During this time, Michele performed extensively throughout the UK, Austria and France. Grants from the Australia Council and the South Australia Arts Council enabled further study in London with the distinguished violinist Szymon Goldberg. In 1975-76, she was leader of the Australian Youth Orchestra, most notably in that orchestra's highly acclaimed tour of the US during the 1976 bicentennial celebrations.
She was a national winner of the ABC Instrumental and Vocal Competition in 1974 and was subsequently offered solo engagements with the Adelaide and Canberra Symphony Orchestras. Michele Walsh graduated from the University of Adelaide in 1974. His Passacaglia was premiered by Kent Nagano and l’orchestre symphonique de Montréal in 2014 and subsequently recorded by Emmanuel Villaume and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. In 2012, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.Īs a composer, he has written works for orchestra and string quartet. Neal Gripp holds a doctorate degree from the Juilliard School and has taught at McGill University, the University of Montreal, the New World Symphony in Miami and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. His recording with the OSM Chamber Soloists received a Prix Opus for best classical recording, solo or chamber. An active chamber musician, he has created and directed chamber music series in collaboration with CBC/Radio Canada, the Canadian Centre for Architecture and the J. Neal Gripp made his debut in New York’s Town Hall followed by solo recitals in London’s Wigmore Hall and the Centre Culturel Canadien in Paris. He has recorded Berlioz’s Harold en Italie with l’orchestre symphonique de Montréal for CBC Television and Glenn Buhr’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for CBC Records. His solo performances with orchestra include concerts in Alice Tully Hall in New York, Place des Arts in Montreal, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and at the Aspen Music Festival where he has collaborated with Kent Nagano, Charles Dutoit, John Nelson, Gunther Herbig and Bramwell Tovey among others. He is a Conn-Selmer Artist.Īppointed principal viola of l’orchestre symphonique de Montréal in 1990, Neal Gripp has been described by William Primrose as a “true virtuoso”. James Campbell has been Artistic Director of the Festival of the Sound since 1985 and was Professor of Music at the famed Jacobs School of Music, of Indiana University 1988-2019. A Juno Award winner, he has been named Canada’s Artist of the Year, awarded the Queen’s Gold and Diamond Jubilee Medal, an Honourary Doctor of Laws, and the Order of Canada.
Of his over 50 recordings, the BBC and The Times of London rated his recording of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet with the Allegri Quartet as the best available. He has collaborated with Glenn Gould and Aaron Copland and toured with over 35 string quartets, including the Guarneri, Amadeus(when he replaced an ailing Benny Goodman on a tour of California) and Vermeer.
He has performed as soloist and chamber musician in over 35 countries with over 60 orchestras including the Boston Pops, Montreal Symphony and the London Symphony. James Campbell has been called “Canada’s pre-eminent clarinetist and wind soloist”,by the Toronto Star and “one of the half dozen top clarinetists in the world” by Fanfare Magazine.