2022 Resident Artists
Phil Chiu (piano)
“A pianist-painter who transforms each musical idea into a beautiful array of colours” (La Presse), Philip Chiu is acclaimed for his brilliant pianism, sensitive listening, and a stage presence that eschews the hermit-pianist image in favour of openness, authenticity, and connection with audiences. Inaugural winner of the Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer, Philip has become one of Canada’s leading musicians through his infectious love of music and his passion for connection and creation.
Philip concertizes extensively as soloist and chamber musician and has performed recitals and chamber music concerts all across Canada, as well as concert halls in France, Japan and the United States. Chamber music partners have included James Ehnes, Emmanuel Pahud, Regis Pasquier, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Bomsori Kim, Johannes Moser, and Raphael Wallfisch. He has a long-standing violin-piano duo with Jonathan Crow, concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and violinist of the New Orford String Quartet. Philip is a veteran touring artist of Prairie Debut, Jeunesses Musicales Canada, and Debut Atlantic, having toured the country 14 times with their generous support.
His next album, the first in a triptych focused on the music of Ravel and Debussy as well as new commissions by Canadian composers, will be released on the ATMA Classique label in April 2022. He has also recorded for Warner Music, ATMA Classique, Analekta and CBC Music. He can be heard regularly on BBC Radio, France Musique, ICI Musique, and CBC Music.
He is very grateful for the support of Mécénat Musica, the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Philip also wishes to thank his teachers and mentors; notably, Marc Durand, Jenny Regehr, Susan Steele, and the late Peter Longworth.
Keith Hamm (viola)
Keith Hamm is a native of Rosebud, Alberta. He 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. Other influences include Pinchas Zukerman, Mark Fewer, Richard Lester, the London Haydn Quartet, and especially formative summers at the Chamber Music Program at Le Domaine Forget.While still a student, Keith was named Principal Violist of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and performed there for eight seasons. In the fall of 2019, Keith took up that same position with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
Keith is an alumnus of the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove; the Sarasota Music Festival and programs at the Banff Centre. Keith has been featured on CBC Radio, Toronto’s Classical 96.3, Minnesota Public Radio and has been named one of Canada’s Hottest 30 Classical Musicians Under 30 by CBC.A dedicated chamber musician, Keith has shared the stage with Anssi Kartunnen, Ernst Kovacic, Richard Lester, David Geringas and members of the Smithsonian Chamber Players. Keith has been invited to perform at the Ravinia Festival as guest violist with the Royal Conservatory’s Grammy-nominated ARC Ensemble, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, Stratford Summer Music, Sweetwater Music Festival, Edmonton Recital Society and Music By The Sea in Bamfield, BC. Keith has been a guest with the Juno-winning Amici Ensemble and frequently performs with Continuum Contemporary Music, Skylight Series in Toronto’s Distillery District, Echo Chamber Toronto, and Stereo Live as performer and producer.
Keith is Founder and Artistic Director of the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival in Rosebud, Alberta and co-founder of the Rosebud String Quartet.
Keith plays on a viola made by Joseph Curtin in 2001.
Boson Mo (violin)
Hailed by the Houston Chronicle as having “stole(n) the show…with his rousing assertion of Fauré’s Violin Sonata…” at his 2016 Da Camera of Houston début, Boson’s recent performances include those at FIAF New York City, Festival de Lanaudière (Québec), Vancouver Chamber Music Society, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Kalmia Gardens Music Festival, and Festival Emilia-Romangna in Italy.
Winner of Third Prize at the 2013 Michael Hill International Violin Competition, Boson was named as one of Canada’s “30 under 30 Top Classical Musicians of 2015” by CBC Radio-Canada. He is a recipient of the “Prix Joseph-Rouleau” at the 2010 Montreal International Violin Competition as well as a top 25 candidate at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, and is a winner of Canada’s prestigious Sylva Geber Foundation Award. Additionally, he is a two-time winner of Canada Council for the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank loan.
Boson has been featured as Young Artist in Residence of American Public Media’s “Performance Today,” and has been broadcast both nationally in the U.S. as well as internationally on Radio New Zealand and CBC Radio-Canada. He has performed as soloist with the Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand), Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil (Canada), the CIM Orchestra, and the F.A.C.E. Symphony Orchestra; he has also been featured at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Aspen Music Festival and School, Début Atlantic, Jeunesses Musicales du Canada, Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Müzewest of Vancouver, Festival Pontiac Enchanté, as well as Music@Menlo’s Winter Residency.
Boson is one of the newest members of the Houston Symphony, and has recently served as Acting Assistant Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of both the Cleveland Institute of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, Boson currently performs on a violin by MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Joseph Curtin.
Cameron Crozman (cello)
Named “Canada’s next big cello star” by CBC Music and the 2019-20 Classical Revelation artist of Radio-Canada, Canadian cellist Cameron Crozman is making a name for himself both at home and internationally. Recipient of the Canada Council’s 2021 Virignia Parker Prize - the largest prize for emerging classical musicians in Canada - his performances take him across Canada and the USA as well as over Europe. An avid collaborator and chamber musician, Cameron regularly shares the stage with world-renowed artists including James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, James Campbell, and André Laplante.
After studies with Paul Pulford in Canada, Cameron attended the Paris Conservatory in the class of Michel Strauss, where he received his “Prix de Violoncelle” with highest honours. He was also a laureate of Gautier Capuçon’s 2016-17 Classe d’Excellence at the Louis Vuitton Foundation. His debut recording for ATMA Classique, Cavatine, recorded on the ca. 1696 “Bonjour” Stradivarius cello, was released to critical acclaim in 2019.
Cameron is extremely grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts and the Sylva Gelber Foundation for their support of his projects. He currently plays the Spanish cello “El Tiburon” attributed to Joannes Guillami ca. 1769 generously on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts Instrument Bank.
Nicholas Denton Protsack (cello)
Nicholas Denton Protsack is an emerging composer and concert cellist, originally from Kelowna, British Columbia. His creative work often explores new connections between music and the natural world. Described as a “(composer) to keep a close eye on” by the Canadian Music Centre, Nicholas was recently named a recipient of two first prizes from the 2021 SOCAN Foundation Young Composers Awards, as well as a top prize from the internationally renowned BMI Student Composer Awards (2021).
As a cellist, Nicholas is an active freelance performer and advocate of new music—frequently involved in collaborative projects across North America that range from more traditional idioms, to free-form improvisations. Although primarily a chamber musician, he has also appeared as a soloist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra.
Nicholas is currently undertaking a PhD in music at Victoria University of Wellington, studying with composers Michael Norris and Dugal McKinnon. His other major teachers have included David Garner (composition), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello), and Jennifer Culp (cello).
Meagan Milatz (piano)
Canadian pianist Meagan Milatz is quickly emerging as one of the most sought-after collaborative artists in the country. Her chamber music experiences are far-reaching and she 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; and cellist Matt Haimovitz, among many others. Her duo “meagan&amy” with violinist Amy Hillis launched onto the scene with their debut album Roots in 2019 before embarking on a 50-concert, Canada-wide tour as winners of the first-ever Pan-Canadian Partnership Recital Tour offered by Jeunesses Musicales Canada, Debut Atlantic, and Prairie Debut. They have been presented at the Ottawa Chamberfest and Lanaudière festival, and their performances broadcast on CBC/Radio-Canada. Most recently, Meagan has joined the internationally acclaimed Trio Fibonacci, one of the few piano trios recognized for its brilliant and inspired interpretations of contemporary repertoire as well as their passionate rendering of classical and romantic masterpieces.
Chosen as one of CBC’s “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30,” Meagan has appeared as a soloist alongside orchestras such as the Edmonton, Regina, Sherbrooke, and McGill Symphonies. She was top prize winner in the Shean Piano Competition, CFMTA National Piano Competition, and Canadian Music Competition as well as a recipient of a Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award.
Meagan began her studies in Saskatchewan with Cherith Alexander and holds a Master’s degree from McGill University studying piano with Ilya Poletaev and fortepiano with Tom Beghin. She has also studied collaborative repertoire under the tutelage of Philip Chiu. Enthusiastic about helping the next generation of young musicians, she has been on faculty as a collaborative pianist at Domaine Forget and frequently coaches students at McGill.
Meagan lives in Montreal where she loves biking, visiting the city’s numerous libraries, and enjoying the occasional tasty pastry.
Alicia Venables (violin)
Alicia Venables grew up in Armstrong, B.C. and started playing the violin at the age of 9. She regularly plays with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra having held a one-year contract from 2019-2020. Previously, she was a member of the first violin section in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Alicia has performed at venues in Spain, Norway, Qatar and across North America including Carnegie Hall. She was a participant at Music Academy of the West, the New York String Orchestra Seminar, the National Arts Centre Program in Ottawa, the Banff Masterclass Program and Morningside Music Bridge. While at Music Academy of the West, she was accepted into the String Quartet Seminar and was mentored by the members of the Takács Quartet. She has also performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel and Stéphane Denève. She received her Master of Music Degree from Carnegie Mellon University where she studied with Andrés Cárdenes and received her Bachelor of Music Degree from San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Ian Swensen. She also received a Diploma in Music Performance from Mount Royal University where she studied with William Van der Sloot and a Professional Studies Diploma from SFCM. She is currently on faculty at the Vancouver Academy of Music.