Garneau String Quartet
Robert Uchida & Laura Veeze, violin;
Paul Hamm, viola & Julie Hereish, cello
with special guest, Meagan Milatz, piano
Sunday, January 18, 2026 - 3:00 pm
St. Albert United Church

Photo Credit Lauren Hamm
In the earlier days of the COVID pandemic, after a series of outdoor concerts, the Garneau String Quartet was formed and recently became Ensemble-in-Residence at MacEwan University Conservatory of Music in Edmonton, Alberta. The quartet is comprised of members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra - violinists Robert Uchida and Laura Veeze, violist Keith Hamm, and cellist Julie Hereish.
As part of their residency, the quartet performs a series of concerts throughout the season. They also coach young artists in the Chamber Music Academy Program who work with guest artists, and participate in performance classes and recitals.
The GSQ has toured the province of Alberta and has collaborated with artists such as Tom Allen, Lori Gemmel, Philip Chiu, Desmond Hoebig, Jessica Linnebach, and the Rosebud String Quartet.
The quartet gratefully acknowledges the support of the descendants of Eleanor and Laurent Garneau, for whom music and music making was, and is, a great source of inspiration and expression.
Robert Uchida (Violin): Robert joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) as concertmaster in 2013, having held the same position with Symphony Nova Scotia for seven years. A passionate teacher, Robert serves on the faculty at the University of Alberta and has held teaching positions at Acadia University, the Manhattan School of Music and the National Arts Centre of Canada’s Young Artists Program.
Laura Veeze (Violin): Dutch violinist and violist Laura Veeze has reached audiences on three continents as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She has held principal second violin positions with the Radio Chamber Philharmonic in the Netherlands and with Symphony Nova Scotia. In addition to her position with the first violins of the ESO, she is concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton, and principal second violin of the Alberta Baroque Ensemble.
Keith Hamm (Viola): Keith joined the ESO in September 2019 as principal violist, a position he held with the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra for eight seasons. A native of Rosebud, Alberta, Keith received his training at the Glenn Gould School of Music under the instruction of Steven Dann, and at the Mount Royal Conservatory with Nicholas Pulos. Keith is founder and artistic director of the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival in Rosebud, Alberta. He is also co-founder and violist of the Rosebud String Quartet.
Julie Hereish (Cello): Julie Hereish joined the ESO as assistant principal cello in 2019. She previously held the same position with the Québec Symphony Orchestra. Born in Montreal, Julie pursued her studies in her hometown, and then in Vienna, Austria. Julie is a co-founder and member of the Edmonton-based High Level Trio, comprised of members of the ESO. Alongside her husband, Keith Hamm, she founded The New Cohort at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The duet went on tour in the Maritimes with Debut Atlantic in September 2022.
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Meagan Milatz, pianist, is winner of the prestigious 2025-2028 Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer and the 2024 Prix Opus “Discovery of the Year”. She is “a remarkable pianist with a seemingly limitless palette of expression” (Le Devoir). Meagan regularly shares the stage with top international musicians including Andrew Wan, concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Stefan Dohr, Principal Horn of the Berlin Philharmonic, Kai Gleusteen, concertmaster of the Orchestra del Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona, cellist Matt Haimovitz, and mandolinist Avi Avital.
Meagan has appeared as soloist with the Edmonton, Regina, Sherbrooke, Saskatoon, and McGill Symphonies. She has performed in concert in Ireland (New Ross Piano Festival 2023), France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, and Malta. Meagan’s duo "meagan&amy" won the first-ever 50-concert Pan-Canadian Tour offered by Jeunesses Musicales Canada, Debut Atlantic, and Prairie Debut. Meagan has a recording contract for nine albums of solo and chamber music with ATMA Classique. She is grateful to her teachers and lifelong mentors Cherith Alexander, Ilya Poletaev, fortepianist Tom Beghin, and Philip Chiu. www.meaganmilatz.com
Photo Credit Steve Gerrard