WMF23 Presents: “A Fair to Remember” August 13-27

Hello.

Hello, again.

It’s us, the Windwood Music Festival. And our family is growing. That’s us, our new resident artists, another powerful passionate superhuman Airdrie mom (our new Event Coordinator!), and you - all of you who have welcomed us with open hearts and kept on supporting us with such warmth, kindness, enthusiasm, all of you we have yet to meet, all the people and land and memories that have made a mark in our home, our story - we are all growing together, growing and celebrating and connecting through music, through community.

So… here are the juicy updates you’ve been waiting for:

2023 Resident Artists

First, we’re thrilled to announce our five new international resident artists for 2023. They’re not only brilliant musicians, but also wonderful, creative, unique artists and human beings who share our vision. There will be lots of silly or tear-jerking friendship stories, lots of feasts, lots and lots of feasts, rehearsals, trials, frustrations, adventures, small and big ‘wins’, perhaps a little less chaos than last year … perhaps not. But one thing for sure: there will be music making that’s worthy of the traditions we honour, the new traditions we pave the path for, music that moves, music that remembers and will be remembered. It will be a saga.

Introducing, humbly yours:

• Teresa Wang, violin (Houston, USA)

• Olah Vilmos, violin (Budapest, Hungary)

• Nao Kubota, viola (Los Angeles, USA)

• Titus Young, cello (Oregon, USA)

• William Chiang, piano (Texas, USA)

Read their full bios here!

Teresa Wang

Canadian violinist Teresa Wang is a passionate and versatile musician who strongly believes in the power of art to educate, connect, and affect change. Always looking for ways to break down barriers in concert halls, Teresa enjoys curating holistic concert experiences that help bridge the gap between audiences and performers. 

Olah Vilmos

Oláh has performed as a soloist on five continents. In addition to his appearances at numerous festivals and in many of the world's music capitals, he has also served as an ambassador of Hungarian culture. He has been active as a concertmaster since 1990, leading the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, Dohnányi Orchestra Budafok, MAV Symphony Orchestra, Danubia Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Strings, and Camerata Transsylvanica. Oláh’s mentors and professors include masters Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, Jose Cura and Adam Fischer, to name a few. 

Nao Kobuta

Violist Nao Kubota is an active chamber and orchestral musician in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. A passionate chamber musician, Nao was the Gold Prize Winner of the 9th International Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition, and has worked closely with the Juilliard, St. Lawrence, Pacifica, Escher, Borromeo, Cavani, and Danish String Quartets. Nao’s festival appearances include the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar, Aspen Music Festival Center for Advanced Quartet Studies, St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar, Sarasota Music Festival, Encore Chamber Music String Quartet Intensive, and Bowdoin International Music Festival. 

Titus Young

Titus Young is 23 and currently enrolled in a master’s degree programme in cello and historical performance practice at the University of Oregon.  Titus started playing the cello when he was seven – and has been playing ever since. Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, Titus was homeschooled until high school, when he dual enrolled in the Baker Charter School and Lane Community College. He then attended the University of Oregon, graduating summa cum laude in 2021 with a bachelor’s in cello performance. 

William Chiang

William Chiang, of Plano, Texas, completed degrees at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied under the tutelage of  Evelyne Brancart and André Watts. He began piano studies at age four with Olga Radosavljevich at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Later teachers include Andrey Ponochevny and Pamela Mia Paul. William has performed with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, Plano Symphony Orchestra, Lewisville Lake Symphony, and Indiana University student orchestras. Top  competition prizes include the International Chopin Young Artist  Competition (Houston), Vernell Gregg, Collin County, MTNA State, and California Association of Professional Music Teachers Concerto  competitions, with additional awards from the International Keyboard  Odyssiad, Knabe International Piano Competition, Blount-Slawson Competition, and Hellam Young Artist Competition, among others. 

2023 MainStage Program

This year’s theme is “A Fair to Remember”. Fairs, fairs, fairs. We have a Renaissance Fair, a Masquerade Ball, a Musical Carousel, a Community BBQ, just to name a few! Lots of opportunities to dress up, dress down, feast, dance, celebrate, and participate in the festivities. There’s something for everyone!

Friday, August 18, 7 p.m. Opening Concert “A Windwood Fairy Tale” by Duo Perdendosi at Nose Creek Park Amphitheatre

Sunday, August 20, 2 p.m. Resident Artists Chamber Music Concert and Community BBQ at Nose Creek Park

Wednesday, August 23, 5 p.m. “Renaissance Fair” String Quartet Concert at Jensen Park

Friday, August 25, 7 p.m. “Musical Carousel” Chamber Music Concert at Chinook Winds Park

Saturday, August 26, 1 p.m. Closing Concert at Daybreak Church

Saturday, August 26, 8 p.m. Salon Concert at the Windwood Residence House  

Check out our MainStage page for detailed programming. All outdoor events are free admission, RSVP here! There will be more exciting events throughout the two weeks led by our resident artists, so stay tuned!

Finally, we’d like to extend a warm welcome to Jana van der Linde, our newly onboarded logistical director who will be the true unseen supershero behind the scenes ensuring the smooth and safe and happy operations of this wild two-week celebration!

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Airdrie, with all our love,

Thank you, a million times over.

Tong