Classical

Clark Bryan was born into a musical family. He was inspired to pursue a musical pathway by his mother, a piano teacher and his grandparents, both singers.  Mr. Bryan began formal studies at age four and wrote his first compositions at age six. In his youth, Mr. Bryan trained with longtime pupil of the renowned pianist Géza Anda, Antonia Mazanova. She helped him gain an appreciation for music of all styles. Mr. Bryan did his formal training at the University of Western Ontario. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (1990) and Masters Degrees (1992) in piano performance having studied with pianists John Paul Bracey and Sonja Behrens.  Mr. Bryan has also trained with many of the world’s renowned pianists including Howard Shelley, Jean Paul Sevilla, Eugene List, Shura Cherkasky, Ruth Slenczynska and Ronald Turini. Mr. Bryan spent many years studying with the celebrated pianist Cécile Ousset both in Paris and the south of France where he refined much of his pianistic and interpretive abilities.

Clark’s performance career has taken him to Europe, Mexico the United States and throughout Canada. He has done performances for CBC radio and television including a broadcast recital at the Glenn Gould Studio, CBC. He has adjudicated music festivals from coast-to-coast.  Mr. Bryan has done extensive music editing and written a book entitled “Gateways to Learning and Memory”.

Mr. Bryan has recorded twelve albums of solo piano including the complete Debussy Preludes and Chopin Nocturnes.  A duo piano album of the Suites for two pianos by Serge Rachmaninoff features Clark with his longtime duo partner Marion Miller. Soon to be released projects include Mendelsohn Songs Without Words, Grieg Lyric Pieces and the Chopin Preludes.

In 2004-2005 Mr. Bryan was invited by London’s City Council to serve as a member of the Creative Cities Task Force, an initiative designed to recognize and promote art, culture and lifestyle in London, Ontario.  It was through this experience that Clark began to learn about the impact of Art and Culture on social change.

Mr. Bryan has received many awards for his teaching and community work including “Musical Personality of the Year” (2005) and a Jack Richardson Music Award (2011) for his contributions to the musical landscape in the London Community.

Mr. Bryan has conducted workshops for piano teachers and musicians across Canada. He is the current the President of the London Branch of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association.  His frequent speaking engagements include a TEDX talk entitled “Why Take Piano Lessons”, The SPARKS conference held at King’s College UWO, “Ignite Culture” at the City of London and “City Symposium”.  Clark composes music under the  pseudonym “Walter Stanley”, a tribute to his grandfather who was a great supporter of his musical journey and was a great musician himself.

In 2004, Mr. Bryan purchased Aeolian Hall in London Ontario and transformed it into the Aeolian Performing Arts Centre and School of Music. In 2009 he shifted the governance of The Aeolian into a registered charity.  The Hall has won local and national awards for its excellence.

In his efforts to create universal access to music and music education, Mr. Bryan launched El Sistema at the Aeolian.  This initiative is a free, intensive, UNESCO award winning music program for children and youth.   In 2016, Mr. Bryan secured an additional facility “Bishop Cronyn Memorial Place” as a music education campus and performance facility. This new facility will allow the Aeolian to expand its mandate to provide “universal access to music, art, culture and education”.

Clark co-founded two new programs in 2016 run by The Aeolian. Pride Men’s Chorus London is a men’s choir open to all men. This choir’s mandate is to celebrate diversity and be an instrument for change in our community.  The Rebelheart Collective is a new model of a Chamber Orchestra using mentorship and community engagement to develop universal access to classical music.

In October 2017, Mr. Bryan was awarded Western Alumni Award of Merit and inducted into the Don Wright Faculty of Music Wall of Fame (2017).

In 2018, Clark was recognized with a Canada 150 Award through the House of Commons for his contributions to community and the nation.  IIn 2022, Clark was awarded “Best Classical Artist”  and in 2023, Clark was awarded a “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the London Forest City Music Awards.

Mr. Bryan looks forward to a future when everyone has access to the arts and he is committed to helping make the changes necessary to accomplish this!

Join us for an afternoon performance from Susan Millar Boldissar & Marion Miller, performing "From Susan & Marion With Love".

Join El Sistema Aeolian for our upcoming concert at First St. Andrews United Church on Thursday March 7th. We are presenting works performed by all our ensembles, from Beginner to Phrygian Strings, Beginner and Intermediate Cellos, Junior and Senior Choirs, to Brass and Woodwinds and Full Orchestra. Featured works include our most ambitious orchestra piece Finlandia arranged by Brass/Winds instructor Bruce Hoadley, choreographed Glee choir from the musical Annie, and many more.

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

Kathleen studied with respected harpists Nora Bumanis, Jennifer Swartz, Judy Loman, and Lori Gemmell. Since completion of her Bachelor of Music degree at McGill University, Kathleen has over 20 years of experience as a freelance harpist, contributing to the vibrant musical communities of southwestern Ontario, through performances in orchestral settings, chamber music, church music, musical theatre productions, and accompaniment of vocalists and choral ensembles. Winner in 2014 and 2023 of the London Music Awards for Classical Soloist, Kathleen has a special love for choral and vocal accompaniment, and performs regularly with choirs in London Ontario and surrounding centres. She has collaborated with dozens of choral groups over the course of her career, including Chor Amica, Fanshawe Chorus London, Karen Schuessler Singers, Amabile choirs, choirs associated with Western University, and many church choirs.

Outside of her performance and teaching work, she enjoys helping musicians prevent and overcome playing related injuries, and assists other individuals regaining functional skills, in the context of her work as an occupational therapist.

Join us on February 4 for a special afternoon performance by Daria Kharchenko, accompanied by Aeolian's own Executive & Artistic Director, Clark Bryan.

For the last few years, Dan Luong has been enriching the musical scene in London, Ontario in a variety of ways which include: pop-up concerts held at Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church where he is the Music and Choir Director, working at the Don Wright Faculty of Music as a Collaborative Pianist and, as well, providing current students and recent graduates with opportunities to perform off-campus. Dan also maintains a busy teaching schedule, working with students of all ages.

Prior to the pandemic, Dan held the staff accompanist position at Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts. During this time, Dan was competing in piano competitions internationally (U.S.A, Italy, Israel, and Japan) and was preparing to tour Canada and Europe in the summer as a member of 2020 National Youth Orchestra.

Dan’s Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees were both received from Western University, where he studied with Prof. John-Paul Bracey, Dr. Brett Kingsbury, and Dr. John Hess. During his time as a student, Dan won numerous prizes and scholarships from the Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition, London Music Scholarship Foundation, Michael Geryk Memorial Competition, and the Fred Pattison Piano Competition. As the winner of these competitions, Dan has performed solo recitals and concertos with the Western University Symphony Orchestra and the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.

During the pandemic when many gigs were cancelled, Dan developed new and relevant skills (video editing and audio recording) while continuing to practise the piano. During this time, Dan has been uploading numerous videos of his piano performances with multiple camera angles. He has also posted video recordings of a small virtual choir he started with his church.

PURCHASE THIS PASS TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE FOLLOWING PERFORMANCES:

OCTOBER 22 - JANNE MERTANEN

OCTOBER 26 - CHANTICLEER

PLEASE ALLOW 24-48 HOURS FOR AN AEOLIAN REPRESENTATIVE TO CONTACT YOU TO SORT OUT SEATING ARRANGEMENTS.

PROGRAM

"Janne Mertanen is a unique voice in the sea of pianistic talent in this world.  His interpretations have original perspectives, amplified by stunning virtuosic technique,  inspiring spontaneity and masterful musicianship.  A Sony Classical Artist, his recordings of Chopin and Sibelius present a rare pianistic lyricism and stylistic integrity.  Currently recording the complete works of Chopin, the program for London will include Chopin and music from Finland.  We are thrilled to bring Janne from Finland to gift London with a rare opportunity to hear his live music in Canada.  This concert is not to be missed!”

Clark Bryan, Executive and Artistic Director, The Aeolian

Pianist Janne Mertanen studied at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where his teachers included Erik T. Tawastjerna and Dmitri Baskirov. He then completed his studies with Lazar Berman at the Accademia Pianistica in Imola, Italy.

Mertanen came to the attention of the wider musical public in 1992 with a win in the International Chopin Competition in Darmstadt, Germany. In the same year he won the first price also in the Nyborg Nordic Competition. Janne Mertanen has had orchestra engagements in South America, Asia and in Europe. In March 2010 he made his South American debut as the soloist of the Schumann Piano Concerto with the Orchestra of the National Theater of Brazil conducted by Ira Levine. In 2014 he made his soloist debut in Japan with Tokyo New City Orchestra. Recital appearances have taken him around most of the European countries, Canada, America, Australia and Asia. He made his debut at the Wigmore Hall in London in October 1994 with a programme of works by Chopin.  

Janne Mertanen was selected as the Young Artist of the 1st Espoo International Piano Festival in May 1991. Mertanen´s first recording Chopin Recital was released in 1994 by Finlandia Records (Warner).  Chopin Nocturnes vol. 1-2 (Alba Records), were awarded in The 6th International Record Competition Grand Prix Du Disque Frédérick Chopin 2005 in Warsaw October 2005. His album Chopin Piano Concertos was released in February 2008 (ABCD 247). In 2010 Mertanen published a recording of Piano Works of Sibelius and a recording of Nino Rota´s Piano Concertos (with Tampere Philharmonic, cond. Hannu Lintu). In 2011 was published a recording of Chopin´s works for piano and orchestra with Turku Filharmonic (cond. Jani Telaranta). Recording of Grieg and Schumann Piano Concertos with Gävle Symphony Orchestra (cond. Hannu Koivula) was released in 2013. Janne Mertanen is the Artistic Director of Joensuu Music Festival. He is a Steinway Artist.

The GRAMMY® Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer has been hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker, and is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity.  Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling over one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the world.

Chanticleer’s repertoire is rooted in the renaissance, and has continued to expand to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz, popular music, and a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements. The ensemble has committed much of its vast recording catalogue to these commissions, garnering GRAMMY® Awards for its recording of Sir John Tavener’s “Lamentations & Praises”, and the ambitious collection of commissioned works entitled “Colors of Love”.  Chanticleer is the recipient of the Dale Warland/Chorus America Commissioning Award and the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming, and its Music Director Emeritus Joseph H. Jennings received the Brazeal Wayne Dennard Award for his contribution to the African-American choral tradition during his tenure with Chanticleer.

Named for the “clear-singing” rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Chanticleer continues to maintain ambitious programming in its hometown of San Francisco, including a large education and outreach program that recently reached over 8,000 people, and an annual concert series that includes its legendary holiday tradition “A Chanticleer Christmas”.

Join us for a celebration of music and youth, as our El Sistema Program closes out the year with a summer concert.  The program will feature classical selections, Jazz, Film Music, and a spectacular finale with the return of our full Symphonic Orchestra!

Welcome to the Aeolian Phoenix Sessions