Take 10 - Classical Music at Noon
This year SACMS celebrates its 10th Anniversary—ten years of bringing first class chamber music concerts to St. Albert! To mark this musical milestone, SACMS is bringing classical music from the concert hall directly to our community.
Three free noon-hour concerts, will "Pop Up” in convenient St. Albert locations. Talented chamber musicians from St. Albert will delight those who stop by with a variety of musical instruments and pieces.
“Take 10” minutes or the entire hour—we know that you will enjoy every minute of each concert as SACMS presents this anniversary celebration of our city’s musical diversity. More information about Take 10 will be available as each Pop Up approaches.
September 10 - Chapters St. Albert with Neda Yamach, violin and Clayton Leung, viola
Neda Yamach grew up in St. Albert, Alberta, and began studying violin at the of age 5. She studied at McGill University, where she received her Bachelor of Music Degree with Outstanding Achievement in Violin Performance, and Manhattan School of Music in New York.
In 2010, Neda returned to Alberta and joined the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and the Violin I Section of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, where she still sits today.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Neda has performed on various concert stages around the world, including in Israel, Greece, Poland, Turkey and the Czech Republic. She co-founded Canadian string ensemble Trio de Moda and performed with Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet when they made their Carnegie Hall debut in 2012.
Neda is on faculty at MacEwan University’s Conservatory of Music and an Ambassador for YONA-Sistema (Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta).
Canadian violist and violinist, Clayton Leung joined the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2013. Clayton has immersed himself in the local arts scene; making appearances at the Edmonton International Jazz Festival, Edmonton Recital Society, Early Music Alberta, concertized with Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet and co-founded the Canadian string ensembles, Trio de Moda and YEG4 (string quartet).
Prior to moving to Edmonton, Clayton was Principal Violist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Ashland Symphony and the National Repertory Orchestra. He has also performed with the Victoria, Vancouver Island, National Arts Centre Orchestras. As an avid chamber musician, he has performed in the Music at Memorial and the Atlantic String Quartet Recital series, and at the National Arts Centre and Toronto Summer Music Festival.
Clayton began violin lessons at the age of three at the Langley Community Music School. He continued his studies at the University of Victoria, and then pursued the viola at the University of Minnesota and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
October 10 - St. Albert Place Lobby with Terzetto - Crystal Krips, flute, Dorothy Speers, flute & Caitlin Laslop, cello
St. Albert flute and piano teacher Crystal Krips has spent the majority of her life balancing a career in both music and business. Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, she started her musical career by taking piano lessons, followed quickly by flute lessons and band. Crystal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan, attained simultaneously. Following her formal education, Crystal attained her Certified Management Accountant designation and ARCT diploma. She currently is the Executive Director for the Alberta Music Education Foundation, a charity dedicated to promoting the advancement of music education in Alberta. She is in demand as a flute clinician, and she maintains a successful private studio of flute and piano students.
Crystal plays piccolo and flute in the Edmonton Winds. When not working or practicing, Crystal enjoys taking Pilates classes, walking her dog, and spending time with her family.
Dorothy Speers received her Bachelor of Music in Performance from Queen’s University and her Master’s of Music degree in Performance from the University of Alberta. She was the recipient of the Beryl Barnes Scholarship for Excellence in Performance from the University of Alberta and was the recipient of the prestigious Kingston Symphony Scholarship while in attendance at Queen’s. Dorothy has studied and performed in masterclasses with Aurele Nicolet, William Bennett, Louis Moyse, Julius Baker, James Walker and Camille Churchfield. She has performed with the Kingston Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony, Alberta Baroque Ensemble, Edmonton Winds, many musical theatre productions, and in numerous small ensembles. In addition to being on staff at MacEwan University, Dorothy has a large
private flute studio. Dorothy is in constant demand as a solo performer and is a founding member of the Terzetto Trio. She remains busy as an adjudicator and clinician throughout western Canada and has toured extensively in France, Germany and Italy. Dorothy is a YAMAHA artist.
Caitlin Laslop is an Edmonton based cellist and teacher. Mrs. Laslop graduated from the University of Alberta in 2007 with a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance where she studied under the guidance of Tanya Prochazka. Caitlin has a studio of 20+ students in addition to her roles as cello/double bass/ensemble teacher at Suzuki Charter School. Mrs. Laslop recently moved to St. Albert with her husband and young children. She also enjoys performing with the Vif String Quartet.
November 10 - St. Albert Centre with Obsessions Quartet - Joanna Ciapka-Sangster, violin, Yue Deng, violin, Leanne Maitland, viola & Ronda Metszies, cello
Obsessions String Quartet was founded in 2005 as an extension of a previously formed string trio, named Trio Con Brio. Once the Kent Sangster ’s Obsessions Octet was created, the string group became an integral part of the octet and the ensemble automatically became Obsessions String Quartet. The quartet’s repertoire consists of unique string quartet hits such as music by Astor Piazzolla, Kent Sangster, Allan Gilliland, Chris Andrew, Radiohead, Maria Schneider, other tangos and jazz standards, and a few favourites by Ravel, Dvorak, Szymanowski and Bacewicz.
SACMS greatly appreciates the support of the City of St. Albert for SACMS' 10th Anniversary - Take 10!
