Featuring:
Brian McAuley, trumpet
Justin Saulnier (2023 prize-winner), violin
Ryan Huang (2023 prize-winner), piano
Justin Saulnier is an 18-year-old violinist from Orléans, Ontario. He was the recipient of the Lloyd Carr-Harris String Scholarship to attend McGill University Schulich School of music and is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in violin performance with Andrew Wan.
Justin participated in the String Leadership Program at the Music Academy of the West in the summer of 2023, led by Glenn Dicterow, and played as concertmaster in one of the the Academy’s Festival orchestra concerts. He was the concertmaster of Canada’s National Youth Orchestra for their 2022 season. He is also the former concertmaster of the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra and the Ottawa Youth Orchestra. He has also shared the stage with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thirteen Strings, the Ottawa Pops Orchestra, and the Parkdale Orchestra.
As a soloist, Justin has received many awards, notably the first prize in the NACO Bursary Competition, in the Orchestre Métropolitain OMNI Competition, and the OMFA’s provincial competition, as well as the Kinsmen Club Shield Trophy, the RCM Gold Medal and the Edythe Young Browne Trophy. He is also the winner of the 2023 McGill Concerto Competition and the 2023 Oakville Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition. He made his orchestral solo debut at age 12 with the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra and since then, has performed with the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra and the Ottawa Youth Orchestra.
He was also invited to perform at la Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur, the RCM Celebration of Excellence, the Chamberfest Rising Stars concert, and the Southminster Church Doors Open For Music concert series.
Ryan Huang, 12 years old, is a scholar student in the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy under Dr. Michael Berkovsky. He has studied piano with Dr. Olga Chichova since the age of 6.
At such a young age, Ryan has already performed with numerous orchestras around the world, including, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia); with Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra (Austria); Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra (China); Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (Canada); The Royal Conservatory Orchestra (Canada); Burlington New Millennium Orchestra (Canada); Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra (Canada); Tarnow Chamber Orchestra (Poland); T.I.M.M Chamber Orchestra (Italy).
Ryan is enthusiastic about performing. He performed in Isaac Stern Auditorium (main hall) at Carnegie Hall in New York City every year before Covid. In July 2019, Ryan was invited by SMG (Shanghai Media Group) to play his first full length solo concert ‘Sounds of Summer by Ryan Huang’ in the prestigious Shanghai Symphony Hall. The tickets were sold out within three days.
Previously he has been interviewed as a music prodigy by many medias such as CBC News, PBS, RTR (Russian Television and Radio), Poland National TV, Cogeco, Your TV, Phoenix TV, Oakville News, Magazine ‘Neighbours’. etc.