emerson String Quartet.  Ariel soon became principal cello of the Vancouver Youth Symphony and began winning local competitions and awards. During these years, attending the Marrowstone Music Festival each summer provided him with a nurturing environment in which to develop as a soloist and chamber musician.  It was here that he met his mentor, Craig Weaver, a member of the Seattle Symphony and former student of Orlando Cole. At eighteen, he was a top prize winner in the Burnaby Clef Society Competition and made his debut as a soloist playing Ernst Bloch’s “Schelomo, Hebraique Rhapsody for Solo Cello and Orchestra”.  In recent years as a soloist, and as a member of the Borealis String Quartet, Ariel has appeared in recital and in chamber music concerts across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

An avid chamber musician, Ariel is the cellist of Trio Accord, a Vancouver-based string trio that is quickly developing a reputation for being the finest ensemble of its kind in Canada.  He has also collaborated with such great performers as The St. Lawrence String Quartet, Scott St. John, Rita Costanzi, William Aide, David Harding, Rena Sharon, Ian Parker, Cary Chow, Nancy DiNovo, Barry Shiffman, Daniel Phillips, Tara Helen O’Connor, Mehan Esfahani, Daniel Bolshoi, Andrew Dawes, and many others.  Memorable appearances at summer music festivals include the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, The Banff Festival, Festival Orford, Festival Vancouver, and Mendocino Music Festival.

Ariel currently serves as principal cello of both the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and the CBC Radio Orhestra. He has recorded for Centrediscs, E’space Musique, Integrity Music, Za Discs, Disney Films, CBC Television, Funktopus Records, extensively for CBC Radio, and with such artists as Brian Adams and Michael Buble.  Among the many fine cellists with whom he has studied, principal teachers include Daniel Domb at the University of Toronto, Bruce Uchimura at Western Michigan University, Craig Weaver of the Seattle Symphony, and Eric Wilson at the University of British Columbia.  In addition, he has received coaching from Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Janos Starker, Lawrence Lesser, Desmond Hoebig, Lorand Fenyves, and members of the Guarneri, Julliard, Cleveland, Orford, and St. Lawrence String Quartets.

In the 2008-09 season, Ariel will tour Canada in recital with pianist Brian Wagorn, presented by Jeunesses Musicales Canada. Upcoming recording projects include a string trio arrangement of Bach’s Goldberg Variations with Trio Accord on the Skylark label, and a contemporary work by Yannick Plamandon with the Turning Point ensemble on the Atma label.