• Classical
  Pure Glückseligkeit
  
  Idyla
  Daniel Myssyk & Appassionata
  Fidelio Records
  If one were competing to put together the most unusual program of diverse works to showcase a string orchestra, I...

Daniel Myssyk (Director of orchestral studies, Professor)

Daniel Myssyk has earned critical acclaim from the general public, as well as from audiences of Radio-Canada’s cultural network for broadcasts since 2001. As Founder and Music Director of the Ensemble instrumental Appassionata, he formed a professional chamber orchestra that has attracted growing public attention since its debut in July 2000. This ensemble has taken on an important artistic and social role within the Montreal community by presenting innovative works that appeal to wide audiences. With Daniel Myssyk at the helm, they are reaching across the rich cultural heritage of the region as well as crossing the age barriers and bringing youth into the concert halls. Lauded in Montreal’s newspaper La Presse as “an ensemble that is impeccable in all regards: coordination, balance, precision, musicality, with a beautiful sound…” Appassionata’s recent CD Idyla can be heard on Fidelio Records.

Currently Daniel Myssyk stays in tune with today’s youth as Director of Orchestral Activities and Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond (VA). A First Prize Winner in bass at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Montréal, Mr. Myssyk was compelled to write a play for children that made its world debut in 1995 featuring his instrument. After graduating from the Université de Montréal he returned to teach music theoryand later during the summer of 2005, he conducted at Kinhaven Music School (VT).

In 2008, Daniel Myssyk made his debut at the most celebrated music festival in Canada, the International Festival of Lanaudière. In 2006, he conducted the premiere of “The Birth of Something”, a chamber opera by Anthony Brandt for Da Camera of Houston. Later in 2007 while serving as Associate Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, he conducted at the Round Top International Festival (TX) and made his debut with Ottawa’s Thirteen Strings where he still returns to guest conduct.

As a John E. Guida Fellow, Daniel Myssyk also had the honour of receiving financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Orford Art Centre allowing him to study notably with David Zinman and Tomas Koutnik. He completed his second Masters Degree under the tutelage of Larry Rachleff at Rice University where he served as Assistant Conductor of the Shepherd Symphony Orchestra, one of the top ranked university orchestras in North America.

Appassionata is:

- a Quebec chamber orchestra founded and directed by Daniel Myssyk;
- a stimulating series of concerts with selections from a repertoire of classical favourites, held in pleasant venues and associated with high quality artistic mediums;
- support for the creation of Canadian compositions for chamber orchestra through strategic artistic associations;
- the democratization of classical music by performing for new audiences

Since 2000, Appassionata has succeeded in carving out a place in Québec as part of Montréal’s artistic and cultural communities, approaching new audiences through various channels of distribution.

In order to achieve its goals, the orchestra has been able to count on the support of the City of Montréal and its network of cultural centres so that it can also present concerts in non-traditional locations outside the circuit of large concert halls. Over the past few years, the assistance provided by CALQ (Québec’s arts and literature council) and Québec’s Ministère de la culture et des communications has enabled the group to develop special projects and work with the teaching community for the benefit of high school students.

Since 2002, Appassionata has kept the pace of some four productions a year. It also completed its first tour with an all-Mozart program, bringing the number of concerts in its 2005-2006 broadcast performance to a total of eleven. Heard annually on Radio-Canada’s Espace musique radio show, the orchestra has accompanied internationally acclaimed soloists, including guitarists Bill Kanengiser (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet) and Dimitri lllarionov, French horn player John Zirbel and violinist Yehonatan Berick. The orchestra’s participation in several international festivals, including the Arab World Festival and the Guitar Foundation of America, and its collaboration in the creation of contemporary Canadian works solidifies Appassionata’s position as a high-quality and highly versatile chamber orchestra.

In 2008-2009, the release of its first CD, Idyla, was well received by Canadian and American critics. 2009-2010 reinforced the organization, which was readmitted by Placements Culture and had the honour of seeing Bernard Landry accept the presidency for Appassionata’s 10th anniversary.

Appassionata will perform in the United States for the first time in January 2012.

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  Daniel Myssyk
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  Appassionata